Ira Stoll on Why the Government Shutdown Fight Is Win-Win for the GOP
For Republicans, the cliffhanger over a government shutdown is a win-win. As Ira Stoll explains, if they manage to extract a concession from Senate Democrats in exchange for voting to approve a continuing resolution to fund the government's operations, then they've won. But if the Republicans fold and approve the spending bill without extracting any concessions from Democrats, then they've also won. Because in that case, Americans will actually get a chance to see for themselves what a train-wreck Obamacare is. If the law is really as bad as Republicans say it is, then as a political matter, what could be better for Republicans than voters finding out firsthand?
