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Politics, Policy & the Debt Ceiling Debate

President Barack Obama discussing the debt ceiling with Congressional leaders at the White House on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Hour 1

As the President and top House and Senate leaders continue to battle over raising the federal debt ceiling, the name-calling and blame game continues.  Despite warnings that a lack of action could have dire consequences for the struggling economy, why is it that lawmakers are unable to compromise to reach an agreement?  Is the answer as simple as politics?  We talk with two folks who have been watching the events on Capitol Hill closely and have different concerns about the process — JOHN AVLON, senior columnist for Newsweek and the Daily Beast, who calls the debate "pathetic" and blames both parties for the delay, and ROBERT KUTTNER, co-founder and co-editor of The American Prospect, who says lawmakers are fighting the wrong battle and instead should be focusing all their attention on job crisis.