Read Stuff, You Should

Happy Birthday to Rocco Baldelli, 32.

Here's some good stuff:

1. Jordan Ragusa says: cliff analogies for a shutdown are too strong. Hey, I used that word! I consider myself chastened. Absolutely true that short-term government shutdowns are really not a big deal. If it gets over a week, however...

2. David Hawkings on the politics of the third showdown -- the one where the parties finally get to hashing out a budget. Could be in November, could be in December, but Democrats are (finally) signalling that it's coming.

3. Harry Enten argues that the Clinton-era shutdowns had little or no electoral consequences. I think that's largely correct.