Page 27 - Budget Problem News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

>> david, does having that political argument really solve the nation's deficit problem, the budget problem? does demagoguing them on medicare, it works politically perhaps, but does it work for getting stuff done? >> it doesn't -- i think because the politics of the 2012 were so ever present in all this, i think the chances have gone high now that we will not get entitlement reform and we won't get a serious reform of taxes until after the 2012 election. to me the question is, are we going to find ways to extend the debt ceiling and get a budget for 2012? are there more modest compromises tha...

With the unions, a very small proportion of democrats side with the companies. in this case we're talking about companies, by the way, not government public service unions. look at i understand pents. 49% side with the unions, 37% with unions. but the democrats, 72% with the unions and 24% with companies. i guess in places like wisconsin, unions had to know that when a republican administration takes office, this is what's going to happen. >> well, i think we did see it coming, but i don't think anybody predicted the extent to which some of these republican governors would go and some of the o...

In a campaign may not be achievable. they're going to have to learn to give and take legislating, and that's what they've done in this process. they're not going to give up. they're going to be aggressive and certainly in the debt limit fight they're going to be aggressive, but every time they have a fight like this that results in a compromise, they learn a little bit about how to function in washington. >> so then what do you think the half life is of the tea partiers in washington and across the country? >> the tea party -- the half life is already in the process of declining in the sense t...

Of distrust between the two parties. >> union oppose pension reforms and ending seniority for teachers making the politics tough on brown. >> i don't think this is about power bases and money bases as much as it is just maybe his personal preferences. >> so governor brown campaigned on the idea that he could get this done. that he can work with republicans to solve the state's budget problem. he failed. so democratic lawmakers, you guys are considering raising taxes without the required 2/3 vote and brown is -- barn storming the state to put a five year tax hike to a public vote. back to you. ...

Even into tomorrow morning we'll still see a slight risk along the eastern seaboard. back to you. jenna: shay ryan, thanks. jon: well, capitol hill lawmakers have four days left to avoid a government shutdown. efforts to cut a deal on spending could fall flat over some hot button ideological issues. joining us now, vermont congressman congressman peter welch, chief deputy whip for the house democrats. congressman welch, are you an optimist or pessimist when it comes to a government shutdown? >> well, it's 60/40 either way. we should not be having a government shutdown. there'll be very damagin...