And while it's refreshing to see Congress and the president playing nice over a deal that should have been reached months ago, I can't help but think of myself in college putting off that term paper until the night before it was due—then staying up 'til dawn to finish it, hyped up on coffee and donuts. (This was light years before energy drinks.) Nothing motivates like a deadline.

The difference is only one grade hung in the balance, not millions of paychecks and businesses. I've been taken to task before for calling out Congress for not doing its job, but that's really what it amounts to. We elect and send these people off to D.C. to keep the country's financial house in order, among other things. But they can't even draft a budget, let alone balance one. I mean, is there a worse employee evaluation than a failing credit rating? Sure, the geeks at Moody's handed out the grade, but the suits on the Hill earned it.

Now we've got both sides debating the existence of a voter mandate, sifting through the tea leaves we managed to scrape together from the ballot boxes. I'd argue that faced with more economic uncertainty than ever, voters decided to stand pat and endorse the status quo. We have the same president. The same House. And the same Senate. And now we suddenly expect a different outcome?

And you think I'm cynical? A new CNN poll makes me look downright romantic. Roughly two-thirds of Americans expect any anticipated deal to fall apart, and lawmaker to "act like spoiled children." (Kind of like the rest of us on Black Friday, huh?) But maybe most importantly, a clear majority of voters want a deal done this year, and they want it to include a mix of cuts and taxes. And if that doesn't happen, voters are fully prepared to blame Congress before the president—by more than a 10-point margin. Maybe it's unfair, but it's where the mood of the country is right now.

But the Republicans look like they're getting it, with more every day breaking free from the shackles of the self-appointed (and unelected) tax dictator Grover Norquist and considering a more balanced, common-sense approach to the budget.

In fact, we've got a freshman leading the charge out of the Senate. Tennessee Republican Bob Corker did the unthinkable this week and offered up a detailed budget plan that mixes up some revenue increases with entitlement reform. He also ventures near the third rail of Social Security and Medicare, suggesting we bump up the eligibility ages, an admittedly tough call that's long overdue. Either way, I admire the guts it took for Corker to throw this out there, even if the special interests eat him alive.

Maybe we should think about electing some more freshmen in a couple of years?