A frustrated Congress has quit the nation's capital with at least one hope -- that the stark choice in the upcoming election will give lawmakers some clarity about what Americans want from their government.

Congress
Dave Huss, Getty Images
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They desperately need some direction.

Lawmakers will return to Washington in about seven weeks facing a crowded list of must-do items, topped by avoiding what's become known as the fiscal cliff. That refers to the expiration of George W. Bush-era tax cuts, along with looming automatic spending cuts that could drive the country back into recession.

Two years of rancor and a divided government resulted in one of the least productive, least popular Congresses in history. The Senate wrapped up in the middle of the night by passing a six-month bill to keep the government operating.

 

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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