McConnell is going to have a disaster of a time trying to get anything done with a fully independent Cruz. The bulk of the base will follow Cruz in a heartbeat. McC knows this too. I am saying there is virtually no way Cruz wins in a leadership battle...hell all these 75 year old incumbents just got reelected solely on the leadership interfering in primaries. Too many people either owe the NRSC or are too weak to go against the grain. If Cruz is not majority leader, which is the likely outcome, the next best thing is to influence the strategy. Trade some conservative wins for cooperation.
Politics is not beanbag and opponents work together for mutual gain. McConnell is no left winger. He’s got a long conservative record...although a crappy one as leader. There is basically a 55 seat majority, and McConnell is going to want to move good policy to Obama’s desk. I can see this type of alliance being a win win.