Choke. The RATS are confident they can handle us now because we don't go for the kill. By that, we set up a more painful consequence at a later date.
It's like anything painful in life. If you keep "dealing with it later", when later does finally come the pain is many times worse than if you had just dealt with the problem earlier.
How could the GOP have went in "for the kill?" Your strategery assumes the GOP would have won in a government shutdown. Please explain how that happens? The Democrats wanted this shutdown soap opera drama because it distracts from addressing the real issues. They start a big hissy fight over a few billions when we need to be discussing slashing trillions. GOP won. Dems lost.