Julian Zelizer : On the surface , it seems gridlock hurts both parites . He says Democrats suffer more since their party places more reliance on government . Republicans are less likely to blame Obama for a bad economy and they have been able to focus on other issues like immigration reform that is not as politically charged. Zelizer : Perhaps the toughest part about this for Democrats is that the impact of the paralysis is not visible to most Americans , including many of the party 's most loyal supporters . Focus for Democrats shifts from proposing to protecting government programs .
Julian Zelizer : On the surface , it seems gridlock hurts both parites . He says Democrats suffer more since their party places more reliance on government . Republicans are less likely to blame Obama for a bad economy and they have been able to focus on other issues like immigration reform that is not as politically charged. Zelizer : Focus for Democrats shifts from proposing to protecting government programs .