NO GOVERNMENT TOMORROW? – AT 7:51 A.M. ET:  It's high noon in Washington.  Either there's a budget deal today or the government shuts down tonight.  If there's a shutdown, you may be sure the Obamans will make it as painful as possible for the average American, then say, "You see, you elected Republicans and this is what you got."  And it will be effective.

But there are intense negotiations in progress.  No white smoke yet, but there may be a deal in the works.  From Fox:

Lawmakers worked through the night Thursday to try to reach a budget deal, but with no word on their progress, it was unclear whether or not there would be an announcement in the morning that a federal shutdown had been avoided.

And with a shutdown possible as early as midnight at the end of Friday, time is almost up.

Following another high-stakes meeting with congressional leaders Thursday evening, President Obama said he expected an answer early Friday on whether or not an agreement had been reached.

"Because the machinery of the shutdown is starting to move, I expect an answer in the morning," Obama said in the White House briefing room after the meeting with House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. "And my hope is that I'll be able to announce to the American people sometime relatively early in the day that a shutdown has been averted."

COMMENT:   This is one of these down-to-the-wire situations where the public loses interest in the details and just wants a deal.  We see it in labor negotiations between public-service unions and state and local governments all the time.  In New York, those representing transit workers are real artists at this.  No deal, no trains and buses.  Deal, you may be pinched for higher fares, but the convenience is better than losing your paychecks.

April 8, 2011