From Mother Jones, who is affected when the government doesn't show up for work? Poor people, people with immune systems — basically everyone. Ever wondered what government Twitter accounts are “essential” enough to keep tweeting through a government shutdown? A look at why essential services can't last forever (and more). Remember when Republicans were worried about “economic uncertainty”? Henry Farrell on how making like a lemming can be tactically smart. If you want to grasp why Republicans are careening toward provoking a sovereign debt crisis, you need to understand that this is the inevitable product of a conscious party strategy. No, Democrats never really held the debt limit hostage. Our Outlaw President: Henry Aaron on why Obama should ignore the debt ceiling. Don’t like the shutdown? Blame the Constitution: Both of America's political parties can veto must-pass legislation — this is a bad idea. How to depose John Boehner: Jonathan Chait on a centrist coup to save America. If a new, young Left is really on the rise, why aren't those new, millennial liberals protesting the shutdown? Chris Lehmann on the Beltway Media Shuck-Down. False balance in the media goes haywire: Rebecca Leber on six headlines about the government shutdown that will destroy your faith in journalism. Here is the first installment of “If It Happened There,” a regular feature in which American events are described using the tropes and tone normally employed by the American media to describe events in other countries.
