, Columnist
Government Shutdowns Never Help the Instigators
Voters punish the party they view as responsible — and rally around the other side.
To shut down or not to shut down, that is the question.
Photographer: Kevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesIt’s a tale as old as time — or at least, the past three decades. Whether Democratic or Republican, members of Congress angry with the president and searching for some way to fight back against the White House decide to wield the constitutional power of the purse and shut down the federal government.
“We have leverage,” lawmakers have told themselves over the years. “If we hold out, the president will fold and we’ll achieve policy aims we would not have the power to accomplish otherwise.”