- 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
There's too much at stake this November for us to quit. As we navigate another presidential election year, thoughtful independent journalism is more important than ever. We're committed to bringing you the latest news on what's really happening across the country this election season, shining a light on the stories corporate media overlooks and keeping the public informed about how power really works in America.
Quality reporting doesn't come for free, and we don't have corporate backers to rely on to fund our work. Everything we do is thanks to our incredible community of readers, who chip in a few dollars at a time to make what we do possible. This month, we're trying to raise $50,000 to help fuel our election coverage, and we've fallen behind on reaching our goal. Any amount you give today will bring us closer to making our reporting possible—and a generous donor has agreed to match all online donations, so your impact will be doubled.
You can help power this newsroom by making a donation today.
