US Government Shutdowns
What happens when compromise collapses?
4.5 (18)
47 mins
Explore how US government shutdowns evolved from isolated disputes into recurring political weapons, in this skoob. Also understand how shutdowns symbolize a democracy strained by polarization.
Ep 1:
The Day Democracy Flipped Off
How a quiet 1980 dispute over abortion funding created the legal precedent that let America's government grind to a halt—and set the stage for decades of political brinkmanship.
Ep 2:
Gingrich, Clinton, and the Shutdown Gamble
Newt Gingrich bet big against Bill Clinton in 1995, triggering a historic shutdown that reshaped approval ratings, budget battles, and the Speaker's own political fate.
Ep 3:
Sequester, Cruz, and the Obamacare Standoff
In 2013, Tea Party fervor and Ted Cruz's marathon speech pushed Washington into a 17-day Obamacare shutdown that Republicans couldn't win but wouldn't avoid.
Ep 4:
The Wall That Shut Down America
Trump's border wall demands ignited a chaotic December 2018 crisis, dragging Congress toward the longest shutdown in American history and a looming emergency declaration.
Ep 5:
The Longest Winter and Its Lessons
As the record-breaking shutdown finally ends without a wall, we trace four decades of shutdown history to uncover why this broken pattern keeps repeating.
Discussions (12)
Bentley
Level 4 · 9 mo agoBro u are right about the 1980 ruling. Before Civiletti interpreted the act agencies just kept working. It is essentially a made up political weapon.
Brock
Level 2 · 7 mo agoOld Boehner sipping a drink in Florida and laughing at the legislative terrorists he left behind is properly funny 😂 he knew they'd make a right mess of it
Emma
Level 3 · 9 mo agoI think it is hypocritical to frame Republicans as villains when Democrats also refused to negotiate. It takes two to shut down so stop ignoring the nuance.
