just a trolling “Democratic Strategist”.
(Democratic Strategist)
taking pResident 0'Buttcrack methodology to heart
..lying/parsing words.
Posted on 02/15/2014 8:38:41 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
These days, it’s popular to claim that Senator Ted Cruz is only looking out for himself. And this is undoubtedly true. Much in the same way John McCain is only looking out for himself and Chuck Schumer is only looking out for himself, and every millionaire Senator looking to hold on to his or her seat in perpetuity is looking out for #1. Cruz just happens to be better at it.
Take the kerfuffle over the debt-ceiling vote. When Mitch McConnell met with Senate Republicans colleagues this week, he proposed that they allow a vote on the House debt limit bill without GOP objection, a tacit surrender that would allow passage with a simple 51-vote majority. The 55 Senate Democrats, who would rather see the government shut down than concede to compromise, would win and then save the GOP from the inevitable political blowback that accompanies capitulation. (Now, if only the Republicans deployed the same level of creativity in their battles as they do in their surrenders, victory would be theirs!)
Rather than allow this expedient maneuver to place, Cruz demanded the Senate reach a 60-vote threshold, forcing five Republicans to join Democrats in the hike. This, predictably, infuriated the GOP establishment. McCain accused Cruz of instigating “needless drama that helps to explain why Republicans remain a minority.”
Yeah, that’s why.
What’s Cruz’s sin here? That he forced the GOP to be transparent about its position — a position that seems pretty reasonable considering the political realities of the situation. According to Betsy Woodruff’s reporting, most Republicans had no interest in voting for an increase. It’s preposterous to claim, no matter how often the Tea Party does, that moderate GOPers are “no better” than liberals simply because they’re losing on this issue. But if the debt ceiling isn’t a hill worth dying on – and it certainly isn’t – leadership should have explained this explicitly rather than leading on the base. It was only back in January when McConnell told the faithful on national television that some of “the most significant legislation passed in the past 50 years has been in conjunction with the debt limit. I think for the president to ask for a clean debt ceiling when we have a debt this size of our economy is irresponsible.” What McConnell should have added then is: but there’s nothing we can do about it right now. We have to work on winning more seats, and then we can stop this endless cycle of irresponsible spending.
In a recent piece, National Review’s Charles Cooke defends the GOP establishment’s handling of this and other battles: “In my estimation, the only thing of which Mitch McConnell and John Boehner have been guilty in the past few years is to have worked tirelessly within political reality and to have reacted sensitively to the hands that they were dealt.” Overall, I agree. Moreover, the House doesn’t get enough credit for putting a hard stop to the Democrats’ overly ambitious progressive agenda. Obstructing bad legislation is as valuable, if not more valuable, than working to make terrible legislation marginally less terrible. The GOP House successfully brought balance to Washington after a hard left turn by Democrats.
But life’s not fair. McConnell and Boehner don’t lead, they manage. And they’re about to lose the party. For starters, any fresh conservative ideas in the Senate are coming from Mike Lee, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio (who’s on thin ice, I know). They, like Ted Cruz, and like Senator Barack Obama before him, understand the appeal of idealism over pragmatism to those out of power. Obama voted against what is the now-sacred debt ceiling hike because he had nothing to lose and everything to gain. If you’re going to surrender, at the very least don’t make it look easy. And don’t try to cover up the terms.
As much as some of us are fans of “dysfunction,” tactically speaking, playing defense forever is no strategy. Yes, the establishment works tirelessly within the political realities of the day. Cruz, it seems, is more interested in changing the reality of his situation. Forcing a 60-vote threshold on the debt ceiling wasn’t only about the debt ceiling (which Cruz surely understood would be hiked), and it wasn’t only about his presidential ambitions (which he surely has), but creating the type of problems for the GOP that will help bring a bunch of Matt Bevins into the Senate and solidify his position.
If they attain more power, Tea Party conservatives may accept that tactical victories can often have more impact than a hollow but self-gratifying stand. At some point, they may accept that one of most effective weapons in policymaking — one that the Left uses with great success — is incrementalism. Fair or not, though, the problem with today’s Republican Party is that the only incrementalism people see is incremental surrender. Like the completely unnecessary debt ceiling lose. And if the establishment doesn’t turn that perception around in a hurry, they won’t be the establishment for much longer.
taking pResident 0'Buttcrack methodology to heart
..lying/parsing words.
