Watching the Government shutdown saga, I can't help but think (hope?) that we are watching the death throes of the Republican party as we know it. Like a failing regime, they cannot yet face their fate and they cannot accomplishment any policy goals, but they still wield enough residual power to inflict widespread damage on the population, which they do mainly to reassure themselves that they are still a politically relevant force. Eventually, there will be realignment into two politically viable coalitions, but until then I think we should expect a very bumpy ride.