Back from the Brink--for Now

Well, in a last-minute deal, the United States government looks as if it will avoid undergoing a shutdown that would be detrimental to a still struggling economy. Which doesn’t mean that the deal struck was a great one; taking billions of dollars out the economy and curtailing public investment programs isn’t going to do any good for the unemployment situation or the poor. And there are likely problems yet to come. Lots of impatient right-wing “culture warriors” in the Republican-controlled U.S. House may yet vote against the agreement, since it includes none of their cherished “riders,” and that means Democrats will be called on to pass the compromise over their heads--which is sure to further anger tea partiers, some of whom are already talking about mounting a primary election challenge against their own speaker.

What a mess. And more such challenges lie ahead.

READ MORE: “Poll Shows Support for Budget Deal,” by Steve Benen (The Washington Monthly).