Keller @ Large: Can Election Winners Break The Gridlock?

BOSTON (CBS) - Congratulations to the winners last night, which included: organized labor, proving once again at the national and local level that they can go head-to-head with any corporate special-interest group and win; women voters, who finally broke the glass ceiling in Massachusetts, and showed elsewhere that politicians who want to dictate their personal health choices are asking for trouble; and Hispanic voters, who broke double-digits in national turnout for the first time and put the pols on notice that immigration reform can no longer be ignored.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

That is only a partial list, but it suggests the enormity of the problem facing the national Republican Party.

Check: National Election Results

Exit polls showed Mitt Romney was seen by a majority as better equipped to handle the number one issue on voters' minds, economic recovery and growth.

But that edge was overwhelmed by everything from the president's personal appeal to the Democratic advantage on other issues, not to mention their willingness to match anything the Republicans have ever achieved in the art of attack politics.

Check: Mass. Election Results

Here at home, with all due credit to Elizabeth Warren's evolution as a competent candidate, her decisive win in the Senate race was a triumph for the Democratic party's grassroots political organizing and a strategy that focused on energizing their base in the cities and liberal enclaves, turning out a vote that overwhelmed Scott Brown's advantage in the suburbs.

For the second straight election, the state Democratic pull was so strong it hauled sketchy candidates like John Tierney across the finish line with the rest.

So as I say, kudos to the winners. You earned it.

But Washington remains in the same old partisan gridlock, and nothing that happened last night is likely to automatically break it.

So the question remains for this underwhelming baby-boomer generation of political leaders – what are you going to start doing differently to generate some answers, instead of just more political heat?

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. and 12:25 p.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.