Thread by @JakeSherman

Playbook: "Reality, meet D.C.”

MAYBE IT’S THE COLD, the impending wintry mix that’s bearing down on Washington. Maybe it’s because we’re about to leave 2020 -- that wretched, disgusting year -- in the rear view.

WHO KNOWS WHAT EXACTLY PROMPTED THIS, but reality is beginning to intrude in Washington.

REALITY 1) @JOEBIDEN is going to be the president. This was obvious to most breathing, thinking human beings with a pulse, but many Republican members of Congress were willfully blind to it.

@JoeBiden BUT A FEW OF THEM BEGAN JOINING THE REST OF US on Planet Earth on Monday. @SenThomTillis called BIDEN the “presumptive president.” @LindseyGrahamSC -- who was calling around to state election officials a few weeks ago -- said “it’s a very, very narrow path for the president."

@JoeBiden @SenThomTillis @LindseyGrahamSC SEN. ROY BLUNT (R-Mo.), the chair of the inauguration, said: “We’ll deal with Vice President Biden as the president-elect. The president continues obviously to have all the options he has available to him, but the electoral vote today was significant.”

@JoeBiden @SenThomTillis @LindseyGrahamSC RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN took it further than most Republicans, straight up congratulating BIDEN after a month of saying he was waiting for the process to play out.

REALITY 2) It seems painfully obvious to nearly everyone on Capitol Hill that a Covid relief deal is at hand -- should the leaders want it. This deal would include a mix of a renewal of the PPP, vaccine money, rental assistance, unemployment benefits & school $.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER CHUCK >@SenSchumer and @SpeakerPelosi said they were for state and local funding, but declined to draw a bright red line -- as they had before. @senatemajldr did not even mention liability overhaul in his floor remarks.

State/local and liability are not attainable at the moment. Those 2 pieces are clearly falling away. Now the question becomes: Do the 2 sides have the courage, desire & political will to get this done? Scary thing is if they don’t get it done this month, it might never get done.

REALITY 3) THIS COVID-OMNIBUS COMBO can get real messy real quickly. If they release the omnibus bill today -- that’s Tuesday -- maybe it can make it to the House floor Thursday.

Floor consideration in the Senate by Friday -- the deadline -- seems tough, since all senators would need to consent for a quick debate and vote.

If Congress needs a short-term stopgap, then maybe the Senate would stay in for the weekend to get it done. In that scenario, would they give themselves longer to try to reach a Covid deal? Could the government shut down?