Where Is Compromise Possible?

Douthat sees a grand deficit bargin as much more politically feasible than comprehensive immigration reform:

 There doesn’t have to be a deal on immigration. The system is dysfunctional, yes, but a dysfunctional immigration system doesn’t threaten the long-term stability and prosperity of the United States the way that the current fiscal imbalance does. It’s fine for conservatives to prefer the current “no deal” scenario on immigration to the kind of bargain that the political class is likely to negotiate. But on the deficit, the picture is very different: We either make a deal, or we endure a debt crisis. And while conservatives have every obligation to hold out for the best possible bargain, they don’t have the luxury of refusing to compromise at all.