Act I of Government Shutdown Theater has begun in Washington, D.C. The performance represents another symbol of the utter dysfunction now dominating our political institutions.

Congressional Democrats and Republicans began pointing fingers Wednesday after they failed to reach agreement on funding the government. There’s plenty of blame to go around. Shutdowns — and threats of shutdowns — have become depressingly common in recent years regardless of which party runs Congress or occupies the White House, as compromise falls victim to hyper-partisanship.

The last shutdown took place in December 2018 and extended into 2019 when President Donald Trump demanded Congress fund his wall along the Mexican border. Democrats insisted that negotiations over the wall would take place after Republicans

See Full Page