If things are as they appear (and of course they seldom are), we were all treated today to the spectacle of the American equivalent of what a third Party would be like.

We had the Democrats and the Senatorial Republicans, with the House Republicans (perhaps joined by some House Democrats) as the Third Party.

What remains to be seen is whether they plan to use their power to consolidate some gains, or if they just need to be “convinced” that they are part of the problem, not the solution. They could, if they reach across the aisle to their Democrat brethren, actually leverage today’s vote into a stronger position with the more leftish Republicans.

Or, they may look at a 777 point drop in the Dow and decide they better start toeing the line right away.