Cramer: Wall Street largely shrugs off shutdown because traders view Washington as a 'comedy'
- "I think there's a united, 'Are you kidding me?'" Cramer says.
- Democrats may have overplayed their hand on trying to leverage DACA concessions, he says.
Wall Street is largely ignoring the government shutdown because traders view the Washington gridlock as a "bit of a comedy," CNBC's Jim Cramer said Monday.
The stock market was under pressure early Monday. But considering last week's 1 percent gain by the Dow Jones industrial average, which featured a 323-point surge Wednesday, and the nearly 5.5 percent year-to-date run, any modest declines would be a drop in the bucket.
"I think there's a united, 'Are you kidding me?'" Cramer said on "Squawk on the Street." "We're exhausted. ... Washington has made it so it's a bit of a comedy."
Cramer said Democrats may have overplayed their hand by insisting the temporary spending bill to keep the government open include protections for young immigrants who were brought illegally to the U.S. as children, and were protected from deportation by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
The shutdown also hurts U.S. military personnel, Cramer contends. While military and national security operations will continue during the shutdown, paychecks could be delayed.
"The people who serve ... they get hurt," Cramer said. "I don't think anybody really wins here."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell aims to advance a short-term spending bill at noon on the Capitol Hill, which could lead to an end to the shutdown.
If the Senate continues to keep the government shutdown for several weeks, it will just get in the way of the nation's growth, Cramer said.
"There's a consensus that our CEOs want America to be strong," said Cramer, host of "Mad Money." "Then there's a consensus in Washington that there can be no consensus."
"I think a lot of Americans are saying, 'What is this about other than hurting people?'" Cramer added.