If you want to avoid the Fiscal Cliff....
Here’s a roadmap:
First, have Boehner take bring the Senate Bill to the floor. Then let his yahoo conference pass as many stupid amendments as their black little hearts desire. Pass it with a pure Republican Majority and send it to Conference Committee. The Conference Committee adjusts the bill to what the President, Reid, McConnell, and Boehner and Pelosi agree upon as a compromise and send it back to both houses for ratification. Republicans in the Senate must agree not to filibuster and then they can all vote against it to remain “pure” but a certain number of Republicans in the House will have to agree to vote for the Conference Report so it will actually pass.
Granted…a lot of it is Kabuki theatre but that appears to be what the repubs want.
The hangup with this scenario is that any funding bill must by Constitution originate in the House of Representatives. I understand there are procedural ways around it that both the House and Senate must agree upon to by-pass the intent. I don’t know if they have the political will to do it.
I’m sort of a “process nerd” and I think this is the only way around the stalemate.