In years past, there have been multiple government shutdowns — and threats of even more. The script has always been more or less the same: Republicans talk tough and threaten to shut down the government over sensible reforms. Whether they do or not, any changes that result are minimal at best, and we continue down the same path conservative lawmakers griped about and swore to change.

We are now approaching another government shutdown, supposedly to address the same problems we’ve had for decades: out-of-control spending, out-of-control illegal immigration, and a bloated federal government and bureaucracy that’s only gotten more bloated and out of control. The question is: Will this time finally be different?

Today, The New American magazine’s editor-in-chief Gary Benoit and executive senior editor Steve Bonta discuss the arguments and tactics that have prevented the sensible reforms Republicans say they want, and why this time there’s a better chance than usual of effecting lasting change.