Cooler heads may have prevailed. A government shutdown as the country may be recovering from a recession would be spectacular bad timing. Also, the gray beards in the Republican Party remember what happened to them last time they forced a shutdown. They got clobbered in the next election.
This time around we have three wars going and it will make the Pentagon and military very cranky indeed if they don’t get paychecks. The head of the Chamber of Commerce also strongly opposes a shutdown.
And can you imagine the chaos if there was a shutdown right before income taxes were due?
Finally, contrary to what many the Tea Party may believe, a shutdown does not mean all those wallowing-at-the-trough public employees (and soldiers) will feel the Wrath of Righteous Tea and not be paid. Instead, once it is over, they get a check for however many days it lasted. Thus, in effect, it’s a paid vacation where they get paid after the vacation is over.
So, a government shutdown is essentially a completely useless exercise that proves and solves nothing.