Former Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana said the Republican Party is "losing the political war" in Congress as the county entered day 13 of the government shutdown and said they are going to be forced to back down.
"To save themselves in both the House and the Senate, they're going to have to compromise," Bayh said on "Fox News Sunday."
House Republicans are going to have to compromise on raising the debt ceiling, he said.
"The House, in all likelihood, will just have to accept it," Bayh said. "You can't default the country."
Bayh said Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins' proposal offers a "sweet spot" for both parties in that it delays taxes on medical devices enacted via Obamacare and includes a measure to confirm the eligibility of those seeking health-insurance subsidies in exchange for an extension of United States' borrowing authority through the end of the year.
He also said there is wiggle room in the sequestration law, which will lower federal spending in January of 2014 but raise it in January of 2015.
"You could move some of that spending from a year later forward, and the aggregate of the spending would be the same, but it would give the Democrats a little bit more right now," Bayh said. "That's going to create a lot of heartburn for the Republicans … but if you can finesse that some way, you've got a deal.”
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