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[Servant Corps]

It makes little sense until you realize what the Democrats are trying to do. They lost a large number of seats in an off-year election where losing such seats are expected because people tend to blame the "party-in-power" for anything that goes wrong in their life (major exception: 2002, thanks to a couple of airplanes crashing into buildings). If they could portray the Republicans as being the "party-in-power", the Democrats should expect to minimize their losses or even reverse them come 2012. But the Democrats need a stick to batter the Republicans with if they want to have this sort of chance, and thus need to make a situation where massive problems can be solidly blamed on the opposition. They tried to do the same thing last year with blackmailing the Republicans to end the Bush tax cuts perpetually, but the Republicans are surprisingly amendable to compromise (deciding that it's okay for poor people to get money if rich people can get money too). But not anymore. If the Republicans don't back down, then it's clearly their fault the government shut down. If they do, they hand total control over policy to the Democrats. Win-win.

It worked for the Democrats in the last government shutdown after all, as the Democrats managed to successfully blame the Republicans for the crisis and prevent cuts in Social Security. A repeat performance should be in order, especially since the issues the Republicans seem to be discussing are rather obscure in origin (foreign aid funding), and thus is vulnerable to spin.

[Aqizzar]

There's two holes in the partisanship spin.  First, the Republican House official policy calendar basically states that they intend to introduce, debate, and pass as little substantive economic legislation as possible.  The docket is full of bullshit issues like abortion funding, non-binding recognition resolutions, repealing the "modernizing the capitol's lightbulls" package, and taking a week of vacation after ever two weeks in session.

Second, the hypothetical spin assumes the Democrats have any kind of plan for how to use the scenario to their favor.  If anything, they've spent four years whiffing every political slowball the Republicans pitch at them, and practically have a policy of going into debates by selling the farm before the Republicans even say what they want.

[Lord Shonus]

I never claimed this was a Republican-only thing. It is, however, their stated goals.

[Bouchart]

Soon the bond market will revolt and none of the bickering will matter.

[Taricus]

Then it's party time.

[mainiac]

Soon the bond market will revolt and none of the bickering will matter.

People have been predicting this for a long time.  History says that they will be right once every couple hundred years, but common sense says that the ones who are right were just luckier versions of their idiot forerunners.

[alway]

Here's a pretty good article about it: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/24/6124161-the-cost-of-keeping-the-governments-lights-off-

[RedKing]

Update: The Republican-controlled House passed an emergency measure that keep the government running for another two weeks. And cut $4 billion in spending, most of it in social services.

The Senate, controlled by the testicle-deficient Democrats, is likely to pass the measure after a few half-hearted amendment attempts. They can't amend the hell out of it, because then it has to either go back to the House to be approved by the Republicans, or go to committee to hammer out a compromise bill. And all of this would have to take place by Friday.

So yay....shutdown probably averted for two weeks. At which point we're liable to be in the same place, and I wouldn't be surprised to see yet another two-week extension bill passed. Hell, maybe we'll just take to funding the government this way permanently. 

[Zangi]

Update: The Republican-controlled House passed an emergency measure that keep the government running for another two weeks. And cut $4 billion in spending, most of it in social services.

The Senate, controlled by the testicle-deficient Democrats, is likely to pass the measure after a few half-hearted amendment attempts. They can't amend the hell out of it, because then it has to either go back to the House to be approved by the Republicans, or go to committee to hammer out a compromise bill. And all of this would have to take place by Friday.

So yay....shutdown probably averted for two weeks. At which point we're liable to be in the same place, and I wouldn't be surprised to see yet another two-week extension bill passed. Hell, maybe we'll just take to funding the government this way permanently. 

I would not be surprised they would try to do that, just because its easier then being reasonable people.

[RedKing]

I just found out that if there *is* a government shutdown, the Congressional and Presidential salaries are exempt from the shutdown. In other words, they still draw a paycheck, even if their inability to get all their shit in one sack causes the rest of the government (and tens of thousands of contractors like myself) to stop drawing theirs.

Spoiler: The only appropriate response. (click to show/hide)

[Zangi]

^ +1

Getting paid for not doing my job?  Where do I sign up?

[Phmcw]

I don't know how a small government shutdown could be a problem in the US when a 250 days government shutdown hardly matter in Belgium.
Our economic grow is very good for the EU zone and unemployment is lowering. Then again we couldn't impose one of these bullshit austerity plan given that we doesn't have any government to vote it  .
I'm under the impression that your system is engineered to make the government indispensable.

[Lord Shonus]

The problem is that if the governmnet here shuts dowm, it will still be hemorrhaging money.

[Phmcw]

There is no hemorrhagic of money, just one big lack of income. And two stupidly costly wars.

[Lord Shonus]

It is clear that you have zero knowledge of the subject, and I am far too busy to educate you.