The Shutdown Congress, And Why The GOP Can't Help Itself

The U.S. government shut down for 16 days in 2013 because some Republicans wanted to "defund" Obamacare. The shutdown hurt the economy and polls showed Americans blamed the GOP.

Several Republican lawmakers said it was a mistake.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have both vowed there will be no more shutting down of the government. On Friday, McConnell called it "an exercise in futility." Last month, he summed up the folly by saying"there's no education in the second kick of a mule."

Nevertheless, a sizable contingent in their party appears ready for a remedial encounter with the hooves. The government will run out of money at the end of September, and while congressional leaders have yet to offer a plan to keep the lights on, some Republicans have already seized on the notion of linking that vital spending to a bill defunding Planned Parenthood -- a move that would guarantee deadlock.

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