The political impasse that shuttered the federal government at midnight on Monday spilled into its first weekend showing no signs of abating, and leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers on furlough and museums and national parks across the country closed.House Republican leaders and the White House sought to reassure those furloughed federal workers that they will be paid when the shutdown ends, but resolving the crisis remains a politically difficult task since both sides see broader strategic implications to the outcome.The GOP decision to attach the language to defund or delay the Affordable Care Act to the stalled spending resolution was a tactical one pushed by conservatives, who think that the spending bills represent their moment of greatest leverage with President Obama.On the other hand, the president and his Democratic allies in Congress are hoping to turn back the clock to a time before Washington was not constantly on the brink of fiscal meltdown.After nearly three years of jumping from fiscal crisis to fiscal crisis, Democrats want to establish a different order. They would like to make temporary funding bills, such as the one the Senate passed last week to keep the government funded, and regular increases to the debt ceiling perfunctory matters that are routinely approved without bringing Washington to the brink of disaster each time.But the tea-party-backed members leading the fight against "Obamacare," and backing the shutdown, say they came to Washington to disrupt the routine.Obama and congressional Democratic leaders have refused to engage in any negotiations thus far, saying that they do not want to establish a precedent - for the rest of Obama's presidency and for future presidents - that the party controlling just one chamber of Congress could hold hostage these basic legislative functions in exchange for political ransom.

A jogger takes advantage of the empty steps at the Smithsonian's National Gallery of Art in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, past a sign saying the museum is closed. All of the Smithsonian museums are closed as a result of a budget impasse on Capitol Hill that has shut down many part of the government. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)

J. David Ake