House is run by nut bags. Period.

I'd disagree. Cynics, definitely, but I doubt the people at the top are actually crazy.

That's one Obama refuses to compromise. He knows the responsibility for this (and the blame) will fall squarely on Republicans in the house. Meanwhile, Republicans with their badly gerrymandered districts feel that they are invulnerable from any challenge from the Left, which is why they're willing to kowtow to the fringe Right and not worry that the majority of moderates do not want a government shutdown, because rationally a Tea Party primary challenger is the only threat most sitting Republican Representatives have to worry about.

One thing is sure: if this mess goes on for too much longer, there won't be a Republican in a contested district that lives through 2014, short of individual mistakes by the individual Democratic challengers (like an Anthony Weiner-esque thing)

This is a classic "wag the dog" scenario. Boehner isn't crazy, nor is Cantor or McConnell, but the Fringe Right now controls their destinies. The frenzy of know-nothing populism that they whipped up to strike back against the Obama wave of 2008 has gone out of control of the Republican Establishment and the Plutocrats, and even the Plutocrats are scared (as the Chamber of Commerce has been, in guarded language, telling the House to knock it off).

The ability of the wingnuts to knock out sure-win incumbents in primaries (like Mourdock vs Lugar in Indiana last year) scares the Republican leadership more than the Democrats, especially in the House (see my above post on gerrymandering).

It would be hilarious if there weren't a real danger of them being willing to let the debt ceiling hit.

The 27th amendment means that they can't vote on their own raises directly. Now, due to incumbency it's much the same for many of them, but for the US equivalent of back-benchers, they can't just vote for stuff like that, since it won't take effect until the next Congress.

Well, that's one prespective I haven't heard. 

Really? I haven't seen a single poll that suggests that the Republicans will come out of this mess looking better than Obama or Reid.

Are Americans going to lose faith in the government as a whole? Hell yes. But only the R's are going to come out of this really hurting.

2 party systems seem like a circle jerk to me... I lean more republican these days, but have probably seen more first hand police brutality and been to more activist events and protests then a majority of people on this message board. There is a great deal of misinformation on both sides using shock terms to sway beliefs and ideas in their favor on key issues. However, I was never a democrat but more so a anarcho-socialist (self ruled and maintained equality in community).
Republicans I think have a better view (in theory) for peoples rights, but worse for businesses, and vice versa for democrats... Big business needs more standards and regulations to keep them from infringing upon the rights of the people, while the freedom and safety of the people should be the top priority. Any which way you look at it though both parties are only concerned with money in their own pockets and push issues that are popular with their demographics so they can do what the money says is okay.

Oh, wait. It's only temporary. And partial.

Well, fuck.

I don't see why they would. The President takes the brunt of the blame and I don't see how much lower opinion of the Democrats can fall. Of course, those who always blame Republicans will still do and vice versa.