Obama, fiscal conservative?

OBAMA, FISCAL CONSERVATIVE: Jay Newton-Small muses on Boehner's future following the debt crisis, and the possibility of a political victory for Barack Obama, who, he argues, could come out looking like a fiscal conservative.

The one clear winner from all this seems to be President Obama. If the bill passes, he can now claim the mantle of fiscal conservatism – a surefire defense to ubiquitous Republican accusations of socialism and big government. If the debt ceiling were breached and the economy tanked, he likely would’ve borne the greatest political price. But by swooping in and making the deal at the last minute, Obama can say he saved the day. Of course, giving Obama a win is the last thing staunch conservatives in the House want to do. With the clock running out to raise the debt ceiling and a flurry of meetings scheduled for Monday, no less than the U.S. economy and the political fortunes of Washington’s top leaders are now in their hands.

I find this to be something of a tough stretch, although he makes a number of valid points. There's little doubt in my mind that the accusations – to which the author makes reference – will continue until Obama leaves office. Not only that, but Obama is often believed to be more socially conservative than his liberal constituents; if he proves to be a pseudo-fiscal conservative as well, what does that mean for his liberalism? Again, I find the above argument a tough-sell, but it's worth a thought regardless.