Posted on 08/01/2013 9:21:14 AM PDT by Mozilla
After several days of intense intraparty fighting over whether to threaten government shutdown over Obamacare funding, Ted Cruz backed away from some inflammatory rhetoric on Laura Ingraham’s radio show Wednesday afternoon, saying he had never used the term “surrender caucus” and had not “said an ill word about” his fellow legislators.
Ingraham questioned Cruz’s pugnacious strategy of calling out his members, worrying it would lead to a GOP “civil war.”
“If it ends up looking like these cowboys are coming in threatening to shut [the government] down, and they’re calling out people like Tom Coburn, committed legislators,” Ingraham said, “then you’re starting this kind of needless intraparty fight.”
“I have not said an ill word about any of my caucus,” Cruz objected.
“What about the surrender caucus? That’s pretty nasty.”
“I did not say that about anybody,” Cruz said. (Byron York at the Washington Examiner found an instance of Cruz using the term on Sean Hannity’s show last week.)
“Well, that’s your chief of staff,” Ingraham said. “He was speaking as your proxy, was he not?”
“He actually was not,” Cruz said. “He did that on his own, and I didn’t know about it. I don’t agree with it. I have not said an ill-word about any of my colleagues. They have used some pretty nasty language about me. But my approach is not to reciprocate, and I don’t intend to. I think Tom Coburn is a good man, and he’s entitled to his own view on what a good strategy is.”
This is the second instance today of a conservative senator backing away from the brink, after Rand Paul offered Chris Christie a truce this morning.
Listen to the clip below, via Laura Ingraham at the link.
“Surrender Caucus” IS pretty nasty. So, guys, don’t surrender, and we won’t call you names any more!
Sorry to see Laura turn into a weenie, and sorry to see Cruz back down.
Stand tough, Ted. Don’t let the LSM drones push you to the left.
Laura jumped the shark quite a while ago. Now she’s a Coburn ally? How about Corker?
““What about the surrender caucus? That’s pretty nasty.”
No, it ain’t. The RINO’s already got used to the terms “RINO” and ‘GOP-e’ so another description wouldn’t hurt as they would still be traitors to the core.
This behavior from Laura confuses me. I thought she was supportive of turning the republican party on it’s head.
Ingraham is GOP-E all the way-—remember when she and Ann Coulter were yucking it together up while attacking Sarah Palin?
The rino’s are surrendering, they are dropping their pant’s, bending over, handing a jar of vasoline to the democraps and screaming in ecstasy about how they like it....
“Surrender Caucus”, I don’t see a problem with that, sounds pretty accurate to me. Sorry to see Ted Cruz back down on that.
Cruz can hem and haw and backtrack if he likes, but none of the members of the Surrender Caucus will ever like him.
Here’s a question for Ted Cruz and those who support his “Defund Obamacre immediately” group.
The showdown could result in the first government closure since 1996. Obama is SURE to veto any attempt at defunding it.
Who do you think most people will blame for this when it happens?
So, how is this strategy going to work?
Laura wants to be a player in the upcoming election cycle. So she decided to carry water for the Ole Establishment Rino Herd.
It was pretty humiliating when Newt finally gave Clinton the fully funded CR that Clinton demanded in early 1996 after 3 shutdon weeks, after all those assurances by Rush that Clinton would surrender . (naturally Rush cant remember back that far.)
Any reason to believe that Obama wont be as successful as Clinton was in getting the GOP the blame and then another humiliating cave by GOP with EVERYONE hating them?
Republicans are Ball-Less.
Ted Cruz is trying his HARDEST to stop Obamacare and all the right does is beat him up. I"M SICK OF IT!!
Laura is sparring. He not only can take it but he needs it. She’s just giving him practice for what the other sides going to do with him. They’re going to attack him with everything they have
But he’s honest and tough so they’re going to be at a loss for tactics
Laura’s right. So’s he.
Fasten seatbelts.
You write in the Continuing Resolution that everything EXCEPT Obamacare is funded! PERIOD.
What’s she doing?
The GOP has outlived its usefulness, and is dying a slow death. Everything and everyone is tainted by association with it. Establishment Republicans are the minority among Conservatives in America.
The flawed, disruptive and openly inimical views of the establishment GOP do not and cannot hope to draw the necessary support even to FIELD one more viable Presidential candidate…much less get us another Conservative President anytime soon.
By now, GOP support for a candidate is tantamount to the kiss of death and a guaranteed harbinger of defeat across the board, for Conservativism generally.
Who but the most deluded would see them as viable and relevant? THAT train left the station long ago.
It’s time to be realistic.
Conservatives in America have to succeed in SPITE of the GOP and if the GOP insists on considering itself the apex of Conservative thinking, then let THEM and the people who support them live in their La La Land dream world…the rest of us have work to do.
If you need the MSM to validate the GOP and its nominees, stop calling yourself a Conservative. No serious Conservative candidate needs to give the GOP a second thought!
AS I understand it the cote to defund would ONLY apply to obamacare
Rand Paul explained it would NOT shut down the government
so apparently it would be an amendment to the CR vote applying ONLY to obamacare
No jerkface... this is a good man practicing morals and ethics and no one in the media is qualified or has “STANDING” to speak of morality or ethics in any capacity.
LLS
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