Top Items:


House to vote first on Senate plan — The House will vote first on an emerging Senate proposal to open government and lift the debt ceiling, a move that would expedite bipartisan legislation developed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
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Why we miss Kay Bailey Hutchison — Things surely would look far different with Sen. Hutchison in office in the nation's capital — Does anyone else miss Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison? — We're not sure how much difference one person could make in the toxic, chaotic, hyperpartisan atmosphere in Washington …
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, CNN, Taegan Goddard's …, Politico, DownWithTyranny!, PoliticusUSA, The Fix, The Hill, Gawker, The Hinterland Gazette, The Dish and Mediaite


It's time to wrap up this comedy of political errors. — The Beltway budget melodrama rolls on to its predictable and dreary end, with both sides now split over increasingly small differences. None of this is worth a partial government shutdown, much less the risk of a debt default, and both sides are looking like losers.


GOP Prepares For Surrender On Debt Ceiling And Shutdown — Republicans demanded a king-size ransom and are poised to walk away with virtually nothing. — The majority House GOP has flamed out, unable to settle on any proposal to lift the debt ceiling and avert a catastrophic default.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Mediaite, Liberaland, The Reaction and FIRST DRAFT


Houston Chronicle Yanks Ted Cruz Endorsement — As the federal government enters its sixteenth day of shutdown and stands just hours away from defaulting on the national debt, the largest newspaper in Texas has pulled its endorsement of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, theGrio and Connecting.the.Dots


Breaking: Boehner to take vote on Senate compromise 1st, pass it with Dem votes — The endgame will arrive a little sooner than expected, thanks to a deal cut with John Boehner to take the first plunge on a bipartisan plan to end the budget standoff before the theoretical debt-ceiling limit gets breached.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Strata-Sphere, Weasel Zippers, Outside the Beltway, Independent Journal Review and Instapundit

Senate leader announces bipartisan budget deal — WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic leader Harry Reid says Senate leaders have reached a bipartisan deal to avoid default and end the government shutdown, now in its 16th day. — Reid made the announcement at the start of the Senate session on Wednesday.
Discussion:
The Verge and Outside the Beltway

Boehner to allow House vote on emerging Senate debt-ceiling deal — Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has agreed to allow a vote in the House on the emerging Senate debt-ceiling deal, according to a Senate source. — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell …
Discussion:
Daily Kos and Pat Dollard


John Boehner's Bad Night Clears a Path for a Deal — House GOP pulls vote on debt bill, leaving Senate to probe a path forward — In another era, for a different leader, it would have been a stunning rebuke. For John Boehner, it was just another embarrassing stumble in a speakership studded with them.


Carl Bernstein: GOP leadership ‘cancerous’ — Journalist and author Carl Bernstein said Wednesday that Republican Party leadership is “cancerous” and has put the United States at risk by letting the tea party lead the GOP. — “The Republican Party today has become a rabid organization from the top down.


Senate Paves Way to End Debt Impasse — WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic and Republican leaders on Wednesday reached final agreement on a deal to reopen the government and extend its borrowing authority into February, with final passage looking increasingly possible by Wednesday evening.
Discussion:
The Hinterland Gazette and Washington Free Beacon


Ted Cruz Admits Budget Standoff Was All About Fundraising
Discussion:
Gallup and The Atlantic Wire

CONGRESSMAN: ‘CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS’ IF GOP CAVES ON DEBT CEILING
Discussion:
protein wisdom and The Gateway Pundit

Republicans Berate National Parks Director For Shutdown As Deal Is Announced (VIDEO)
Discussion:
Mediaite

Ted Cruz's Hometown Newspaper Regrets Endorsement
Discussion:
ABC News and TheBlaze.com

House Republicans Show Themselves To Be Dangerously Incompetent, Again

Republican senator wants Cruz to stay out of the way in debt vote
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo

John Boehner Reportedly Tells Harry Reid He Will Move Quickly
Discussion:
Liberaland

Senate Leaders ‘Very Close’ to Debt, Shutdown Deal
Discussion:
NBCNews, Hot Air, CNN, Mother Jones, ABC News and Shakesville

Bridge Burning and Bridge Building — House Republicans have signaled they are giving up. — They'll merge their ideas with Mitch McConnell's ideas. The result will be a funded government, raised debt ceiling, and nothing done with Obamacare. — Throughout this fight, Harry Reid has outsmarted Mitch McConnell.
Discussion:
Slate, The New Republic, Hullabaloo, A plain blog about politics, Hot Air, The Dish and Washington Monthly


Obama Has Already Won The Shutdown Fight And He's Coming For Immigration Next — Immigration reform advocates plan an aggressive campaign to bring the issue back — and the White House has signaled it's on board. Can Obama emerge from the fiscal crisis with enough momentum to win the immigration fight?
Discussion:
National Review, Reuters and The Daily Caller
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Obama to push immigration reform ‘day after’ budget deal
Discussion:
Pat Dollard and Pirate's Cove

Move On Everybody, It Just Doesn't Matter — The ugliness of the GOP schism will probably have a long half life, as various parties feel the need to point fingers and shout “I didn't do it!” But if at all possible, I think conservatives and Republicans would be well-served by putting …
Discussion:
Power Line and alicublog

Sorry, Kids. We Ate It All. — Eventually this shutdown crisis will end. And eventually the two parties will make another stab at a deal on taxes, investments and entitlements. But there's one outcome from such negotiations that I can absolutely guarantee: Seniors …
Discussion:
American Prospect and Hullabaloo

Shutdown hurts GOP Senate chances — New PPP polls of 6 key Senate races that will determine control of the body after next year's election finds voters extremely unhappy about the government shutdown. As a result Republicans trail in 5 of the 6 key races and are tied in the 6th.
Discussion:
Firedoglake


Obama adviser ‘architect’ of showdown: author — President Obama's top adviser Valerie Jarrett was behind a plan to force a showdown with Republicans over ObamaCare as part of a strategy to regain Democratic control of the House next year, claims author Ed Klein.
Discussion:
TheBlaze.com, Weasel Zippers and “The Lid”


Exclusive: Greenwald exits Guardian for new Omidyar media venture — (Reuters) - Glenn Greenwald, who has made headlines around the world with his reporting on U.S. electronic surveillance programs, is leaving the Guardian newspaper to join a new media venture funded by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar …