( CNN ) -- With no time left on the clock , members of Congress finally reached a deal that would reopen the federal government and raise the debt ceiling . As the world watched Congress stumble and tumble toward the brink of default , Senate Democrats and Republicans finally agreed on a deal that gained enough support in the House to bring this episode to a close . Some Democrats and pundits have concluded that Democrats are walking away the victors . They correctly argue that the Republican Party has become so damaged in the polls as a result of their hardball tactics that they are extremely vulnerable in the 2014 midterms and could very well suffer in the presidential election of 2016 as a result of these debates . President Barack Obama also walks away from this deal with the Affordable Care Act generally intact , as conservative proposals to repeal the program recede further and further away from political reality . In 2011 , when threatened with the debt ceiling , Obama conceded to Republican demands by agreeing to the 2011 Budget Control Act . This time he refused to negotiate . But can Democrats really claim victory ? Not really . As the dust settles , Republicans might find themselves pretty content with the outcome of this battle . In terms of public policy , they have kept the President on the defensive and kept their main issue front and center . Throughout much of the past month and a half , when the President hoped to return from the congressional recess to push the immigration bill through the House , all attention has centered on sequestration , repealing the Affordable Care Act , cutting spending and avoiding fiscal catastrophe . All of the other energy has been sucked out of Washington . Even with the current deal , the sequestration remains in effect , severely harming government agencies that have undergone cuts as well as those in desperate need of funding increases . Congress and the administration will now embark on more extensive discussions about budget reform that will consume the attention of both parties until the middle of January . For now , sequestration remains in place , leaving many agencies with insufficient funds . The battle has also been beneficial to Republicans in that they have continued the process of normalizing the use of radical tactics in pushing for cuts to the federal government . Just as many Americans seemed to accept sequestration , conservative Republicans have not yet felt any serious political threat as a result of their having forced a government shutdown . Nor is it clear that there will be any negative consequences to them for having gone to the brink of a federal default in their fight for concessions on the budget deal . If they are left standing , there is little reason to think that they wo n't use these tactics once again . The last month offers them a template . Furthermore , the current deal simply postpones any decision and actually sets up another round of fights when Congress returns from its winter break in December . The new year will look very much like the one that came before . Given the pattern we have seen , conservative Republicans will be just as likely , even more likely , to employ the same kind of aggressive tactics and try to force the administration into accepting deep cuts in domestic spending if Obama wants to keep the economy in stable condition . 9 things we missed during the shutdown . Conservatives will be even more emboldened as they seek to please their constituents going into the 2014 midterm elections . The deal that emerged from the Senate is simply a continuation of the kind of political chaos that we have witnessed since the 2010 midterms . Obama will have to start fighting on this issue as soon as the ink is dry . Obama has spent much of his second term on defense , responding to pressure from House Republicans to cut spending and trying to combat their use of radical procedural weapons . This crisis was clearly the most dangerous moment for the country . And it is true that Obama and congressional Democrats walk away having achieved important objectives . After all , the government is up and running again , at least for the time being , and Congress has raised the debt ceiling , thereby averting a global meltdown . But Republicans have defined the national agenda and forced a deal that does n't resolve debate . Just the opposite : It ensures that the fights will continue and the threat of default continues into the foreseeable future . Until Democrats find a way to reach some kind of long-term budget accord by building sufficient pressure -- and electoral support -- to push back against the Republican Right , they 'll find themselves on the losing side of this issue over and over again . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Julian Zelizer .
A deal will reopen government and avert a default on U.S. debt . Julian Zelizer : Some have argued the deal is a total Democrats win . He says the reality is GOP can continue to make budget cutting dominant issue in U.S. . Julian Zelizer : GOP can use same tactics in 2010 to force Obama to focus on their concerns .