Stan Collender: “The biggest and most depressing lesson coming from Washington these days is that government shutdowns are a politically acceptable tactic for Congress and the White House.”

“As a result, what was once very rare must be considered the new normal in Washington. Regardless of which political party is in the majority in the House and Senate and who is president, government shutdowns are now very likely to be threatened and occur almost every year.”

“Government shutdowns used to be black swans, but now they are more like the common pigeons you see everywhere all the time.”