Question of the Day

Ian Donnis over at WRNI chats with Senator Jack Reed, who remains hopeful that Congress, afte the failure of the supercommittee, can work out a deficit-cutting deal before automatic defense and social services cuts take hold in 2013.

Other observers have suggested that the deal will come after the 2012 elections - perhaps in early 2013 - when one party or the other can claim the upper hand in Washington and steer matters to a conclusion.

Here's my question: will things really be any different then? A Democratic sweep seems highly unlikely - President Obama is vulnerable and there are far more Democratic seats in the US Senate up for election this time than Republican seats.

Likewise, the public seems quite peeved with Congressional Republicans - and will be even more so, come election day, if the Dems can convince voters that it was GOP intransigence that stood in the way of a budget deal this year.

Despite all the talk of upheaval - and there might be quite a few incumbents, in both parties, who lose their seats - a still-divided Washington seems the most likely scenario come 2013. What then?