The Government shutdown / debt ceiling breach is behind us for now. The "leaders " in Congress indicate they get the message that this type of brinkmanship is unacceptable to the business community and the saner of their constituents. The news media is acting as if the problem has been solved and reason and compromise have prevailed. Fat chance. During the government shut down more obscure Congressmen were on national news broadcasts than ever before. This is free money as far as a politician is concerned. First term Representatives from small states were sought after by CNN, Fox, NBC, etc. to recite their party's talking points as if they actually understood what they were saying. The only thing we can be sure of is that the "shutdown" taught Congress how wonderful all the media attention is for Congressmen. The economic incentives are now aligned to motivate Congress to keep doing what they are doing.

The history of the US is filled with demigods and charlatans who make a lot of noise and are dismissed by rational people as a mere annoyance. These people are dangerous and should not be dismissed lightly. They can cause serious harm to the country or the economy. We all need to remember politicians like Senator Joseph McCarthy and Senator Huey Long.