With a vote of 230-189, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a continuing budget resolution Friday morning that would fund government operations for the next 90 days, but as promised by GOP members, stripped out any money devoted to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.

Though the outcome of the vote was not a surprise, with the budget issue now heading to the Senate, the events on Capitol Hill over the budget further expose the “unprecedented” hostage-taking tactics of a Republican Party that has made economic denialism and political obstructionism its guiding principles since the current economic crisis began in late 2007 and which it has maintained throughout the Obama presidency.

“Forget the GOP’s attempt to shut down the government over the Affordable Care Act. Who is going to explain to the American people how profoundly misguided, and even immoral, the Republicans’ entire economic agenda has become?” –Richard Eskow, Campaign for America’s Future

And even as many perceive a “civil war” within the Republican Party over how to deal with budget issues or battle their Democratic rivals, nothing in that narrative betrays the degree to which the GOP continues to march in lock-step when it comes to pushing austerity economic policies that insulate society’s richest while pushing draconian cuts to programs and services that help workers, the elderly, the young, and the sick.

Calling it a “victory for America” and a “victory for common sense,” Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) emerged after Friday’s vote to celebrate the House budget resolution. He was greeted with cheers from his caucus members.

Critics and commentators, however, say the Republican obsession with defunding Obamacare (today’s vote was their 42nd attempt to do so) and an expected repeat of the political battle over raising “the debt ceiling” (which could happen within a matter of weeks) are parts of a single ploy by the GOP to overcome their minority status in Washington by sabotaging the government’s ability to accomplish almost anything.

As economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman writes:

And though many progressives may criticize Obamacare on their own terms—with many citing the blatant giveaway to private insurers embodied in the law and the failure of Democrats to embrace the idea of a single-payer, Medicare-for-all solution to the healthcare crisis—most also recognize that the legislation will, in fact, deliver positive improvements to vulnerable segments of the population, such as expanding the Medicaid program and limiting some of the worst abuses of the private insurers.

And Eugene Robinson, writing in the Washington Post, argues that even if the law is seriously flawed, “it would be wrong to let a bunch of extremist ideologues hold the country hostage in this manner.”

“If Republicans want to repeal the reforms,” Robinson continued, “they should win the Senate and the presidency. If not, they’re welcome to pout and sulk all they want — but not to use extortion to get their way.”

But the problem is certainly bigger than Obamacare, say others.

For Dave Johnson and Richard Eskow, both from the Campaign for America’s Future, the larger budget war in Congress—in which the fight over Obamacare and the debt ceiling are battles—simply exposes just how radical and extreme the Republican Party has become in recent years.

“Forget the debt ceiling for a moment, if you can,” wrote Eskow just ahead of Friday’s vote. “Forget the GOP’s attempt to shut down the government over the Affordable Care Act. Who is going to explain to the American people how profoundly misguided, and even immoral, the Republicans’ entire economic agenda has become?”