CNN’s Blitzer: ‘90s Government Shutdown ‘Didn't Exactly Work Out Well’ for GOP

On CNN’s Situation Room today, anchor Wolf Blitzer spoke of the 1995-1996 Federal government shutdown:

BLITZER: Yes, I would be shocked if there were a government shutdown. The Republicans lived through that back in the '90s and it didn't exactly work out well for them. I would be shocked if they went down that road and the president went down that road right now. I'm sure they will work that out.

So how bad was the political fallout for Republicans?  That year the GOP nominated the uninspiring Sen. Bob Dole as their presidential nominee.  Despite such a lackluster top of the ticket, House losses were only in the single digits.  As former Speaker Newt Gingrich has noted “it was the first time in 68 years that Republicans were reelected to a House majority - and the first time that had ever happened with a Democrat winning the presidency.”  On the Senate side, the GOP picked up two seats.

Liberals routinely cite the shutdown as an example of why Republicans should do absolutely everything, including casting aside principle and embracing Obamanomics, to avoid a replay.  After all, the political damage to them was so terribly dreadful and liberals certainly wouldn’t want that to happen again.  Right, Wolf?