Krugman expects the worst.

[ProSense]

There Will Be Blood

By PAUL KRUGMAN

Right now, in particular, Republicans are blocking an extension of unemployment benefits — an action that will both cause immense hardship and drain purchasing power from an already sputtering economy. But there’s no point appealing to the better angels of their nature; America just doesn’t work that way anymore.

<...>

These days, national security experts are tearing their hair out over the decision of Senate Republicans to block a desperately needed new strategic arms treaty. And everyone knows that these Republicans oppose the treaty, not because of legitimate objections, but simply because it’s an Obama administration initiative; if sabotaging the president endangers the nation, so be it.

How does this end? Mr. Obama is still talking about bipartisan outreach, and maybe if he caves in sufficiently he can avoid a federal shutdown this spring. But any respite would be only temporary; again, the G.O.P. is just not interested in helping a Democrat govern.

<...>

It’s hard to see how this situation is resolved without a major crisis of some kind. Mr. Simpson may or may not get the blood bath he craves this April, but there will be blood sooner or later. And we can only hope that the nation that emerges from that blood bath is still one we recognize.

It's either Obama stands his ground and the government gets shut down or Obama "caves in sufficiently" to avoid that.

Do you believe Republicans will shut the government down? If not, why?

[katandmoon]

1. No. Obama will cave in sufficiently.

[lumberjack_jeff]

2. The new deal only came about after a complete collapse of the old deal.

I'm not sure that being slowly brought to a boil is better than jumping into the fire.

[Peacetrain]

3. Boy of boy.. that is a good question...this is a totally different ball of wax

than the Gingrich group.. and they did shut the government down.. But there are so many libertarians in that tea party group.. and libertarians are all about themselves.

Libertarians talk a good game about every person's personal freedoms until it hits the dollar sign..then it is all out the window.

Just don't know..If the republican party cannot herd them in.. things could be locked down completely.

[kentuck]

4. Why shouldn't he expect the worse??

That's all we have seen up to this point.

[Phx_Dem]

5. Funny, when the GOP shut the government down under Clinton, it

was the GOP's fault. Now's it's Obama's fault, in advance.

[Imajika]

6. How are Republicans blocking the UI extension?

"Right now, in particular, Republicans are blocking an extension of unemployment benefits — an action that will both cause immense hardship and drain purchasing power from an already sputtering economy."

This just doesn't make any sense. The GOP only "won" that vote and blocked the UI extension because Pelosi rushed it outside of regular order and by doing it that way a supermajority was required to pass it. It strikes me that the Democrats were playing politics with this vote knowing it would put Republicans on the hotseat and make them "kill" the UI extension.

All Democrats have to do is bring the UI extension up in regular order where it only requires a simple majority and it will pass EASILY in the House. In the Senate the votes have been there to pass it previously and there is no reason to think they won't be again in the lame duck session.

There is absolutely no reason we can't pass a UI extension in the lame duck. This is not a game. We should be bringing this legislation to the floor, the right way, as soon as possible and pass this extension before the Republicans really do take over the House and increase their numbers in the Senate.