"Even though it's an age of slickly packaged ads and messaging, people are transparent, " Zelizer said.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Julian Zelizer and Melissa Lerner.
"They both thought that they were leading political revolutions at the same time in countries that were fundamentally liberal, " Zelizer said.
"There is a kind of familiarity with brinksmanship politics and budgeting, " said Julian Zelizer, a Princeton University historian and CNN contributor.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Julian Zelizer.
"There's something instinctive that many voters think if you lived in the same circumstances as most Americans you can understand them, " Zelizer said.
Then there is the word sequester -- a technical mouthful that doesn't quite convey the same drama and sizzle as "fiscal cliff, " Zelizer said.
The opinions in this commentary are solely those of Julian Zelizer.
"Both took strong attacks against different types of regulations, " Zelizer said.
Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University (alma mater of Presidents James Madison and Woodrow Wilson), said that he, too, is puzzled by this.
For example, Zelizer pointed out that during recent negotiations over the fiscal cliff, the president changed his position substantially on the income threshold for eliminating the Bush tax cuts.
The maneuvers by McConnell and Boehner suggest a path forward if repeated, according to Zelizer, because if GOP leaders continue not to obstruct Democrats as they try to move forward with legislation, that could help bring around tea party Republicans in the House.
By making the pledge before the terms of the Senate deal were even set, Zelizer said, Boehner sent a signal to House Republicans that they were going to lose the battle over the fiscal cliff even if they didn't like the Senate deal.
"There isn't any connection between connecting with an average voter and being an average voter, " said Julian Zelizer, a CNN contributor and history and public affairs professor at Princeton University who has written books on former Presidents George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter.
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