The anti-establishment wing of the GOP made a mistake in shutting down the government in a hopeless effort to defund Obamacare. Politicians and journalists are lamenting the costs — as much as $24 billion in lost economic productivity, according to one measure.
But everything in politics and economics should be measured against its alternative. So, here’s my quick scoreboard of what happens when the anti-establishment insurgents call the shots as opposed to what happens when the bipartisan establishment is in charge.
The anti-establishment |
The bipartisan establishment |
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16-day government shutdown |
Iraq war |
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Financial crisis in 2008 |
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National debt
