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NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Has the market lost its mind? That's what Jim Cramer asked his live audience outside the New York Stock Exchange as he celebrated the 2,000th episode of "Mad Money."

Cramer said that after fretting for weeks over the possibility of a government shutdown, the day that shutdown actually arrived the market did nothing but yawn. But that's how Wall Street works, Cramer explained -- it will now begin to be worried about the next big, bad event as the debt ceiling debate comes to a head Oct. 17.

Cramer reminded viewers that despite all of the attention paid to Washington, politics is only one piece in the stock puzzle. He warned against letting that one piece blind them to opportunities that still exist in the markets.

After all, that's what makes for better investors, seeing the real value of a stock as compared to its current value. What a stock is worth is rarely what you'll actually pay for it, he continued, which is what "Mad Money" has been all about since March 2005.

"There's always a bull market somewhere," Cramer reminded his audience, and he's happy to help find them night after night.

Executive Decision: Duncan Niederauer

In the "Executive Decision" segment, Cramer spoke with Duncan Niederauer, CEO of NYSE Euronext ( NYX, about the markets, technology and the government shutdown.

Niederauer said every day is a struggle to both provide better, faster access to the markets while also keeping things running smoothly and retaining investor confidence. In retrospect, he said maybe the markets should've declared victory when the moved from fractions to decimals many years back, as everything that's occurred since then has only added complexity to the markets.

Niederauer said the markets need to be accessible to everyone, and scandals like the Facebook ( FB - Get Report) initial public offering and the "flash crash" only create missed opportunities to rebuild investor confidence.

When asked about the abundance of technology on the exchanges, Niederauer said that trading has always been a high-tech and high-touch business, and at the NYSE there will always be humans at the ready to take over if the technology runs into problems.

Finally, when asked about how the government shutdown and lack of an effective Securities and Exchange Commission will affect the IPO market, Niederauer said that in the short term, there will be no effect. However, he said it's sad that at a time when companies are flush with cash and are innovating with new technology, the government is getting in the way rather than getting out of the way and letting America do what it does best.

Looking Back

The situation has changed dramatically since "Mad Money's" 1,000th episode on April 9, 2009, Cramer told viewers. Back then, Cramer told investors to stay the course, not knowing the generational low was just 30 days away. Since then, the S&P 500 has more than doubled, he said, making his advice quite timely.

Cramer said his advice today remains the same: stay the course, because while the markets still have hurdles to surmount, things are markedly better than they were in 2009. Back then, the banks were struggling, Europe and China were faltering and companies everywhere were bloated with estimates that were far too high.

But today the financial crisis is long behind us, and the financial system is no longer in peril. There's simply no time to get out and back in like there was in 2008 and 2009, Cramer said, which is why "stay the course" remains the right move.

Sure, you may not be able to pick up shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill ( CMG - Get Report) at $72 as you could in 2009, but at $426 a share, they still represent great value. Stocks always bounce back, Cramer concluded, and they will again with this government shutdown and debt debacle.

Lightning Round

In the Lightning Round, Cramer was bullish on Panera Bread ( PNRA, Computer Sciences ( CSC, Fifth & Pacific ( FNP, SPDR Gold Shares ( GLD - Get Report), Royal Bank of Scotland ( RBS, Ford Motor ( F - Get Report), Google ( GOOG - Get Report), Amazon.com ( AMZN and Vodafone Group ( VOD.

Cramer was bearish on Frontier Communications ( FTR - Get Report), American Homes 4 Rent ( AMH - Get Report) and Gap ( GPS - Get Report).

The Next Big Ideas

Investors looking for the next big investment ideas should look no further than the Russell 2000 small-cap index, Cramer told viewers. They'll find that over half of this year's biggest movers are biotechs, stocks that Cramer has championed for many years.

He said that biotechs are the quintessential anti-Washington stocks because they can prosper whether the government is open or closed.

Among the names that caught Cramer's attention were Acadia Pharmaceuticals ( ACAD, Celldex Threapeutics ( CLDX - Get Report), Insys Threapeutics ( INSY - Get Report), Keryx Biopharmaceuticals ( KERX, Clovis Oncology ( CLVS - Get Report), Isis Pharmaceuticals ( ISIS and NPS Pharmaceuticals ( NPSP.

Cramer said all of these names are smaller, more speculative investments, but all have the potential to become the next Celgene ( CELG - Get Report) or Gilead Sciences ( GILD - Get Report) and can make investors just as much money, even though they're already up huge for the year.

No Huddle Offense

In his "No Huddle Offense" segment, Cramer recalled the time when the Republican party was the "good for business" party and not the "anti-everything party." He said that over time the Republicans have fractured into two parties, one that focuses only on small business and another that's simply out to get the President.

It's amazing to think that the party once thought to care only about the rich would now consider devaluing America's most prized investment, the Treasury bond, by letting it default. Cramer called it a tragic situation, and one he hopes never comes to bear.

To watch replays of Cramer's video segments, visit the Mad Money page on CNBC.

To sign up for Jim Cramer's free Booyah! newsletter with all of his latest articles and videos please click here.

-- Written by Scott Rutt in Washington, D.C.

To email Scott about this article, click here: Scott Rutt

Follow Scott on Twitter @ScottRutt or get updates on Facebook, ScottRuttDC

At the time of publication, Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS had a position in F and FB.

Jim Cramer, host of the CNBC television program "Mad Money," is a Markets Commentator for TheStreet.com, Inc., and CNBC, and a director and co-founder of TheStreet.com. All opinions expressed by Mr. Cramer on "Mad Money" are his own and do not reflect the opinions of TheStreet.com or its affiliates, or CNBC, NBC Universal or their parent company or affiliates. Mr. Cramer's opinions are based upon information he considers to be reliable, but neither TheStreet.com, nor CNBC, nor either of their affiliates and/or subsidiaries warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. Mr. Cramer's statements are based on his opinions at the time statements are made, and are subject to change without notice. No part of Mr. Cramer's compensation from CNBC or TheStreet.com is related to the specific opinions expressed by him on "Mad Money."

None of the information contained in "Mad Money" constitutes a recommendation by Mr. Cramer, TheStreet.com or CNBC that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction, or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. You must make your own independent decisions regarding any security, portfolio of securities, transaction, or investment strategy mentioned on the program. Mr. Cramer's past results are not necessarily indicative of future performance. Neither Mr. Cramer, nor TheStreet.com, nor CNBC guarantees any specific outcome or profit, and you should be aware of the real risk of loss in following any strategy or investments discussed on the program. The strategy or investments discussed may fluctuate in price or value and you may get back less than you invested. Before acting on any information contained in the program, you should consider whether it is suitable for your particular circumstances and strongly consider seeking advice from your own financial or investment adviser.

Some of the stocks mentioned by Mr. Cramer on "Mad Money" are held in Mr. Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio. When that is the case, appropriate disclosure is made on the program and in the "Mad Money" recap available on TheStreet.com. The Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio contains all of Mr. Cramer's personal investments in publicly-traded equity securities only, and does not include any mutual fund holdings or other institutionally managed assets, private equity investments, or his holdings in TheStreet.com, Inc. Since March 2005, the Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio has been held by a Trust, the realized profits from which have been pledged to charity. Mr. Cramer retains full investment discretion with respect to all securities contained in the Trust. Mr. Cramer is subject to certain trading restrictions, and must hold all securities in the Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio for at least one month, and is not permitted to buy or sell any security he has spoken about on television or on his radio program for five days following the broadcast.
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