Posted on 10/12/2013 2:44:56 AM PDT by Zakeet
Jonathan Bernstein considers what the pointless shutdown fight has done to Ted Cruzs political prospects:
Its one thing to have a reputation as a loudmouth; its quite another to have a reputation as a loser. Thats what the shutdown fight has done to Cruz. Among true believers hell be the one who was a leader in a fight that surely would have won if the squishes hadnt sold them out. But for most party actors, including many sympathetic to Tea Partyism, hes going to be the guy who ran up the wrong hill.
It would have been different if Cruzs gamble had been over a minor issue that drew little attention, but the purpose of the gamble all along seems to have been to turn Cruz into a national figure and link his name to some of the most important issues available. It succeeded in making him better known, but in every other respect it has backfired badly. More important, Cruz didnt just misread the political landscape and support a strategy that had zero chance of success, but he did so in a way that maximized intra-party divisions, burned bridges with most of his colleagues, and distinguished himself as a self-seeking bomb-thrower who ended up helping to blow up his partys own standing. Granted, Cruz didnt do this all by himself, and there are many others that contributed to the mess the GOP finds itself in today, but he very much wanted to be identified as the leader of the effort, and now he will pay for it.
(Excerpt) Read more at theamericanconservative.com ...

As they say in the Air Force, you don't receive flak unless you are over target.

The long knives are out in full force to try to deter any
further challenges to their stranglehold over the Pubs!
I think real conservatives appreciate the effort.
If the GOP caves, the loser is the American people. Thanks to John Boehner I’ve been prepared to see the republicans lose the House long before the shutdown issue.
Of course the RINOs and democrats will blame the republican loss on Ted Cruz. Nothing new.
He didn’t lose anything; he did what he set out to do. He scares these people who want the Repubs to stay the same —
To the author: Its about bold colors, not plain pastel. Clearly showing where conservatives stand. Its about truly being the opposition party, not the party of perpetually crossing the aisle and bending over. Its about standing for principles and actually doing something about it.
The author is an idiot propagandist. When was the last time the GOP ran up any hill, right or wrong? The author is another dimwit who has surrendered to socialism.
It looks like these media-invested so called Conservatives have made their play to remain what they think is ‘relevant’.
What they have succeeded in doing it to out themselves to the rest of the world as nothing more than fake ideologues who want to keep the status quo so their particular little comfortable world won’t be upset.
You’re just another appeaser, Daniel. I think I’ll just throw you on the trash heap with Rove et al.
Seems somehow that any conservative who has any chance at all of accomplishing anything draws the ire, and heavy artillery, of the Liberal press.
They quickly bring out the nukes for intense pre-emptive attacks.
The same thing happened to Sarah Palin.
“But for most party actors, including many sympathetic to Tea Partyism, hes going to be the guy who ran up the wrong hill.”
Oh Bull Poopie! Ted Cruz has the vision & the fortitude to fight for what’s right (so much so that he even inspired a spine- however temporary, in John Boehner).
Frikkin Ryan is the person to blame here, imho. I think McWacko & Linda Graham were surmountable. Once Ryan stuck his fat face into it, it started going to H-E- double L in a hand basket. This time, I *don’t* blame Boehner.
There are less than a handful worth keepin’. The others need to start packin’.
carp.
What debacle?
Hey Daniel, if you want to see a loser, look in the mirror you fool. These surrender monkeys make me want to throw up. What kind of publication is this "American Conservative" to put up this loser's article.
“I think real conservatives appreciate the effort.”
Heard Cruz on C span at ‘Values’ in DC. He IS the real deal and living in the heads of rats rent free..
We have too much debt
We have too much government
One poll from the Ministry of Propaganda and a loser like Bernswine heads for the hills. Another Juan-a-be philater.
Who is Daniel Larison and why should I care what he thinks?
Cruz is the only reason I’m still a Republican. . ..which will not be for much longer if this kind of assault continues.
Same exact thing they said about Sarah Palin...
Who is this Larison guy? He’s writing like those Cruz-bashing RINOs at the newly liberal Fox News. I thought the American Conservative was actually conservative.
Larison thinks that its business as usual in Washington. He has made a bad mistake. We have a radical fascist regime in control of America, lead by Obama. Obama has achieved this through electoral and media abuse, using lies and obfuscation on the American people to hoodwink them.
Cruz is far from leading a debacle. What he is doing is saving our nation.
Cruz is a hero in the judgement of every patriot.For those who do not think so, they are misinformed, underinformed, and know little of how Obama is in the context of actual history of the nation, or how his policies are designed to destroy the constitution.
In short, Obama is a fascist thug. Cruz is showing the nation that fact and deserves our thanks and adulation.
Writers like Larison will soon wake up to the truth, or they will become propaganda slaves.
Who is Daniel Larison and why should I care?
>> American Conservative, Daniel Larison
Daniel is an idiot or a liar. Not much else to say.
Those who are intellectually honest will not judge Ted Cruz on whether or not he wins but rather by his courage to stand alone advocating constitutional principles in spite of overwhelming odds against him.
He is one of only a few in government maintaining the integrity of his principles. So Mr Larison, put your strategic intellectual pollution in an orifice somewhere and get out of the way.
Daniel, you ignorant slut.
That is an extremely odd site.

