Republicans Snatch Defeat from Jaws of Victory

Chris Cillizza: “Tuesday should have been a banner day for Congressional Republicans, the day in which sequestration cuts to the federal government were locked in for another few months — a move that would have proved just how committed the GOP was to cutting federal spending and shrinking the debt.”

“Instead, the government is shuttered. Polling shows Republicans are in line to take the lion’s share of the blame. The party is fighting amongst itself about when and whether to make a deal. Party strategists are (semi) openly fretting about the political danger their side is courting with the shutdown.”

Said former Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA): “When is a win not a win? When it belongs to the GOP. These are constant self-inflicted wounds. We don’t need to learn how to be a good loser. We need to learn to be a good winner.”