The Tea Party has successfully shifted the debt argument onto its terms.
That means no matter what happens next, conservatives have already won the debt ceiling debate.
As much as tea partiers might like to see the Republican leadership turn back any debt ceiling increase, it may be time for fiscal conservatives to rake in their chips and tell the dealer to deal another hand.
Republicans have won the battle in this sense: they’re forcing the country -- and the Democrats, in particular -- to have a long-overdue discussion on spending and debt.
If the mainstream media had its way, the President would have received a no-questions-asked increase in the ceiling, and the Democrats would be hammering away at their pet issues instead of discussing the nation's horrible finances.
But right now, all the political talk is about debt, spending, taxes, budgets, and America's fiscal health. And that kind of talk is kryptonite for a Democratic party that in 2008, rejected Clinton-style fiscal responsibility when it chose Obama as its standard bearer over Hillary.
And, to Obama's chagrin, this discussion won’t end to accommodate November 2012, no matter what his re-election team thinks.
The debt and deficit dominance is here to stay, which will only help the Republicans until the Democrats turn away from overspending and turn back to balance budgets
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