Posted on 02/17/2014 4:43:21 AM PST by Kaslin
Once again, bitter feelings are being cast in the direction of Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz.
With the House passing the “clean” debt ceiling bill and sending it to the Democrat controlled Senate, it was clear that this was the bill that was going to get passed and sent to the president.
But Cruz didn’t want to let Senate Republicans, including Minority leader Mitch McConnell, off the hook and give President Obama a blank check to once again increase the debt ceiling as we are drowning in red ink. He didn’t want Republicans to simply vote against the bill, hiding behind the Democrat majority who were sure to pass it.
Cruz filibustered and forced some of his Republican colleagues – including Minority Leader McConnell - to vote to break the filibuster so the bill could be taken to the floor for a vote.
Headline in The Atlantic read: Ted Cruz Just Made Life Miserable for Republican Leaders Once Again.
The Wall Street Journal called him “The Minority Maker,” claiming that Cruz’s intemperate behavior dooms the Republican Party to disfavor in the eyes of the public.
I disagree.
What, really, is the whole point of the debt ceiling if it is meaningless as a tool to restrain government spending and debt. If the debt ceiling can be routinely raised simply by the president asking that it be done, why have it at all?
The existence of a debt ceiling has meant nothing as President Obama has added over $6 trillion in national debt since he took office. National debt is now 74 percent of GDP, double what it was when Obama took office.
President George W. Bush added about $6 trillion to the national debt during his eight years in office.
This is all like promising yourself that you’re going to stop smoking until you light up the next time.
The debt ceiling, as a tool for fiscal and debt restraint, is clearly pointless.
So the only reason for it, as far as I can see, is to provide an opportunity to bring public attention to our dismal state of fiscal affairs every time the debt ceiling is up for another increase.
In this sense, Ted Cruz is one of the few who is actually doing his job.
Every time the debt ceiling comes up, Cruz forces the nation to pay attention. This stuff matters, and we should be grateful to him for refusing to quietly roll over as the nation sinks.
Throwing a brick through the window to wake up the nation to the mess that has been created is an act of patriotism.
I am mystified by those who think it’s all a game of psychology.
Cruz’s antics make Republicans look bad, they say.
Meanwhile, President Obama and his party are having a field day with the Republican easy cave-in, passing a condition-free debt ceiling increase.
President Obama said the passage of this condition-free, “clean,” debt ceiling increase takes the “politics of brinksmanship…” off the national debt. New York Senator Chuck Schumer said it meant that Republicans were putting “Tea Party politics in the rear view mirror.”
So while many in his own party are calling Cruz a spoiler, giving his party a bad name, Democrats are advertising what Republicans have done as surrender and a Democratic victory.
This is about arithmetic, not psychology. The Democrats are the party that wants to pretend that it doesn’t matter if the numbers don’t add up. Republicans, the supposed opposition party, aren’t doing their job if they don’t refuse to accept this.
A number of years ago I interviewed Congressman Paul Ryan and reminded him of a quote of his, “If you want to be good at this kind of job, you have to be willing to lose it.”
“You can’t come up here worrying about your political career, you’ve got to come up here worrying about your country and where it’s going…,” said Ryan.
He’s right. We need elected officials today who care about nothing but telling the truth and leading. Ted Cruz is clearly one of these leaders.
I wonder if Ryan still feels the same way after his assimilation into the GOP-E collective?
You know Cruz is doing the right thing when he’s doing the will of the people and limp-wristed RINOs are getting upset.
Man I really like this woman. A real head on her shoulders. Rare in these times (for men & women).
> I wonder if Ryan still feels the same way after his assimilation into the GOP-E collective?
He seems to have been absorbed into the collective-minded Borg and not the same man who campaigned with Romney.
This article by Parker is a gem. She has solidly been the real thing for so long that she bears listening to.
Yes she has, and yes she does,
GDP went UP at the end of last year because of the government shut-down, but the ball-less GOP cower before the Leftist media that have lied about the GOP suffering damage from the fake 16 day paid-vacation of federal employees. In spite of the media’s best propaganda efforts, the dip in GOP polls lasted less than a month, thanks to the flop of ObamaCare.
Shame on those spineless, deceitful Republicans who try to fool the voters back home saying they voted against the Drown Your Children’s Children in Debt Bill, when they actually saved the bill for Obama and Reid by providing the last two votes to bring it to the floor so Dems could pass it. McConnell and Cornyn must be fired for trying this disgusting stunt once again.
What we have here is the typical obsolete RINO failure to recognize Cruz’s Official Congressional Checks and Balances in “Shutdown” Reid’s US Senate.
And don’t forget that Star Parker used to be by her own admission, a Welfare queen
I disagree. All the R's had to do during the 16 day government paid vacation was stand their ground. They passed the CR without funding the Can't Afford Care Act, and all they had to do was push the media to confront Reid and Obmmamammama. EVERY interview should have included the words, "we passed a CR, it's up to the Senate to pass it, and the President to sign it. We're moving on to other business while we wait."
Another week or two, and the D party would have caved. The R party quit the fight, because they too wanted to raise the debt ceiling and they too want the CACA to continue.
Yeah right. Keep on dreaming.
At least Cruz has exposed the liberal republicans for who they really are, and it's putting pressure on Cornyn back home, at least.
/johnny
Oh yes I know, which is why I admire her even more. But even more impressive, at least to me, is her true conservative values. I suspect someone like John McCain hates her, because she is a true conservative whereas he is, well, John McCain (I’m trying to be nice!!!)..
I think John McCain has gotten senile and needs to resign
Crus exposed these RINO’s for who they really are.
Say one thing to their voters, do something else in DC.
Primary them out.
So why did you post this article?
Cruz is just calling the EINO’s out so everybody knows who’s who in the zoo.
Now you’re being nice. LOL
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