Brian Beutler March 30, 2011, 5:14 PM

As insight into how there’s often a huge mismatch between public kabuki and behind-the-scenes legislative wrangling, a well-placed congressional source tells me that while House Republicans and Senate Democrats ratcheted up the government shutdown rhetoric on Tuesday, top aides to House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sat down in Reid’s office and continued negotiating a solution — a meeting the source described as a key development and thaw in the negotiations.

It’s the first evidence we’ve seen all week that a shutdown isn’t a foregone conclusion, particularly in light of Paul Kane’s scoop that Boehner is reaching out to conservative Democrats to find a compromise.

Republicans downplayed the development, pointing out that discussions between the principals never stopped.

And Boehner spokesman Michael Steel pointed out that the policy riders the House is advocating for as part of the budget still need to be worked out before there’s a deal. “Nothing will be decided until everything is decided,” he said.

There’s clearly a lot of disagreement still, and plenty of finger pointing. House GOP freshman, who are pulling Boehner to the right, and none-too-happy with his willingness to cut a deal, are placing the blame on Senate Democrats. And Democrats keep driving a wedge between Boehner and the tea party, ahead of Thursday’s Tea Party Patriots rally. But on the other side of the curtain, things look a bit different.

Budget, Government Shutdown, Harry Reid, John Boehner, Spending, Tea Party