“The voters sent the same president back to the White House and kept the same parties in control of Congress. They did not vote for the status quo, however: The consensus in this election was that something must be done about the national debt, and those who won … must break the gridlock that has prevented anything being done about it sooner. Leaders of both parties were saying the right things after the election. 'If there is a mandate in yesterday's results,' House Speaker John Boehner said, 'it is a mandate for us to find a way to work together on solutions to the challenges we face together as a nation.' … Yet, it didn't take long for a key difference to emerge: The president called for extending middle-class tax cuts while Boehner ruled out increasing tax rates for wealthy Americans. Nonetheless, talk of working toward a compromise is encouraging, and the work must begin immediately. Congress faces a deadline on the 'fiscal cliff' by the end of December, and the job should not be put off until new members are sworn in next year. A total solution may be too much to expect in the four weeks of the lame-duck session, but there is time to agree on a basic framework.”

—Des Moines (Iowa) Register