From a Bloomberg article this morning... "Keep an eye out (Thursday) for lawmakers or others to leak trial balloons about possible decisions on pass-through provisions, state and local tax deductions, the corporate alternative minimum tax, and other measures to try to gauge reactions as negotiations continue." Really. So they're going to pull that tactic to see how markets react I suppose. Not fun.
Ohhhh, they don't give a rip about the markets, fergawdsakes! (Nor the actual economy, truth-be-told, right?) Noooo, their thing is The Broader Audience because, no matter *reality* (the economy) or the people who need to 'see into' the economy (us! The Market) -- their audience is their funding (first) and their voters (second). Secure the funding; fuque the voters*; screw the economy. *but give 'em a napkin when you're done, so they feel better about it. [Sorry. Feeling a mite bit cynical this morning. Does it show?]
As Milton Friedman told Donahue on his show: "Where do you find these angels?" And as V says in V for Vendetta: "How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror."