The republican dilemma re. budget vs ACA in 2 sentences: It's a smart-for-one, dumb-for-all problem.

[pampango]

Here's the Republican Party's problem, in two sentences: It would be a disaster for the party to shut down the government over Obamacare. But it's good for every individual Republican politician to support shutting down the government over Obamacare.

These smart-for-one, dumb-for-all problems have a name: Collective-action problems.

Politics is rife with collective-action problems. Political parties often benefit from passing a bill, or cutting a deal, even when it's in the interest of each individual politician to vote the other way. Keeping members in line during these moments is the key job of party leadership. Threats, flattery, fundraising money, and plum committee assignments are all deployed to keep members of Congress from undermining the group in order to help themselves.

The best way to understand the plight of the modern GOP is that the party leadership is no longer powerful enough to solve its collective-action problems.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/18/wonkbook-the-republican-partys-problem-in-two-sentences/

[The Magistrate]

1. Short, Sweet, And Spot-On, Sir

[lumberjack_jeff]

2. They're embracing both halves of the lose-lose scenario.

They are going to shut down government while failing to stop implementation of Obamacare.

Obamacare will be implemented, tens of millions of people will get insurance, many millions more will get a subsidy and over time, medical costs will go down.

The public will remember who got in the way, and why, and they will remember the important services that were interrupted.