The deal just announced strikes me as an even bigger defeat for the Cruzniks than seemed possible even a day ago:
The deal, with the government shutdown in its third week, yielded virtually no concessions to the Republicans, other than some minor tightening of income verifications for people obtaining subsidized insurance under the health care law. Under the agreement, the government would be funded through Jan. 15, and the debt ceiling would be raised until Feb. 7. The Senate will take up a separate motion to instruct House and Senate negotiators to reach accord by Dec. 13 on a long-term blueprint for tax-and-spending policies over the next decade.
Cruz will not stand in the way. The one critical factor in resolving this? The president’s poker-faced refusal to compromise the way he did in 2011. He has not been center-stage this past week, but that doesn’t mean his stance hasn’t affected this fiasco. It saved us. Costa:
Votes on the measure will begin this afternoon. The Senate will vote first, and then the House will consider the legislation. House leadership aides predict if 70-plus senators support the deal, it’ll have an easier chance of winning Republican votes in the House… Most Senate Republicans are expected to back the agreement, according to sources familiar with the whip count.
Here’s hoping the House can get a bipartisan majority as well.
The Dish 