All of this bantering about a shutdown is just another dog & pony show. There will be a late night, back room deal at the eleventh hour, photo ops with their sleeves rolled up so the voters will think Congress worked hard through the night for us, and everything will go on.
Second scenario... The affected Government employees will go home for a vacation. When they go back to work, their pay will be retroactive, they will be paid for work not done(which may be a blessing in disguise) and everything will go on.