Don't worry about the latest new cycle or who is being blamed more for the shut down, we have already won a massive victory and everyday this shutdown goes on we win more. I say this with the full understanding that people are suffering in the short term because of this shutdown and that includes myself.
Why did Bill Clinton coast to victory in 1996 after the government shutdowns of 1995 and 1996. Hint, it had nothing to do with Bill Clinton or Newt Gingrich or who won the news cycles of the day. It had to do with the role of government in peoples life. The bottom line is when we fight over funding the government we win, when we fight over the debt ceiling we lose. That's why Obama has been saying from the beginning that he won't negotiate on the debt ceiling.
Everyday that the shut down goes on people understand how important the role of government is in people's life. A shutdown is the only time when people really appreciate how important government is. That's why intelligent republicans didn't want to have this fight. They wanted to have a fight over the debt ceiling and how important cutting government spending was. If the intelligent republicans had their way they would have passed a clean CR, savaged (rightfully) the glitches in the online healthcare exchanges and by virtue the incompetence of government and prepared for a battle on the debt ceiling. But thanks to Ted Cruz and the tea party, we won't have that debate. Instead we will have a debate over who feels the pain of a shut down more. Let the Republican party wear doctors gowns and celebrate the importance of the NIH. Let them hail the Wick program when they vote on it tomorrow. All they're doing is pointing out the virtues of government. The tea party is so bankrupt of ideas, so hateful of all things Obama, so stupid and so good at propaganda that they are actually out messaging us on the virtues of government. I say let them keep going and bring up each government program piece by piece and how important it is in the lives of people.
At the end of the day they will have made the case for government. How are they then going to pivot in two weeks into cutting government spending when the debt ceiling comes up, they can't, that's why Boehner has already caved on the debt ceiling. All the Republican party have left is to try to get some fig leaf to save face and so far Obama won't even give them that.