Republicans are breaking.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the bedrock of traditional Republicanism, now says that it will get involved in Republican primaries by providing financial support to incumbent Republicans who vote to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling. In other words, if some Republicans act responsibly and then have to face tea party challengers accusing them of being RINOs, the Chamber will have the back of those reasonable Republicans. It's a civil war within the GOP, folks.

That's how far off the deep end the tea party and right-wing House Republicans have gone. They've lost the Chamber of Commerce. Heads must be exploding in the Bush family compound. A bit more than a dozen House Republicans have already come out in favor of voting for a "clean continuing resolution (CR)" to reopen the government at current funding levels (remember, that means the sequester stays in place, already a Republican victory).

And make no mistake, this whole crisis over the government shutdown and, more importantly, the looming debt ceiling deadline, is 100 percent the fault of Republican extremists. Here's my simple metaphor for those who either don't get it or want to pretend that it's the fault of both sides, or gridlock, or whatever:



A married couple are arguing over how much to spend on the family's next car. One spouse says, "We should spend X." The other spouse says "No, we should spend Y, and if you don't agree, I won't make the mortgage payments -- or let you make them either -- until you give in."

Simple, clear, and an accurate reflection of where we're at. Because yes, America is a family. As I've written elsewhere, President Obama has used those words over and over and over again. We are in this boat together, and if one group of us wants to, it can capsize the whole thing.

On a more positive note, the concept of America as a family is at the core of progressive thinking. It's why we care that our fellow Americans may not have health insurance, and why we want to do something about it. The right-wing rejects this vision, which is exactly why they not only oppose a law that would provide millions with access to health coverage, but why they appear to be willing to default on our collective mortgage if they don't get their way on that law—after losing an election in which that law was a defining issue. If they were able to get their way, what would be the point of having elections in the first place? To return to the family metaphor, one spouse can't be allowed to get his way by threatening to make the family homeless.

The Republican Party is now in the throes of a struggle between those who are conservative but recognize that there is reality beyond the conservative echo chamber and those who, in the words of Robert Costa at National Review, "believe they can achieve things in divided government that most objective observers would believe is impossible."

How will this struggle play out? Follow me beyond the fold for more of my analysis.