Government shutdowns are, more than anything, political tools. Sometimes the politics end up having a net benefit — the Clinton-era shutdown turned attention to the growing budget deficit and helped generate a budget surplus.

The recent shutdown, however, which lasted from Oct. 1 to Oct. 16, was different. Political brinksmanship over Obamacare and the debt ceiling were the main drivers of the shutdown this time around — and the end result was (as before) to kick the can down the road.

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