Posted on 09/20/2013 3:37:47 AM PDT by nikos1121
Even among Republicans, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas is one of Washington’s most divisive figures. Activists love him, but leadership staffers and many of his colleagues can’t stand him — especially his latest effort to connect a government-spending bill with the defunding of Obamacare. After a Senate luncheon on Tuesday, several Republicans told me they’re tired of Cruz’s campaign, and one senator, after rolling his eyes, called it a “Passion play.”
The internecine tensions spilled over to the House on Wednesday, when a group of Republicans knocked Cruz on Twitter for appearing to back down from the defunding fight. Speaker John Boehner had just decided to bring a Cruz-inspired bill to the floor, and instead of rallying the Senate, Cruz issued a statement that left the burden of defunding Obamacare squarely on the lower chamber. “Harry Reid will no doubt try to strip the defund language from the continuing resolution, and right now he likely has the votes to do so,” Cruz said. “At that point, House Republicans must stand firm, hold their ground, and continue to listen to the American people.”
Of course, Cruz’s acknowledgement of the near-impossibility of passing a defunding bill through the Democratic-controlled Senate is an accurate reading of political reality. But House Republicans didn’t care; they were apoplectic with Cruz not only for laying the responsibility for defunding on them, but for making them seem weak. “If Cruz doesn’t help us in the Senate to pass a defunding bill, we’ll end up having to pass a normal CR,” complains a veteran House Republican. “It’ll be pathetic, but I expect him to slam us for it.”
House insiders say a handful of House Republicans cursed Cruz in the cloakroom on Wednesday, and a leadership source says angry e-mails were exchanged among GOP staffers who consider Cruz to be a charlatan. “Cruz keeps raising conservatives’ hopes, and then, when we give him what he wants, he doesn’t have a plan to follow through,” an aide fumes. “He’s an amateur.” Another aide says, “Nancy Pelosi is more well-liked around here.”
Cruz, however, tells me House Republicans are wrong to be infuriated. In an interview, he says his goal was never to whip together votes in the Senate for a defunding bill; it was always to inspire a grassroots uprising that would rattle Congress and President Obama, and hopefully defund Obamacare.
“I’m convinced there is a new paradigm in politics — the rise of the grassroots,” Cruz says. He cites Senator Rand Paul’s filibuster on drone policy, and the debates on Syria and gun control, as recent examples of how an “overwhelming” number of phone calls and e-mails from constituents can force the president to buckle.
“And on Obamacare, I’ve said, from the start, that if typical Washington rules apply, we can’t win this fight,” he explains. “If the forums in which we make this case consist of the smoke-filled rooms of Washington, the votes aren’t there. The only way this fight will be won is if the American people rise up and hold our elected officials accountable.”
Cruz says he “salutes” Boehner and House Republicans for moving forward with a vote on defunding, but he stands by his belief that one vote this week isn’t enough. “When I say the House needs to stand strong, it’s because the fight will be won or lost in the House of Representatives,” he says. “I can’t win this fight, and Mike Lee can’t win this fight,” but he believes the House GOP can.
Cruz’s advisers agree, and Chip Roy, his chief of staff, has pushed back hard against Cruz’s House critics. “Senator Cruz is doing what he said he would do when he came to Washington,” Roy tells me. “He promised to do everything he can to stop Obamacare before it begins hurting real people and further harms our economy.”
“His staff is working with whomever we can to achieve that goal, including House and Senate staff,” Roy adds. “For every story about a staffer grumbling behind the scenes, there are dozens of staffers who tell us how excited they are Senator Cruz is standing up to business as usual.”
For the moment, though, the divide between Cruz and his fellow Republicans is growing. House Republicans will pass their defund-CR bill on Friday, and it will head to a quick death in the Senate. Cruz may shrug off his detractors, but as the deadline for government funding nears, he has become a top target — not just for Democrats, but also for Republicans who want to pin the mess on him.
— Robert Costa is National Review’s Washington editor.
Slow down there Hoss, it isn't DEM vs GOP it is Libs vs. Conservatives. The problem is there are a lot of Libs with a GOP label who are just as big a problem as Libs with a Democrat label.
Until you figure that out YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM
Just noticed that they took this post off the side bar.
