it is discussed with washington. i know as you travel around the country, you hear it. from facebook, eric f. writes "i think we now have elected officials that are afraid of their support bases rather than wanting to represent them. why does it seem that compromise is a dirty word these days?" on twitter from tim -- "i have never been less confident about the future," which is loaded on so many terms. i remember on election night in 2010, you talked about independent voters being a movable feast. what kind of message are we heading for next year in the election as a result of a near government shutdown and now near default? >> well, it's still very much in play, but i would say, about the tea party, for example, they play by the rules of american politics. they got angry, they got organized, they got here, and they got what they wanted, and they did it with discipline. whether or not in the long haul it's good for the larger universe is a very open question at this point. if you want to change washington, that's what you have to do. you have to get organized around