Not all government shutdowns are created equal, as far as political consequences go.

After surveys from other pollsters have given contradictory indications about shutdown politics, the Pew Research Center now finds that blame would fall more or less evenly on the parties. And this means Republicans hold much better standing today than they did as a shutdown loomed in 1995, Pew writes:

... opinions are far different now than they were during a similar dispute in 1995, shortly before the government did shut down. In November 1995, a few days before the government shut down, 46% said it would be mainly the Republicans' fault while 27% said the Clinton administration would be more at fault, according to a Washington Post/ABC News survey.

The 1995 shutdown is now viewed as a battle won by President Clinton. If Pew's findings are correct, President Obama might not want to count on a similar political windfall.