Shutting down the government was stupid. No goal...defund... then delay...then...vitter amendment...then medical devise tax.Then what? Default for....why?
It was a trap set by Valerie Jarrett and Obama. Tea party Republicans walked into a one /two combo and got flattened.
The mistake was in not sticking to one clear demand. If they had held firm, then Obama would’ve been forced to the negotiating table and only then should any compromise have been considered. It was a staring contest and the Republicans blinked repeatedly. They showed weakness by making concessions before getting anything in return, so the Dems knew they’d cave in the end and didn’t have to negotiate.