I really enjoy talking to
, who publishes the must-read News Not Noise newsletter. If you’re not reading her yet, you really should sign up.We discussed what’s behind what is shaping up to be the longest government shutdown in history. And we talked about how it might end. (And we discussed a little baseball too!)
We’re planning to do these conversations on a regular basis — so please let us know what you think!
What Makes This Shutdown Different?
Public opinion on the government shutdown has now calcified along party lines — and that’s the real story.
Neither side is paying a political price anymore.
What used to be a dangerous gamble for both parties has become a reliable, if cynical, rallying tool.
Each base is dug in, convinced its side is right, and the costs of compromise now seem greater than the costs of paralysis.
That’s why the standoff feels different this time. When both sides believe they’re winning, no one has much incentive to end it.
What we’re witnessing is something new in American politics: the collision of two historic forces — extreme polarization and a sprawling administrative state.
Earlier generations had one or the other, but not both.
The modern presidency was built during an era of low partisanship; now it operates in the most divided political climate in more than a century.
This post ran for Political Wire members only earlier this week.
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