As President Obama hits the road in Pennsylvania today to sell his jobs bill, the Senate returns to work ready to either begin debate on that plan or to find gridlock on a measure that so far has produced no middle ground compromise.
Today's test vote in a Senate classic - a motion to invoke cloture (shut off debate) on the motion to start debate on the jobs bill. Democrats will need 60 votes to push ahead, and that was in question on Monday.
Senators were already in a pissy mood after a procedural showdown last week when Democrats did all they could to avoid taking a straight up-or-down vote on the President's jobs bill - things could get even more sassy if the jobs bill runs aground this evening.
At least one Democrat, Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, has been making noises about voting against starting debate on the jobs bill - he could well be joined by all 47 Republicans in voting to block the start of debate.
There were differing opinions within GOP circles on what will happen on this test vote, with one Republican strategy plan being an immediate filibuster, while others in the GOP were forecasting a deal with Democratic leaders that would allow debate to begin on the bill - and then a filibuster later.
Some kind of olive branch might be needed at this point, as Republicans are still angry over last Thursday night's sudden parliamentary maneuver by Democrats which changed Senate precedents to take away a motion that GOP Senators had been able to use to force votes on subjects that Democrats wanted to avoid.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said last week that he wanted all 100 Senators to sit down for a meeting to air their grievances and look for a way forward.
This is sort of like the Congressional version of the Hatfields and the McCoys - both sides have been taking shots at each for so long that it is almost impossible for them to back off their arms race when it comes to parliamentary procedure.
Republicans will say that Democrats are too often limiting amendments that the GOP can offer and rarely allowing votes on those amendments.
In fact, last year, GOP Senators went a full three months in which they didn't get a vote on any Republican amendment on the floor.
Democrats say that's because Republicans are trying to force votes on measures that aren't germane to the bill at hand; Republicans say the iron-fist of the Democrats has brought about filibusters.
Chicken, meet egg. Egg, meet chicken.
A few years ago, Democrats loved the filibuster when they were in the minority.
Now the Democrats think the filibuster is out of control, while the Republicans love it, even though the GOP was frustrated by it when George W. Bush was President.
We'll see if the filibuster wins out today - maybe with some Democrats on board as well.
