Given that the Republicans are basically trying to stop changes that have been passed, signed off, and the current president has kind of been re-elected on. Isn't it the Republicans that look like the utter tools in this fiasco?

Oh and I'd hope even the Republicans aren't stupid enough to realise they cannot win this battle before the deadline kicks in. As much as the implications of a US default are disasterous for the entire global economy, the US's position as the #1 Global Power will be irrevocably lost and the world would be looking elsewhere for a global currency.

The 17th of October. The USA won't default and the Republicans already are taking a beating in the polls. Two more days is all it will take.

The senate has a working solution. All that's left is for Boehner to blink, which he will.

so the house has cancelled the vote.. this is getting pretty close..

2-3 days more at most.

Well for an extension anyway.

Generally government shutdowns don't last long, but repeat over and over again over the period of a few months.

They're already well past that.

Really at this point it's generally more a matter of an arguement of how long these things will last.   The Republicans want a debt limit bill that lasts about 2 months, and a government funding bill that lasts about 6.

Democrats want a debt limit bill that lasts 6 months and a funding bill that lasts about 2.

I don't think they expect to win but maybe using it as a tool to get Obama to nagotiate on his healthcare bill. Even if the Republicians look like the bad guy, our government officials, in general, look like shit right now, stubborn bastards!

See, I'm British and live in the UK so this doesn't really impact me at all, unless they cause another financial crisis, but it was passed in legislation, approved by the Senate etc.

If you want something repriving, surely you'd use that as your election pledge, and if enough support was there, you'd be able to change it. This really feels like a toys being thrown out of the pram moment.

The last government shutdown, there was room for negotiation, this one, there really isn't that I can see.

I think they're all a bunch of babies and don't realize the harm they are doing. They are still getting paid and not feeling the effects of the shutdown so, they can't really relate to the general public... oh wait, I think I heard something about there not being enough clean towels at their D.C. gym, lol