In any event, in the face of national hysteria and indignation enough Republicans would surely come to their senses in a matter of days and do anything—ANYTHING—to end the catastrophe, including giving Obama the “clean” (no built-in cuts) debt-ceiling increase he always wanted.

In other words, provoking a dramatic showdown would not only hand the president a flashy victory, but would win the GOP less progress on spending—not more—than the party actually achieved with the deal John Boehner negotiated.

To these altogether logical arguments, the shut-‘er-down fanatics offer only slogans: “Stand Firm,” “Stick to Your Principles,” “Winners Never Compromise.” That last bromide was particularly favored by the great Rush Limbaugh, still the revered and influential chieftain of the conservative media herd (and my own benefactor, I should acknowledge, in terms of giving me my first chance in the radio business as his frequent guest host).

The obvious challenge for El Rushbo: “If Winners Never Compromise,” does that mean Ronald Reagan wasn’t a winner?