Why the GOP Won the Debt Debate

As argued yesterday, the debt deal compromise is not perfect, but it is nevertheless a fair deal.  William McGurn, at the Wall Street Journal, outlines why the deal is a large win for the Republicans.

It's that the deal has Democrats, including the president, essentially signing on to the Republican framework for defining the Beltway's budget problem: spending that is too high rather than taxes that are too low.... And come the 2012 elections this deal will help force the debate that all conservatives have wanted all along—about the size, scope, and proper mission of our federal government.... That puts 2012 on terms much friendlier to the argument that Republicans need to make to the American people. It runs like this: If you are want a government in Washington that spends less, that taxes less, and encourages our private sector to grow, you need a Republican in the White House.

The win lies not so much in the details of the compromise - there is certainly a mix of good and bad in this regard - but in the fact that the right has changed the terms of the debate.  America has a long history of relying on a leftist framework to government and budgetary issues; namely, big government spending is good and taxes must be increased to fill any budgetary gap.  Now, serious government retrenchment is on the table.  The right is still a long distance away from actually crafting a government in the proper, limited fashion supported by conservatives, but by beginning to alter the frames of discussion we are one large step closer to achieving that.