On Friday, CNN’s Candy Crowley admitted Obama’s insistence that he will not negotiate with Republicans in the budget impasse is “troublesome” for the Democrat-led Senate.

Referencing the McConnell-Paul hot mic incident earlier in the week, host John King asked Crowley what she made of the current political atmosphere in the Senate. Crowley sketches a less than optimistic picture.

One of the crucial roadblocks: the President’s outright refusal to negotiate with Republicans. (A position some argue the mainstream media helps embolden.) The President’s inflexible position has essentially backed Senators into a corner. As Crowley says

This tells me that they are in a position that the Senate doesn't want to be in. It tells me that they are hearing privately and publicly from the president 'no negotiations,' which probably is more troublesome in terms of there really isn't anything going on.

Crowley seems genuinely flummoxed by the lack of dialog between the two parties.

We kept thinking there was -- that maybe somewhere people were talking about a compromise and clearly that's not happening.

In their miced private conversation. McConnell and Paul both expressed optimism about popular opinion eventually shifting their way, citing Americans’ distaste for obstinate political posturing. But Crowley believes the jury’s still out:

So, what Republicans believe is that that particular stance -- we're not going to negotiate on anything -- is not going to survive the test of public will. So far, what we see is Republicans are taking the bulk of the blame. We'll see if that shifts.