Though the media reminded us repeatedly over the last two weeks that the budget battle was not just some political game, now that a deal has been struck, it’s going to relish the chance to pronounce winners—and more emphatically losers.

From the New York Times:

WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans conceded defeat on Wednesday in their bitter budget fight with President Obama over the new health care law as the House and Senate approved last-minute legislation ending a disruptive 16-day government shutdown and extending federal borrowing power to avert a financial default with potentially worldwide economic repercussions.

After highlighting some key points from Obama’s remarks following the deal, the piece underscores the “near total defeat” of conservative Republicans:

The result of the impasse that threatened the nation’s credit rating was a near total defeat for Republican conservatives, who had engineered the budget impasse as a way to strip the new health care law of funding even as registration for benefits opened Oct. 1 or, failing that, to win delays in putting the program into place.

The winner will of course be Obama, and his “no negotiations” position will be replayed in slowmo as a principled refusal to compromise:

The shutdown sent Republican poll ratings plunging, cost the government billions of dollars and damaged the nation’s international credibility. Mr. Obama refused to compromise, leaving Republican leaders to beg him to talk, and to fulminate when he refused.

Prepare yourself for one mainstream media source after another spiking the football. But, remember, that wasn’t just a political game.