Keller @ Large: Will Debt Downgrade Change Attitudes In Washington?
BOSTON (CBS) - The debt downgrade and stock market free fall have stepped up the pressure on Washington to find answers. But will there be a new willingness to compromise?
We didn't need a rating agency to tell us that the gridlock in Washington over the last several months has not been constructive, to say the least.
But in the wake of the downgrade and market slide, surely our political leaders will move past political gridlock, right?
Maybe not. Over the weekend, the Democrats were on their partisan message.
WBZ-TV's Jon Keller Is At Large
"I believe this is, without question, the Tea Party downgrade," said Senator John Kerry (D-MA).
As was the Republican presidential front-runner.
"It in my view punctuates a failed economic policy on the part of our president," said Mitt Romney.
The President said the good news is that the problems can be solved.
But is that really true in light of policy disagreements that go beyond partisanship?
For instance, the president says modest defense cuts agreed to last week are about as deep as we can go.
But within the Democratic Party, the opposite view thrives.
"If we are looking for something that breaks the mold, it's the military spending that is far disproportionate," said Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA).
While Republican Senator Scott Brown casts himself as a straight-shooting problem-solver, he offers no give on a key part of the gridlock.
Brown says, "To raise taxes in the middle of an almost three year recession is an absolute job killer."
