Bill: Shutdown Will Backfire on GOP

The Hill reports:

A government shutdown might not have a "traumatic" effect on the economy, but it could have one on Republicans, former President Bill Clinton said Monday.

Clinton, who faced a shutdown during his 1995 budget negotiations with congressional Republicans, said he wasn't sure whether President Obama was giving too much ground to the GOP in current negotiations, but suggested that a shutdown could backfire against Republicans, much as it did in the '90s.

"It will not have the traumatic effect it probably had last time, because there are fixes, where it's shut down, but not," Clinton said of the prospect of a shutdown during an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America."

The federal government experienced two shutdowns in late 1995 — for five days — and for another 22 days, carrying into early 1996, after Clinton clashed with Republicans in Congress, principally then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.).

Both Obama and GOP leaders in the House, mindful of the thorny political realities of 1995, have avoided a shutdown by passing a series of short-term measures extending government spending. But the latest extension expires on Friday, and lawmakers in both parties have expressed little appetite for another short-term continuing resolution.

If an agreement can't be struck and a government faces a shutdown, Republicans could again shoulder the political burden, Clinton said.