There was no fire. Some lobbyists have brought in lawn chairs to supplement the few benches and chairs in front of big-screen televisions that broadcast what is going on inside the House and Senate out to the lobby between the two chambers. Others clutch little pieces of paper, amendments destined to find their way onto bills that are whizzing through the House and Senate. The end was near. Others may be revived at the wire.
Frantic negotiations are under way as everyone tries to break the logjam.
Some of the bills that passed may actually be laws we needed or wanted. But it will take us all a little time to determine exactly what they've done to us. Inside dozens of bills they've buried dozens of other bills in the form of little hidden amendments. It's all part of the game. Our job is to find them.