President Barack Obama and most of his fellow Democrats in Congress see the federal government as providing an essential safety net for the poor, the sick and the elderly.

Republicans, fueled by the Tea Party movement, see the central government as too big and inefficient, and a hindrance to economic growth that would benefit all Americans.

Despite the highly partisan political environment and his own defeat last year, former Senator Bennett says he is hopeful that both sides will come to an agreement on raising the debt limit.

"Campaigning is a lot easier than governing," added Bennett. "Campaigning leads you into the area of slogans rather than solutions. And I think many of these folks are turning out to be more serious than we may have thought. So I'm an optimist that we will raise the debt ceiling and that we will not default on our debts."

Bennett's optimism seems out of sync with recent public opinion surveys that show about 70 percent of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track and nearly two-thirds believe the nation is in decline.

Members of Congress return to Washington next week after a two-week break. During that time, many lawmakers will have held town meetings with voters and heard a lot about the debt ceiling, the budget and cutting government spending.