comme les autres

Politically or socially, the shutdown is analogous to a national strike.  A small - but not that small - bloc of the public puts its foot down and says no.  The Tea Party, French farmers, Welsh coal miners.  Their values differ, they may all be doomed to fade, eventually, they all do collateral damage - similarities and differences.  But, fundamentally, an American variation on a national strike of the sort that roils other democratic societies.