As in the past, Congress will wait until the very last minute to strike a deal.  We can hope that enough people will put pressure on Congress to delay the implementation of the individual mandate in the Affordable Health Care Act.  It would be a very difficult concession for the Senate and the President to make, but at this point we are nearing the 2014 primaries.  It would appear to be an acknowledgement by the president that his signature legislation is not ready for prime time, but this political maneuver would likely result in retaining a Democrat majority in the Senate after 2014 and through the end of President Obama’s term.  He cannot afford to lose the Senate at this point.  He can say he wants to be fair to everyone, since he has already delayed the mandate for corporations to be compliant effective January 1, 2014.  And once again, the can will be kicked down the road only to repeat this political drama in another month or so.