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... When the shutdown started, Republicans surmised Democrats would cave and vote to reopen the government in a matter of days.

Fifteen days into the shutdown, Democrats are more dug in than ever, and Republicans now say they expected this strategy all along.

"They have to show their base who hates Trump that they're fighting back," Rep. Don Bacon said. "There's not a clear way out for them. They say they want guardrails' but no specifics."

"They'd like to keep the focus on Republicans and on President Trump, at least for the time being. But they miscalculated, making such unreasonable, overreaching demands" for the short-term funding bill, Sen. John Cornyn told NOTUS. "I don't know how they're going to get out of this, but we're not going to negotiate until we get the government back open."

When a reporter asked Republican Sen. Katie Britt on Oct. 1 how the shutdown would end, she was firm.

"They'll blink," she said of Democrats. ...