Reid-McConnell Relationship Could Hinder Deal

The Fix: “Here’s one of the worst kept secrets in Washington: The two men tasked with finding a solution to the government shutdown and the looming debt ceiling deadline over the next few days don’t like each other all that much.”

“Politics — particularly when the stakes are this high — is a personal business, and trust is at the core of any deal. It’s why McConnell and Vice President Biden were able to negotiate a fiscal cliff deal when no one else could. The two men aren’t even close to ideological allies, but they trusted each other at some basic level. That’s what matters. And that’s what Reid and McConnell seem to lack. Circumstances in politics are always changing and neither McConnell nor Reid could have lasted this long in politics without being willing and able to adjust when necessary.”

Paul Kane: “If the two wily 70-somethings who are trying to
resolve the current crisis make a deal once again, they will do so
despite an increasingly bitter and distant relationship that some say is
so fraught with animosity that it endangers their talks.”