Beneath the hardline approach to the budget fight being pushed by Tea Party activists and their allies in Congress, there is a certain assumption about how negotiations work.

The idea is that if they force Republicans to publicly stake out the most uncompromising position possible, even if they don’t achieve that end, then the inevitable agreement will be further to the right than it otherwise would have been.

Recommended Stories

Here are the six Republican senators who flip-flopped on Obamacare repeal

Scott Walker may be Chris Christie’s worst nightmare

Republicans repeal the Tea Party