- So ... you may have heard of this government shutdown thing? Well, the drama goes on, and as ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee Chris Van Hollen puts it, "I don't know the end of this movie. I don't think anybody knows how it ends. And that's a very dangerous place to be in."
- Great! Well, instead of biting our nails in anticipation of who knows what, let's turn our gaze to another problem plaguing our political system: the future of the Republican Party, and why the House GOP is so deadset on breaking bad on Obamacare.
- First of all, apparently conservatives' brains are wired differently than liberals, according to science.
- Maybe that explains why they're going forward with shutdown stubborness despite the fact that 63 percent of Americans would rather they didn't?
- Or maybe the Republican Party's serious wonk deficit explains their strategy issues.
- Or maybe because their only policy wonks also happen to be their raging wacko birds.
- Or maybe it's that some conservative thinkers see these wacko birds as the Obama of the GOP.
- Or maybe it's the fact that the House Republicans don't get how D.C. works quite yet, since they only just arrived!
- Or maybe they just don't get the politics around Obamacare, a misunderstanding that stems from the many other things they don't get about national politicking.
- Regardless of why the GOP is doing what they're doing, it's a clear sign that they've given up on the hopey-changey rebranding scheme they were so excited about in the 2012 election's wake...
- ... and that their new, old strategies will probably will help them not a whit in 2014 or 2016.
- Especially since Shutdownist-in-Chief Ted Cruz seems to be uninterested in helping GOP incumbents stay in office.
Daily Meme: A Long Day's Journey into Shutdown
You can count on the Prospect, can we count on you?
There's no paywall here. Your donations power our newsroom as we report on ideas, politics and power — and what’s really at stake as we navigate another presidential election year. Please, become a member, or make a one-time donation, today. Thank you!
