when there are only a few billion dollars separating these two? >> yeah, it's possible. >> it's worth shutting it down over those few billion? >> i will tell you it's time for our side to stop being the ones to give in. >> do you understand how bad congress looks out there when people see this? >> i understand how bad congress looks from inside and i'm one of them. >> reporter: in the whole mess, echos of another government shutdown nearly a generation ago. >> we're trying to keep open the government. >> we don't want to shut government down. >> politics as usual. >> usual politics in washington. >> you know, this is just more smoke and mirrors. >> we're talking about real spending cuts here. no smoking mirrors. >> this notion that somehow we're offering smoke and mirrors -- >> we have to get to work on the information in a serious way. >> let's talk about serious things in a serious way. >> i think it's time for them to