Am I wrong to think that the drama is probably winding down now?

[Silent3]

Not that I'll ever stop worrying while Tea Party nuts hold any influence or power, but I'm beginning to think that the Senate bill is what we're going to get, almost a done deal.

The Tea Party will keep throwing its temper tantrum, Boehner will finally give in to bringing the Senate bill to the House floor, as is, at the last minute, even without Republican majority support, and it will pass with nearly all Democrats and a handful of Republicans.

Then we're out of the woods.

At least for a couple of months.

Then wash, rinse, repeat -- maybe if we're lucky, without quite so much fuss next time.

[cali]

1. first of all, it's the end of Tuesday, leaving a very limited window

secondly, they need unanimous consent in the Senate. Do you have that much faith that Cruz won't throw a wrench in those works?

We're not out of the woods yet.

[Silent3]

4. If Cruz hasn't blocked the Senate yet, I think he's lost his chance.

If the House votes on the Senate bill in its current form, without any changes, nothing has to go back to the Senate. Once both houses have passed a bill in the same form, all that remains is for the President to sign the bill into law.

[cali]

8. he has not lost his chance. There hasn't been a vote yet. And he hasn't said

whether he'll block UC or not.

[Gothmog]

2. I am worried-the teabaggers do not live in the real world

The polling explains why the GOP is willing to play with the full faith and credit of the United States http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/poll-huge-majority-of-tea-partiers-think-debt-limit-is-no-big-deal

As the United States moves closer to the debt ceiling, a poll released Tuesday found the vast majority of tea party Republicans don't think the looming deadline is all that significant.

The latest findings from Pew Research Center showed that while a slight majority of all Americans — 51 percent — believe that it is "absolutely essential" for Congress to raise the debt limit before the Thursday deadline, 69 percent of tea partiers said the U.S. "can go past the deadline...without major economic problems."

Thirty-six percent of all Americans believe that the U.S. can safely go past the deadline, while just 23 percent of the tea party said it's essential to raise the debt ceiling. An overwhelming majority of 67 percent of Democrats called raising the debt ceiling essential, while 52 percent of Republicans said that the deadline could pass without triggering economic problems.

The teabaggers live in a different world compared to the rest of us. In their world, default and the collapse of the world economy is no big deal so long as they can show up the non-white guy living in the White House.

[Silent3]

3. Mostly we just need for Boehner to live in the real for a moment...

...he has done it before, so there's precedent for him (only and always at the last minute) allowing bills to pass with mostly Democratic votes.

[randome]

5. You mean Eric Cantor. Remember that last-minute rules change in the House?

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[Cannikin]

6. Local blogs showing my Rep meeting with Cruz...

And a few others at a DC restaurant discussing strategy. That same Rep's mouthpiece, Club for Growth, announced that he has pulled ahead in funding over the incumbent democrat he's running against for Senate.

They don't look like they are expecting to withdraw any time soon.

[Silent3]

7. Cruz and his most vehement followers don't need to withdraw...

...if Boehner allows a vote on the Senate bill, as is, in the House. While I'm far from comfortably certain about that happening in time, that seems to be what's shaking out as the most likely path forward, and it's hardly without precedent.

[cali]

9. Cruz or any other Senator can block Unanimous Consent

[Silent3]

10. When I made my comment earlier, I was under the mistaken impression...

...that the Senate had already passed its own version of the bill, but now I see they were running their version by the House without having had a final vote on it yet themselves. And the bastards aren't even coming back until noon today. Yeah, take your time!

Last I heard, because of a "message" sent from Boehner's office to the Senate, a step in cloture can now be skipped, and the most someone like Cruz can screw things up (which is enough to push us over the edge for a day) is a 30-hour delay.

Since none of the crazies in the Senate pulled any stunts like that the last time they were playing these stupid last-minute games, however, it doesn't seem too likely it would happen this time.

[brooklynite]

12. At this point, 30 hours might be enough...

[brooklynite]

11. IF John Boenher knows he's beaten and brings it up for a vote