The first day of negotiations to merge the Finance and HELP bills is now underway downstairs in S219 of the Capitol Building – just past the bathrooms off the Senate floor (I’m in the third floor press gallery). At the antique-looking wooden conference table: Harry Reid (at the northern head of the table) flanked by Chris Dodd and Max Baucus. Also present: Rahm Emanuel, Nancy-Ann DeParle, Peter Orszag, Kathleen Sebellius and Phil Schiliro.

While these folks meet behind closed doors many members are chaffing to have their say including the very vocal Jay Rockefeller, Chuck Schumer and Ron Wyden. Senator Dick Durbin begged his colleagues for patience. “They going to try and blend together these two bills into something that we can move on the floor and start to amend and change,” Durbin told reporters, around the corner from the meeting. “The final bill will look different. And before we reach the final bill all of the Democratic senators and anybody who wants to have a positive input will have their say in this.”