Shut down and find out: Three possible major consequences

Another government shutdown is upon us, and you know what that means: More handwringing about closed parks, furloughed workers, and stalled paychecks. 

Not to make light of the real struggles that come with Washington’s periodic bouts of dysfunction (or the reputational hit abroad), but this particular shutdown could also carry outsized long-term political consequences that transcend the normal news coverage. 

Although it is impossible to game out every pos...