Everyone has heard the old saw about not mud wrestling with a pig because you both get dirty and the pig enjoys it. The difference between mud wrestling with a pig and fighting with the GOP over a government shutdown is that, under the right circumstances, mud wrestling can be dirty fun and the pig makes for better conversation.
Unfortunately the underlying principle still applies when dealing with the GOP; when it comes to the government shutdown we're wrestling over the scope of government with an entity that doesn't care if government fails. In fact, recent comments by nutcase luninaries like Michelle Bachmann point up that the most extreme in the GOP camp like it when our government is shutdown and want it to fail.
Many are fond of using a hostage scenario to describe the current impasse on Capitol Hill only our government is being held hostage by a psycho nutcase killer who has been relentlessly stalking it for 30 years and blames it for all their ills. Shooting the hostage is what they've had in mind from the beginning.
Since the fanatical right is expecting government to collapse, it's all the same to them if they're the ones to help government off that fiscal cliff with a gentle shove. The chaos and anarchy resulting from the sudden disappearance of order is also not a concern because they're prepared for that, too. The most fanatical elements on the right have trailers in their back yards stocked enough guns and supplies to tough out the transition. What does the full faith and credit of the United States mean to people who have been buying gold and silver since president Obama took office?
I believe progressives underestimate just how willing the extremist wing of the GOP really are to hurt the country and how dangerous the current situation could be. Even if we step back from the brink this time, for those living in Glenn Beckistan it's just a dress rehearsal.