US shutdown: how the ‘Common Sense Coalition’ saved the day

Compared to previous instances in US history when political paralysis and dysfunction shut down Washington for weeks at a time, the three-day government shutdown that ended on Monday was a rather mundane and unremarkable occurrence.  Indeed, unlike the 21-day saga in 1995-1996 between President Bill Clinton and House Republicans or the 16-day clash between House Republicans and President Barack Obama in 2013, this weekend’s fight had nothing to do with budget numbers, federal spending, tax rates, entitlements, or health care policy.  It was, instead, largely a crisis manufactured by Senate Democrats in an attempt to pressure their Republican colleagues on the immigration issue, one of the most controversial topics in American politics.

Now that the impasse is over (until February 8, at least), Washington has sprung back to its ritualistic, intensely hyperpartisan nature. Turn on MSNBC, and you will witness liberal pundits calling Republicans incompetent at governing and divisive for refusing – yet again – to pass a bill that would allow about 800,000 immigrants who came to the United States as young children to stay in the country.