The previous government shutdowns have all come under divided government. If it happens under unified control, it will be obvious which party owns it. Most voters are smart enough to see that; those who won't are the unshakable core.
The unshakable core is bigger than most people here think though.
Also, polls showed at the time that voters unambiguously blamed the Republicans. It didn't matter because newer shiny objects grabbed their attention within a few weeks, much less months or a year. The voters have the attention span of a mentally retarded goldfish. Until Atlas understands this, they will continue to be perplexed by election results. It's hard for politics junkies like us to comprehend, but the most recent major news cycle being positive or negative for a particular candidate can easily swing a competitive race. For instance, reverse the timing of Comey's letter and the Access Hollywood tape and Hillary wins easily. The government shutdown in 2013 was already irrelevant by the time the Obamacare site malfunctioned weeks later, much less the Ebola hysteria in late 2014. There are countless more examples.
