As political wrangling in Washington rumbles on, some commentators and analysts have likened the behavior of U.S. lawmakers to teenagers, spoiled children and even munchkins.
As Washington moved into its third week of a partial shutdown amid continued disagreement between the Republican and Democratic parties over renewing the federal budget, frustrations are growing by the minute.
(Watch This: US fiscal battle: Republicans to bear the blame?)
"The reality is that right now Congress is a bunch of spoiled children. Someone really needs to smack them on the head and tell them to go to work and get something done," said Jack Bouroudjian, CEO of Bull and Bear Partners.
Shutdowns are not new to American politics, the government has been shut down 17 times prior to 1997, but the crucial risk overhanging this stalemate is the upcoming debt ceiling deadline in three days' time, when U.S. lawmakers must agree to raise the government's borrowing authority to avoid defaulting on its debt.
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There was evidence of progress on Monday when U.S. senators said they were . But even if the government is re-opened in the next few days and a default is avoided, many analysts say the perception of the U.S. government has been tarnished.
Former Apple CEO John Scully told CNBC this week that the "world is disgusted by U.S. politicians' behavior."
"These guys in Washington are not only damaging their own brand, they are damaging America's brand across the world. People are amazed and disgusted by the way these politicians are behaving," he said.
(Read More: Government shutdown costs family $10,000 and dream house)
Meanwhile, Peter Morici, Professor at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, published a note on Tuesday accusing President Barack Obama and the Democrats of behaving like "teenagers."
He said if the debt ceiling is not raised and the government is not re-opened, Republicans will be blamed, but in his view the Democrats are at fault for "behaving like teenagers by wanting to spend irresponsibly" referring to their commitment to public spending on healthcare.
And in one of the most bizarre comparisons, Citi's global chief economist Willem Buiter described U.S. politics as the "Land of Oz run by the Munchkins" at the start of the shutdown in a description meant to highlight the ludicracy of the situation and the incompetence of the lawmakers.
(Read More: Washington has become 'Land of Oz': Citi chief economist)
Buiter warned that the "embarrassing manifestation of U.S. political malfunctioning could become [an] economic disaster" if the market gets spooked about the debt ceiling and the potential of a sovereign default. He branded U.S. politicians as "irresponsible".
And this week, the world's number two economy also weighed in on the debate.
A scathing op-ed from China's state news agency Xinhua published on Sunday, conveyed Beijing's frustration with the political impasse and said it was time to start building a "de-Americanized world."
(Read More: Chinese in two minds on US shutdown)
—By CNBC's Katie Holliday: Follow her on Twitter @hollidaykatie