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On Capitol Hill today there are essentially two distinct emotions, a split that is evident in the Minnesota delegation: relief from Democrats and moderate Republicans that the government shutdown is over, and often muted disappointment from conservatives who conceded a short-term victory for President Obama on health-care and the budget.

Saying the high-stakes budget fight was worth it, Rep. Michele Bachmann was the only Minnesotan to vote no on the compromise plan. About ending the government shutdown, she said "To me, it’s a very sad day."

The state’s two other House Republicans voted for the bill, but its Democrats were more excited to discuss legislation ending a 16-day government shutdown and the threat of a federal debt default.

Sen. Al Franken, for one, said he was relieved the shutdown was over, and warned that the public’s visceral reaction to it should convince lawmakers to act more quickly on a budget bill in January, when funding expires again.

“We shouldn’t create a crisis in order to negotiate with each other,” he said. “That’s what we’re basically saying. We can’t lurch from crisis to crisis. We have to get back to a real process here.”

The compromise asks a joint House-Senate committee to come to some sort of budget accord before mid-December, a task Congress has failed for several years. It took eight months for the committee to even convene this year: Before Wednesday, Republicans have objected to forming the group after the Senate passed a non-binding budget resolution in March.

There are already signs the committee will struggle to come to an agreement: Republican leadership said Wednesday they’re not ready to raise spending levels over those established by sequestration cuts this spring, while Democrats said that’s one of their priorities.

GOP Reps. John Kline and Erik Paulsen voted for the bill. In a statement, Kline called the bill “imperfect,” but said “Congress and the White House must put country first.” Paulsen said, “We need to reopen the government and avoid a national default.” He told the Star Tribune that the shutdown had damaged the Republican brand.

But Bachmann agreed with some of the Senate’s most conservative members who said the theatrics of the last month have been worthwhile, and that in the long run, Republicans will be justified for fighting Obama as long as they did. http://www.minnpost.com/dc-dispatches/2013/10/bachmann-says-very-sad-d
ay-while-others-cheer-budget-deal

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