The Budget "Deal"

Ezra Klein has a good wrap-up of the most important points of the budget deal announced yesterday.  It's a two-year deal covering FY 2014 -2015 that doesn't touch entitlement "reform" or raise general tax revenues.  It rearranges the sequestration cuts to be less painful to the Defense Department, and requires higher user fees on airline tickets and socks the Federal employees with higher contributions to their retirement.  Sadly, it doesn't resolve the issue of extending unemployment insurance for the long-term unemployed, who will get their lump of coal from the Rethuglican House right before Christmas.

The deal now goes to the Senate and House for a vote, so it remains to be seen whether the crazies on the right will accept a deal that doesn't shred the social safety net and shovel more tax cuts to their plutocrat patrons.

BONUS:  Weigel has some of the rumblings in the Republican caucus here, here, and here.