>>5
>The fiscal conservatives took something routine and turned it into a bargaining chip
It's not like that routine is what got us into this mess in the first place. There's no way that signing a piece of paper that says 'we're good to keep spending' led to a debt larger than the GDP.
And that is the heart of the matter: we simply can't keep spending, there's simply no money left, and there hasn't been any money left for a while now. And no, simply raising taxes isn't going to get us out of this one (not that it ever could), as raising taxes to 100% on anyone who earns over $100,000 still wouldn't cover the deficit.
Like them or hate them, the tea party people are the only ones who have been serious about cutting spending.