Posted on 02/13/2014 10:54:35 AM PST by SoConPubbie
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s vote yesterday to clear the way for Congress to lift the federal debt ceiling made the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s task of helping him win re-election a lot harder.
And, according to McConnell’s allies, one of their own is to blame: Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.
“Ted Cruz did not join the Senate to be part of the Republican team,” said Republican strategist Ron Bonjean, who was an aide to former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott. “And he certainly isn’t finding any new pals for this one.”
An intra-party tug of war playing out in six Republican Senate primary campaigns surfaced on the chamber’s floor when Cruz insisted on a 60-vote threshold to advance a bill lifting the nation’s borrowing cap. That meant at least five Republicans were needed to help the 55-member Democratic caucus move the bill forward.
Republicans struggled to round up the votes until McConnell and his top lieutenant, Senator John Cornyn of Texas, stepped forward to vote “yes.” Both men face primary election challenges this year from the small-government Tea Party movement that propelled Cruz to the Senate in the 2012 election.
Ten other Republicans joined McConnell and Cornyn in the 67-31 vote advancing the bill. Shortly afterward all 12 opposed final passage, which occurred on a 55-43 party-line vote that sent the measure to President Barack Obama for his signature.
Several of Cruz’s Republican colleagues said they resented seeing their colleagues put in a tough position.
“McConnell and Cornyn voted in a responsible way under the circumstances,” Senator Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican, said in an interview. He said he hoped others would realize that McConnell, in “the toughest Republican race in the country, had the courage to vote the way the vast majority ”
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
“Ted Cruz did not join the Senate to be part of the Republican team,”
It’s about time someone joined the Senate to be on the team of Conservatism and common sense. How many members does that team have now? Lee, Cruz and?
Chamber of Commerce = AARP
>> Free Enterprise
Smells like corporate cronyism, lobbying, “undocumented” labor.... but to Hell with the small business, proprietors, entrepreneurs.
McConnell is a DC player. Primary the RINO!
Hope this bastard gets his! Good on Cruz for forcing the turkey-necked jerk to vote on that garbage!
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