Political parties

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/house-centerpiece-jobs-bill-becomes-gop-headache-thanks-in-part-to-tea-party-conservatives/2012/03/23/gIQA7jYFVS_story.html
Summary:
The Republican dominated House, lead by Speaker, John Boehner and Democratic dominated Senate, led by Harry Reid have met yet another impasse. The Republican party, despite for being the original proposer for the transportation bill, have been met with a problem that will lead to a shutdown if the problem is not resolved by March 31st, when the authority to draw from funds to support road construction ends. While Boehner is trying to recruit representatives to support the funding, Tea-Party members, advocates of giving states the power of funding transportation have opposed. However, Boehner is also reluctant to take the bill passed by the Senate for $101 billion funding. If the current situation were to be unresolved, then millions employed in the road-construction business will be unemployed.

Connection
Impasse, or gridlock, occurs frequently when partisan divisions prevent problems from being resolved. The Republican's internal divisions, between the more radical Tea-Party members and moderates, are causing the program proposed to increase employment into a program that must eventually result in unemployment, if the funding for road construction is not extended. A similar occurrence occurred during 2011, when the government almost underwent lock-down due to the inability to reach a compromise when the debt ceiling was met.

Reflection
If the Republican Party is unable to reach a solution within the Senate with come to a compromise with the Senate, then it will jeopardize not only its public image but also votes. As seen in the presidential race, the attacks exchanged by the candidates has already decreased their popular support. If the bipartisan agenda of the Republican Party leads to the stagnation in road-construction nation-wide, resulting in unemployment of millions employed in the transportation services, then the party image will definitely suffer.