You will hear HAIL TO THE CHIEF when he walks into Congress you pos. alinsky much daniel... you putrid piece of human excrement?
Jonathan Bernstein worked with Team Romney to attack
the Speaker in 2011.
>>If the GOP caves, the loser is the American people. Thanks to John Boehner Ive been prepared to see the republicans lose the House long before the shutdown issue.
Of course the RINOs and democrats will blame the republican loss on Ted Cruz. Nothing new.<<
You must mean WHEN the GOP caves. The House was lost when they caved the first time. It’s just taking longer than one cycle. And of course, the TEA Party will be blamed.
And for those who believe Conservatives should fight to take over the GOP from within, why bother? and Ha ha. The GOP was initially formed from the bones of the rotting Whig Party.
This is supposed to be a Conservative author??
Conservative like Mclame
“About Daniel Larison
Daniel Larison is a senior editor at TAC, where he also keeps a solo blog. He has been published in the New York Times Book Review, Dallas Morning News, Orthodox Life, Front Porch Republic, The American Scene, and Culture11, and is a columnist for The Week. He holds a PhD in history from the University of Chicago, and resides in Dallas. Follow him on Twitter.”
looks like an establishment RINO to me
The Establishment machine has been turned on, with the objective of destroying Ted Cruz and those who support him.
Conservatives, when you see an article like this, recognize it as the product of the evil Washington GOP Establishment.
Whatever FAG...
Time for letters to the editor. And the author, who will be tagged in my personal file as an appeaser.
I am quite astonished by people who say they are conservative and republican who are critical of Sen Cruz for not playing political games.
I mean they are praying for an end to all of what we’ve had for twenty years.
They don’t see that there are many ways to end it none of which are going to be easy or fast all of which are going to be deemed successful by tha amount of flak they draw
And they attack this man
They think its not going to take time
They don’t like fighting. Well the dems do. So they had better get used to it. They could at least get out of the way
Searching article... for.... substance....
Nothing. Just criticisms of strategy. Like every RINO against the Tea Party, they refuse to talk about policy ideas. They even refuse to offer a viable alternative to implementing reform.
American Conservative usually has excellent material. Lately they’re focusing on crushing the Tea Party tactics.
Go 3rd party
I had to turn my radio off after listening to David “my vagina is bleeding” Brooks call Cruz “stupid” “stupid”. Senator Cruz is the only man in D.C. Can’t wait for 2016.
BwahhhAH hA hah ha ha aha!!!
Larison is from the David Brooks wing of the “Conservative” party. Trot out Obama apologists & pointy-headed PhD’s anytime the statists need to illustrate bi-partisanship.
I wonder how many have cancelled their subscriptions to the “American Conservative?
Flak=Target
“He didnt lose anything; he did what he set out to do. He scares these people who want the Repubs to stay the same ”
Exactly. I’d venture to say he has more support now among conservative Americans than he did prior to the shutdown...because he isn’t afraid to face the lion in the lion’s den. Americans recognize bravery.
Cruz is actually very intelligent and accomplished. I’m sure he scares RINOs to death. I like that about him.
Why would Boner and the House Pubbies wimping out be Cruz’s fault???
They would and will be the losers — not him.
These fools will fold, conservatives will sit out the 2014 election and the RINO’s and Party Boys will get their asses handed to them and they will blame the conservatives and the shutdown for the loss rather than admit they pissed on the conservative base-—again and lost.
Liberals even those with (R’s) in front of their names NEVER take responsibility for their actions.
This establishment article has the aroma of dead elephant!
A bunch of liberals writing about conservatives. How absoltely droll!
But for most party actors, including many sympathetic to Tea Partyism, hes going to be the guy who ran up the wrong hill.
They are all ver klempt over Cruz, Conservative activism, and the Tea Party Movement.
This morning on a biz show on the TV the opposition view woman blamed all the ills on the "Tea Party Mob."
Actually she was spreading the credit for socking it to the dems and big gov advocates.
All their pizzing and moaning is backfiring on them
Go Cruz Conservatism and The TPM!
I don’t think the surrender monkeys who still like to believe they are conservatives understand that Cruz is in a fight for the long haul not just one skirmish.
Some of them are purposely trying to prevent conservatives from becoming active and effective. They are also trying to muddy the conservative message so others won't join in the conservative activism. They try to smear effective conservatives while standing among conservatives.
Then there are those who don't really know why they are conservatives. These people haven't taken a moment to examine what they stand for.
Republican conservatives under the banner of the tea party movement is not mainstream but “moderate Me Too republicans” (now refered to as democrat lite) is. This is the new mantra led off by the AP and supported by a NBC phoney poll the media is using given to them by the Demo-Com central commandantura.
CNNs Van Jones was on 10/10/13 am 890s WLS morning show. Jones opened his fly and started flashing the same pitch. And was told to zip it. .It’s just sad the GOPES continue with their stupid Pustch to purge conservatives.
The question is will some historian in a future year reviewing the demise of the Republican party make the claim the Republican leadership of this era were working with the socialist/communists to purge the party of the conservatives ?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.