UPDATE: There has been conjecture in the “court of public opinion” that Donald Trump’s “calling out” of the unconscionable profits being reaped by health insurance companies from the Affordable Card Act had a net positive effect in breaking the Senate’s shutdown “logjam.” I’m not convinced that it wasn’t just the mounting stress on the public that produced the breakthrough, but it could very well have been the “fast one” alluded to by the reversed Devil since it was never mentioned by anyone else prior to the past week. (Trump is definitely viewed as the “Great Satan” in the eyes of many Democrats.)

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I decided to perform a reading on the current impasse in the United States Senate to see who might blink first, the Republicans or the Democrats. Although I seldom post twice in one day, this is a timely issue that warrants attention.

As always, my favorite sociopolitical deck, Brian Williams’ PoMo Tarot, proved to be perfect for analyzing the challenges posed by my “Enemy at the Gates” conflict-resolution spread. I placed the Republicans in the top row because they have the numerical advantage, while the Democrats are the underdogs wielding a “big stick.” This reading is especially interesting because it includes two instances of “doubled” cards, requiring that I bring in a second deck to display them.

As the “Opportunity” card (essentially a “Significator”), I chose Justice as an expression of the “vindication” that a triumph on either side would represent. Williams titled it “Just Desserts,” which is my own definition for this card. Although it could go either way, in this scenario I’m seeing it as “Victory is sweet.”

The first column is intended to show the “Strengths” that each adversary brings to the conflict. The Republicans have the 5 of Bottles (Cups), suggesting that they are playing up the malaise that has been surrounding the societal consequences of policies put in place by the previous administration. For their part, the Democrats are leveraging their “veto power” for all it’s worth, but the card (Strength, Williams’ “Sheer Force”) is reversed, suggesting that its gritty resolve is being seem more as reactionary stubbornness than principled resistance.

The second column examines the “Weaknesses” of each participant. The reversed 4 of TVs (Swords) seems crystal-clear in showing the the mainstream media are firmly entrenched in there unified front against the Republicans, while the reversed Wheel of Fortune (Williams’ “Wheels”) implies that there could be some difficulty in keeping all Democrat senators pulling in the same direction.

The third column is designed to show who has the “edge” in the conflict. What it comes down to is “boldness” in backroom maneuvering on the part of the Republicans (“Gunboy” or Knight of Wands reversed) and “deep pockets” for the Democrats (“Money Man” or King of Pentacles reversed). The Republicans seem more nimble but the Democrats are fortified for the long fight by their well-heeled donors, and the Republicans know very well whom “Money Man” represents. I don’t see either one giving an inch.

The fourth column, “Allies’ Strengths.” I created to show who each party can count on for support. The Republicans have 4 of Bottles (Cups) reversed, signifying a deep reservoir of emotional commitment on the part of their supporters. The Democrats have the Lovers reversed, which could be describing the behind-the-scenes decision-makers who are calling the shots for the front-line combatants.

The fifth column contains the “numerical essence” for the previous four cards in each row (a sum of their values using my personal conventions for the calculation that are posted in detail elsewhere). The purpose of this position is to show which party has the best chance of prevailing in the battle. “Evil” (the Devil) reversed makes me think the Republicans will “pull a fast one” that overwhelms the opposition, but they could be demonized for doing so. With “Lust” (Strength) the Democrats are “doubling down” on their blocking strategy, but the reversal indicates that its potency may be wearing thin. It looks to me like the Republicans could have a “winning hand” here, although not an untainted one.

The “Decision” card is what I call the “Grand Quintessence” (another numerical roll-up) that summarizes the two “Chance” cards in a single trump. As fate would have it. my arithmetic methods yielded another instance of Justice (here I brought in the Thoth’s “Adjustment”), but this time it is reversed. I compare this card to each of the rows to see whether it is aligned more convincingly with one or the other, thereby giving the nod to that adversary.

Justice corresponds to elemental Air, and it is elementally friendly with the three Fire cards and one Air card in the Democrats’ line and unfriendly with the single Earth card, suggesting that the clandestine “money-men” behind the party’s “push” could be exposed to legal scrutiny despite the solidarity of the rest of the picture, perhaps signifying an “Achille’s heel.” For the Republicans, Justice is elementally friendly with the single Air and Fire cards and neutral/supportive with the two Water cards, but it is critically hostile to the one Earth card (“Evil”), the implication being that any underhanded maneuvering could be subjected to legal challenges.

But the overriding factor here seems to be that Justice is reversed, conveying the idea that there will be no clear “vindication” for either participant in the near term. It looks like hopes for prompt resolution are dim at this point in time unless something breaks wide-open in the situation. I would keep a close eye on that reversed Devil.