I know conventional wisdom is that the 2013 government shutdown hurt the GOP. I also happen to believe that conventional wisdom is correct. But the hurt didn't last forever and that whole unpopular shutdown debacle seemed like ancient history by the time we got to this month's election. The results of those contests suggests that the Republican party paid no penalty in the election even though most Americans were against the shut down and blamed Republicans when it happened.
Which is why another shutdown in the near future makes perfect sense. It would let the Republican base express its rage and "stand up to Obama", but with enough time before 2016 that the average voter will have long forgotten about it when the party's members could be held accountable for another unpopular move.
Which is why another shutdown in the near future makes perfect sense. It would let the Republican base express its rage and "stand up to Obama", but with enough time before 2016 that the average voter will have long forgotten about it when the party's members could be held accountable for another unpopular move.
