Past Republican administrations and congressional majorities lived in terror of a government shutdown. Dems were able to get anything they wanted, despite Republicans sometimes controlling all the branches of government, simply by threatening a shutdown.

The Trump administration did what too many Republicans had been terrified to do. The shutdown is here and it turns out not to be a very big deal.

At least when the Obama White House isn’t specifically ordering the National Park Service to terrorize elderly hikers and roping off every federal property with yellow crime scene tape that says REPUBLICANS DID THIS.

That’s only a slight exaggeration.

A government shutdown was always a phantom menace. It can make life inconvenient for federal employees, but when it isn’t specifically being weaponized by the White House, its impact on average Americans is limited.

And considering the high cost of federal spending, a successful shutdown showdown has the potential to significantly improve the lives of Americans.