You need to know this. Congress is feverishly working to finish up business before the end of the lame-duck session. The Senate is expected to pass President Obama’s tax cut deal in a vote today. And the House seems to be warming up as well – at least Blue Dog democrats are. Despite the package costing nearly $1 trillion – at least 27 members of the Blue Dog coalition sent a letter to Nancy Pelosi urging her to bring the bill to the floor for a vote. She needs 39 Democrats on board for the legislation to even have a chance at passing – there are 54 members of the Blue Dog coalition. So as more momentum builds in favor of the bill – the more it looks like progressives will lose this fight too. In other business – the House is expected to vote on a stand-alone “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” bill in hopes that it will have a better chance of passing the Senate than the current legislation which is attached to a defense spending measure. That too could be hopeless as Republican Senator Jim DeMint is threatening to force the reading of an entire 2,000-page omnibus spending bill – a procedural tactic that’s almost never employed - but could grind the entire chamber to a halt. In response – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid warned he would bring the Senate back into session after Christmas if Republicans continue to stall on addressing important legislation. Among the unresolved issues that could be tackled after Christmas: a START nuclear treaty – the DREAM Act – and “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal. So – as the book starts to close on the 111^th Congress in chaos – let's acknowledge how much good stuff did get done - and how much more could have been done if it weren't for Republicans being the Party of No for the past two years.