Republicans Sharpen Their Knives - For One Another

Republicans are split on their broader strategy. The leadership and their allies want to take a piecemeal approach, focusing on what they're most likely to achieve. Other Republicans want the party to be more ambitious. Heidi Przybyla for Bloomberg.

A victory for what, exactly? "If I could see any constructive policy agenda, I could have a serious opinion about it. But I don’t. I see pure negativity and bile against the president. And it seems to me that that is not a strategy to win over a majority for the presidency in 2016." The Dish.

McConnell says the government will not shut down. What if it does anyway? The only negotiating leverage Republicans have against Obama's veto power is to threaten to shut down the government or to force a default on the national debt. If the new majority leader isn't willing to consider those options seriously, a conservative agenda has no chance. Sahil Kapur at Talking Points Memo.