I really hope they don't shut down the government, but if they do, I think there is a good chance the GOP will take it on the chin from a public relations standpoint.

The way things stand right now, the Democrats' message is that the GOP is willing to shutdown the government because they do not want to fund Planned Parenthood. We have the idiot Mike Pence saying that pretty directly. To put a cherry on top of it, we have John Kyl on the floor of the Senate saying things about Planned Parenthood that are obviously false. http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2011_04/028858.php

A shutdown will hurt the country, but if it helps get the GOP back into the minority status they deserve, then maybe the grownups can focus on running the country.