The Government Shutdown Effect: Big In The Short Term, Small After That

The U.S. government partially shutdown today. The Senate couldn’t cobble together the necessary 60 votes to keep the government open. And the blame game has already begun: Republicans in Congress and the White House are trying to make “Schumer Shutdown” stick (after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer), and Democrats are calling it the “Trump Shutdown.”

So who is the public going to side with? And will the shutdown, however long it lasts, affect the 2018 midterms?

A look back at previous shutdowns suggests that there could be a clear, immediate political reaction, but that those effects are likely to fade over time. CONT.

Harry Enten, FiveThirtyEight