Republicans fail in latest attempt to wield threat of partial government shutdown as leverage against Obama’s immigration policiesRepublicans failed in their latest attempt to wield the threat of a partial government shutdown as a weapon of protest against Barack Obama’s immigration policies on Monday, with Democrats and the White House increasingly confident they have the upper-hand in the showdown.In the Senate, Democrats blocked an attempt by Republicans to force negotiations between both sides of the legislature over a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security.