Cruz is all alone taking on the media, RINOs, Democrats and other very powerful evils in this world. He doesn't deserve nor should he be required to endure backstabing by conservatives as well.
JRF, I was Navy and mess duty was the absolute pits. Even still today, I cook my mash potatoes with the skin on. I’ve peeled enough potatoes for 10 lifetimes.
But, on the same token as a fellow Texan, thanks for voting Cruz. I, so hope, Cornyn goes down. Have you seen the friendly Dewhirst adds lately. I guess he figured slinging massive amounts of sludge don’t work.
In my life, I’ve never seen such a negative campaign as Dewhirst did with Cruz.
Absolutely right. Just like Palin, Cruz is like a barometer for me. The two of them weed out the phoneys and pretenders by the reactions they receive.
Sometimes it’s subtle, sometimes it’s not so subtle. I well remember way back, when Chris Christie was first on the scene and still getting conservative applauds, someone questioned him about Palin. He reacted by contorting his face into a silly “gag-me-with-a-spoon” expression. All the evidence I needed.
Anyone ragging on Cruz or Palin is someone I know not to trust one single iota.
There are leaders, and there are followers. Ted is one of the former. You appear to be one of the latter. My bet is your main motivation for being in the military was that big fat pension when you left.
I have a question. Whatever happened to the National Review? There was a time that magazine was on the vanguard of conservative thought. Now, it behaves like Pravda to the political establishment.
GOPe senators have skid marks where Cruz ran over them.
Thank you Cruz for once again exposing theses RINO’s.
IIRC, Sen. Cruz was born in Canada to American parents who were transferred there by his father’s employer.
I have been reading your comments for some time.
Is there any current politician that you believe in?
What “type” of bills would you have him pass?
It’s time for you to retire from the internet...looks like you wouldn’t recognize a patriot if he bit you in the ass. Did you even read the article? You HAVE to be in it for yourself just to survive. Because of people like you...he can’t trust anyone.
Exactly!
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True enough. However since his mother is a born US citizen, he is a US citizen and could constitutionally run for POTUS if he so desires. That fact has been well established.
We'll see. So far so good.
Turn off the TV and get out of the house. Join your local Tea Party and try to learn something new with that old retired army brain of yours. Ted knows teamwork just fine. . he also knows a leader doesn’t just do things based on prediction of results. . .he acts on principle. .i.e. because it’s RIGHT!. . .Heck, you probably said the same thing about George Washington when you were serving under him.
And you know this because?
That kind of derogatory statement with no proof, no evidence is flat out disgusting.
Do you really believe that? If you do, kindly seek help. I'm thinking more likely you are a troll for another candidate, or hopelessly ignorant.
Other than that, you're probably fine.
I was close—imagine that—LOL!
I really really like this man. I’ve spent some time with him, and as far as I can tell, he’s the real deal.
Another thing I like about him is that he is willing to go to places in Texas that don’t have a huge turnout—but he’s very approachable and will look you in the eye when he speaks with you.
He turned our for “Second Amendment Day” over in Austin, and gave the keynote address. That was the first time I have ever heard him speak. The event was held on the Capitol grounds in Austin, which is usually a pretty noisy place.
After he had spoken about 5 minutes, everyone was shushing the crowd so we could hear every word.
Also, I do think he’s a good speaker—sorta cuts to the chase, then sits down and shuts up. He was very approachable for all who wanted to speak with him-—and I do have a nice photo of him and I.
I had on my Second Amendment Sister shirt that says: “Firearms! The Ultimate in Feminine Protection”.
He loved it—LOL!
Thanks to all of you who flamed Old Retired Army Guy so eloquently. What an idiotic post from someone who knows NOTHING about Cruz or conservative principles and has probably been sent over from DU to stalk Cruz threads and post nonsense.
I guess he thinks that a “successful” politician is someone who “enacts legislation”. Well we need politicians who will BLOCK all the communist/socialist/fascitst legislation coming from the criminal enterprise in DC!!!! Not “enact” more spending/taxes/regulation/suffocating oppressive garbage on us!!!!
CRUZ 2016!!!
DONT MESS WITH TEXAS!!!
By the way, my dad was in the army for many years and would be ashamed of your posts and lack of knowledge about what constitutes a great constitutional representative!!!
Just as the lib/MSM continually bashed and ridiculed Reagan, they are doing the same to Cruz. Cruz seems to be our only hope.
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