The Republican-caused crisis has provided the GOP with the godsend of a consequence-free sandbox for proving to the wing-nuttiest of their wing-nut constituency, that beyond just talk, they are every bit as crazy as they are.
And they have got to do this. Because you can't throw a Republican Party without nuts. You can skimp on the food, entertainment, decorations, venue, tables, layout and schedule. But no nuts? No Party.
And the nuts are peeved. Because in addition to perpetrating the most awesome swindle ever on the nation at large, the Republican Party managed a separate fraud right on them. The party of (really, what else is it but a joke of a claim to) small government went and blew up the biggest government party balloon ever.
No one appreciates being used. The double whammy of a realization that not only are you not the sharpest tool in the shed, but that you are in fact a tool to begin with, has got to hurt.
But the wingnuts are not feeling this hurt nearly as much they could be. Or should be. And that's the point I want to make, in a moment.
Whoever is the strategist for the Republicans must know they're more or less stuck for the time being. So it's not as though a little crazy is going to scare away some just-within-reach, glorious return to power. But they do need to be ready when the time comes. And that means nailing down the ticked-off base. And because they fucked up so royally, they had better do something extreme. Something that screams ideological commitment right into the face of a starving bear. After all if your name is Bernie, how do you convince Aunt Madoff to give you her money again? If Aunt Madoff is a co-dependent, and you're a world-class liar, it can be done.
Giving the finger to your suffering constituents in a lockstep display of "No" during an economic collapse will do nicely. So they've gone and rejected unemployment compensation, health care, job training and food amid the largest economic contraction in a quarter century.
Wingnut tummies full of red meat and blood can now stupidly forget all about the last eight years, and focus instead where their masters need them to be focused. First things first, meat to the dogs.
The point I want to make: it's useless to engage these people in a discussion about the proper role for government (winning the middle is another matter). But I do think it can be productive to gently remind them of how time and again they are used. This changes the subject and demoralizes them. Perhaps they would modify the location of their government-hatred from out in the open, to somewhere more private, away from polite company.