He says many republicans in will decide it's time to end confrontation and begin to compromise.
"I think when we win this election in November a lot of these folks are going to say we tried it your way, they're going to turn to those strident voices and say we tried it your way and it didn't work and now we're going to work with this president wherever we can," he said.
Axelrod was in the Chicago area for an engagement at Benedictine University-- sponsored by the Center for Civic Leadership.
At a news conference he emphasized that the government must continue to spend on things like education to revive the economy.
