Keller @ Large: Rep. Joe Kennedy, Student Voters Promote Bipartisanship

BOSTON (CBS) – U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III, D-Mass., promotes bipartisanship in Washington, D.C., stating it's the only way any progress will be made. However, some college students want him and other lawmakers to do even more.

"Our generation is a generation of big dreamers," said Rini Sampath, one of 50 students gathering at Harvard University's Institute of Politics for a conference aimed at promoting bipartisanship. "In order to be productive and have results in this country, we definitely need to move forward; put some of the political agenda aside and think about the people."

"We just can't be complacent in what we have," said Niyat Mulugheta, another student. "We might have different views and that is OK, but to move forward, you do have to come together."

But even though Massachusetts' political clout is diminished by having an all-Democratic delegation in a Republican-controlled House, there is a limit to how far Kennedy's bipartisanship push goes.

Kennedy says adding a Republican from the Bay State would not help matters, but the students have a different perspective.

Harvard sophomore Mira Hayward noted that there will always be differences between Republicans and Democrats, but "in reality, we're all along a spectrum of political views. I think this extreme partisanship has been very difficult to imagine if there could be a Republican in Massachusetts."

"We've become too comfortable with the idea that it's OK to have these very different points of views but then not wanting to come together to make some sacrifices," added Mulugheta.

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