On the other hand, the Republican establishment is fighting like the French - wavering, timid, falling back, divided, always looking for another hill to surrender and any excuse to retreat so they can survive to fight another day. They're not sure what their cause is except for their diminishing army to make it to their next payday - all the while chastising their few brave men who want to fight.
If America fought WWII like the GOP is fighting the Democrats, we would all be saying our Pledge of Allegiance with a "Sieg Heil!" today...
Ted Cruz Ping!
If you want on/off this ping list, please let me know.
Freeper beware, this is a High-Volume Ping List!
"Any Republican who votes for cloture is voting to fund Obamacare."
ALEXANDRIA, VA — Today, the Senate Conservatives Fund (SCF) called on Senate Republicans to oppose cloture on Harry Reid's attempt to fund Obamacare with a simple majority.
SCF Executive Director, Matt Hoskins, made the following statement:
"Americans won a major victory today when the House passed legislation to fund the government without funding Obamacare, but now the debate shifts to the Senate where Harry Reid and the Democrats will try to fund Obamacare. The Democrats have a plan to fund Obamacare, but Republicans can stop it if they stick together.
"Harry Reid needs 60 votes to approve his plan to fund Obamacare. If 41 Republicans stand strong and oppose cloture, they can defeat Reid's plan to fund Obamacare. However, if Republicans waffle and vote for cloture, it will grease the skids for Reid's plan to fund Obamacare. It's pretty simple — any Republican who votes for cloture is voting to fund Obamacare.
"This is a critical test for Senate Republicans and especially for Mitch McConnell, the Republican Leader. It's time for Mitch McConnell to show some leadership and deliver the 41 votes needed to defeat cloture on Harry Reid's plan to fund Obamacare. Republicans like to say they are against Obamacare, but now is the time to prove it. Now is when it matters."
Senate Conservatives Fund (SCF) is an independent, grassroots organization that advocates for conservative policies in Washington and helps elect true conservative leaders to the United States Senate.
Run, Ted, run!
“The attack of the neo-con liberals from their Troskyite mouthpiece, the National Review.”
Exactly.
Backstabbers, who don’t want to be named and then face Ted, Sarah, the Tea Party and the rest of us who want to see Obozo Care buried.
Indeed. Thank you so much for sharing your insights, dear brother in Christ!
The majority of Americans WANT the government shutdown. There’s a generalized fear of Big Brother and it’s creeping into the minds of even the LIV’s. The NSA’s eavesdropping on Social Media has turned LIV’s heads.
“Activists love him, but leadership staffers and many of his colleagues can’t stand him,,,,”
Leadership staffers? = Little Eichmans.
“If Cruz doesn’t help us in the Senate to pass a defunding bill, we’ll end up having to pass a normal CR,”
That’s was the plan all along. Pass one vote for show, then the CR funding Obamacare the way they planned all along.
If Cruz is an amateur, I hope we can vote in more of them. As far as making Republicans look weak, they can’t blame Cruz — they expose their weakness daily and have only their RINO ways to blame.
I expect that Senator Cruz LOVES THIS analogy and couldn't have come up with a better one himself! These Senators of the OLD party are so detached from "We The People" that they don't see how much a badge of honor they have just placed upon Senator Cruz. (and I would love to know which Senator said it!)
Viva Ted Cruz!
AMEN!!!! There should be a barage of ads and news conferences saying exactly that.
go Ted Cruz. if you have a GOPe rep, you have a golden opportunity. now is the time. tell them to stand firm. no further funding for obamacare. period.
the rest of us can call boehner, again.
Which annoys the CRAP out of me.
WHY oh WHY can’t the Republidiots not make the case to the grifters that “when Obama causes our economy to fall by spending us into oblivion, your checks will STOP”????!!!!
Every Senator, members of their staff and sundry “government workers” will still get their Cadillac insurance plans whether this fight is won or lost. How DARE they accuse or vent at someone, a Senator, who is willing to be with the people who are left UNREPRESENTED so that the oligarchs can throw games and circuses for the masses.
These Senators will still have the best health care anywhere and made sure to carve out a slice of the pie solely for themselves and too bad for those who elected them!
I agree with you. I also think that in the end he will win them over.
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