In Washington, where the weather is cold and the political climate even frostier, the Senate finds itself at a standstill. With the government in shutdown mode, Majority Leader John Thune is attempting to corral the Senate together. They’re trying to break the current gridlock with a vote that might reopen the government, at least until the end of January. However, they need 60 votes, and like asking a cat to bark, getting that number seems near impossible at the moment.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer threw a proposition into the ring, but one that most Republicans surely couldn’t swallow. In his proposal, he sneakily included a year-long extension for Obamacare. It’s almost like wrapping a lump of coal in a box and calling it a surprise gift for the GOP. Not surprisingly, Republicans rejected this proposal, recognizing it as the bait it was intended to be.

Meanwhile, Democrats are doing a conga around a bill aimed at paying government workers, blocking it not once, but thrice. They argue that the bill gives too much power to the president over who gets paid. Apparently ensuring government employees receive their paychecks isn’t as urgent as the art of political jockeying. According to some Democrats, the missing “safeguards” against executive influence must be protecting something as legendary as the Fountain of Youth.

Amidst this turmoil, there is chatter about the nuclear option – invoking the ‘filibuster-killing’ strategy. The mere consideration of this strategy could shake the very foundations of legislative protocol, allowing a simple majority to push through spending bills. This has alarm bells ringing, because, once such a precedent is set, it may pave the road for yet more filibuster antics when Democrats find themselves back in the majority.

So here we are, in this three-ring circus of government shutdowns and political parades, all under the big top of the Capitol dome. There’s a chance – albeit slim – that lawmakers might pull themselves together enough to pass a stop-gap measure before Americans start mistaking Air Traffic Control delays for a new travel sport. Until then, the nation waits, hoping common sense will yank Congress back to reality. But much like waiting for a vending machine to give back your dollar, there’s no guarantee any time soon.