HEY, WE MAY NOT HAVE A GOVERNMENT PRETTY SOON – AT 8:37 A.M. ET:  From Fox:

The impasse between the White House and Congress increasingly looks like it will force the government to shut down by the weekend, with a spending summit yielding no deal on Tuesday.

President Obama said he would like to meet with congressional leaders every day until the stalemate over funding the government for the rest of the fiscal year is solved, but as of Tuesday evening no additional meetings were on the calendar.

"Myself, Joe Biden, my team -- we are prepared to meet for as long as possible to this resolved," a visibly frustrated Obama said during a surprise appearance at the White House briefing room.

The Tuesday summit with the president, House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority leader Harry Reid seemed only to aggravate the two sides, and a followup meeting between the two congressional leaders didn’t seem to make any progress of funding the government through Sept. 30.

COMMENT:  Republicans were elected in November to put this nation's fiscal house in order, and that's what they're trying to do.  Paul Ryan's dramatic budget proposals, announced yesterday, are a major element in the Republican plan.

At the same time, the GOP must be superbly adept at politics while pursuing its goals.  If the government is shut down, Americans may well blame the Republicans because the White House can demagogue the issue.  ("There weren't any shutdowns when Democrats ran the House.")  In addition, the administration can make the shutdown really hurt average Americans, which will result in public fury directed at those deemed responsible.  What if Social Security checks are withheld?  Medicare payments?  Aid to education?

This weeks marks a huge test for the Republican Party – keeping its promises, yet not falling into serious political traps that can reverse the effects of the 2010 midterms.  Watch for all-night negotiations.  I think the GOP wants a deal so it can pursue its larger aims.

April 6, 2011