The ballots have been cast. The election is over and now the work of legislation begins. The question in Washington is this. Can the Democrats let the Fiscal Cliff hit and blame it on the Republican Congress? If they do, its the “old” Congress that technically won’t be in office next year.
Scenario 1
So, here’s what the lame duck could look like. The House will pass yet another budget. The Senate will sniff at it, pooh, pooh it and say its too extreme and they won’t deal and by the way, won’t propose one of their own. They let the Bush Tax cuts expire and the Government falls off the Cliff, the Bush era tax cuts expire, the markets tumble, real estate values plummet near military bases and government establishments and general mayhem erupts. Both sides blame each other.

Scenario #2
The House passes a budget with a few nuggets for the democrats, the Senate gets it, sniffs at it and passes one of their own which is DOA in the house. It goes to Committee and the House send in a Turk Committee of Ryan and Cantor, the Senate sends Schumer and Kerry. After a week of non-productive meetings, the President comes back from vacation and asks to meet with the Committee. He calls Ryan and Cantor every name in the book, things break down and we fall off the cliff.

Scenario #3
Senators Begich, Landreau, Franken, and Udall (CO) and Kay Hagen meet with Collins, Hutchinson, Brown and Lugar and agree to vote cloture on any filibuster of the budget bill, a new Gang of 8 with three lame ducks and several at risk in 2014 in possibly red mid term states. And something gets passed which neither the democrats nor the Republcans like.

All we can say is the end of 2012 will be interesting and scarry. Don’t forget the Winter Solstice Mayan Prediction. The world ends on December 21. Of course that should be right about the time Congress adjourns for the year.