Hoyer was clear that Congress is going to cut a deal, though it may delay going home to campaign for as long as it takes. He set a soft deadline of Friday. There are still lots of caucus meetings, nothing firm. I'm getting the sense that Democrats don't realize just how much leverage they have in this; they are scared of armageddon, without understanding that the other side is in an incredibly weak political position. They need to be on TV with pitchforks.
One sort of hilarious rumor is that Blue Dogs John Tanner and Alan Boyd are 'having heartburn' at this deal but that they recognize the politics and will let it go through. Blue Dogs are perpetually upset at things they are voting for and they think that fiscal responsibility is a slogan rather than something that means making hard choices. To them, wars and bailouts are free and the deficits are the fault of liberals. A Blue Dog is someone who eats a lot of ice cream every day, insists he is on a diet, and blames a conspiracy for his weight gain.