Ted Cruz's Shoes
Ted Cruz is finding out what it's like being on the receiving end of Tea Party anger. This is unusual, since he's normally dishing Tea Party abuse out, not taking it. The reason for all this anger? Cruz committed what is known as a "Washington gaffe," defined as "accidentally speaking the truth when politics dictate you espouse a lie." That's what Cruz just did, and that's why the Tea Partiers in the House are coming down on him like a ton of bricks.
Cruz is generally known as being the Tea Partiest of the Tea Partiers in the Senate. Other contenders (Marco Rubio, for instance) pale in comparison to the rhetoric which Cruz comes up with on a regular basis. More importantly, Cruz has been the one leading the fight to hold the budget hostage to defunding Obamacare. It's his baby, to put it another way. And to the House Tea Partiers, Cruz just strangled that baby right in front of them, before the fight was even truly joined.
Cruz has been whipping up the effort to defund Obamacare for months. This effort involves selling a gigantic lie to the public: that such a defunding effort might actually work. Every political watcher with more than two brain cells to rub together knows that this is utter nonsense, but Cruz has convinced a whole lot of people (including a whole lot of folks in the House) that it is the truth. Defunding Obamacare by shutting the government down would be successful, in the end, and (by the way) the public will blame Obama and the Democrats for the shutdown. The Tea Partiers ate it up. They truly believed this gigantic lie.
Two days before the epic defund Obamacare vote in the House, however, Cruz admitted publicly that the effort -- even if the House passed it -- would die in the Senate. As I said, sane observers have known this all along, but it was shocking news to the Tea Partiers. Considering how Cruz championed the issue, I suppose the shock was justified on some level.
Cruz rained all over the Tea Party parade before it even got started. The way the script was supposed to go was the Tea Party would force House Republicans to pass the defund Obamacare bill, and then they'd bask in their moment in the sun... before the Senate reminded everyone that it wasn't going to happen. The Tea Party really really wanted that moment of shining glory before reality came crashing down all around them -- and now Ted Cruz has all but denied them their (meaningless and short-lived) triumph.
The Tea Party is not generally known for restraint against those who slight them -- especially not in the Republican ranks. Ted Cruz had planned on being the Tea Party favorite in the 2016 presidential nominating contest. He may have to rethink this plan, now.
In all the intraparty viciousness that has happened since the rise of the Tea Party, this may be the most lasting. The Tea Party feels downright betrayed by Cruz, simply because he admitted the truth -- and reality -- right when he wasn't supposed to. All I know is I'd hate to be in Ted Cruz's shoes today, personally. Because those Tea Party folks aren't generally a forgiving lot for such cardinal sins as inconveniently admitting reality.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Spock - Fascinating Captain. This Republican Party seems to be paralleling the Earth's French Revolution - specifically that period known as "la Terreur," where rival factions purged "enemies of the state" on the slightest pretext.
Yet while my tricorder readings indicate sophisticated telecommunications with exponential upgrades, they appear to lack the basic mechanical knowledge needed to build a working Guillotine.
Kirk - Assemble an away team Mr. Spock. Have we got any of those guys with the red shirts left?
CW,
Cruz has been whipping up the effort to defund Obamacare for months. This effort involves selling a gigantic lie to the public: that such a defunding effort might actually work.
The jury's out on whether it is a "lie" or not.. More and more Obamabots are joining the ranks of the DEFUND OBAMACARE movement..
Defunding Obamacare by shutting the government down would be successful, in the end, and (by the way) the public will blame Obama and the Democrats for the shutdown.
Which is entirely logical, considering that it's Obama and the Democrats who are the ones making the decision to shut down the government.
In essence, Obama and Democrats are choosing Obamacare (which the majority of Americans do not like) over a functional government.
Why should Republicans be blamed when Democrats choose poorly??
Time will tell how this all plays out, but the phrase "Me thinks thou doth protest TOO much" comes to mind. :D
When Obama's wunderbud comes down on the side of repeal Obamacare, ya know things are all mixed up..
TS,
While I love the Trek reference, I have to cry foul..
Kirk - Assemble an away team Mr. Spock.
"Away Teams" were post-Kirk. Picard, Sisko and Janeway's era...
During Kirk's time, they were "Landing Parties"...
Have we got any of those guys with the red shirts left?
I actually have one of those red shirts.
http://a.tgcdn.net/images/products/zoom/expendable.jpg
The shirt, not the guy.. :D
But if it makes ya'all feel better, when it comes to Obamacare ya'all are on the same page as Karl Rove... :D
To date, the only two things that ya'all have said are GOOD about Obamacare is that kids can have their parents pay for their health insurance longer and that insurance companies can't discriminate against pre-existing conditions.
But it seems to me that those things are only GOOD for the insurance companies as they get more money from Americans.
Those things mean very little to Americans if they can't afford the sky rocketing premiums anyways.
So, com'on! Let's debate the merits of Obamacare. Ya'all are always harping about the GOP efforts to defund/repeal Obamacare, but no one has stepped to give any good reasons why we SHOULDN'T defund/repeal Obamacare...
I wonder why??
Mea culpa on the Star Trek dialog anachronism. I'm lucky when I can remember where I put my car keys,so intricacies of half century year old TV dialog are REALLY a stretch.
Any Star Trek error survives online scrutiny about as long as the Security Team members did. Nice shirt.
Mea culpa on the Star Trek dialog anachronism. I'm lucky when I can remember where I put my car keys,so intricacies of half century year old TV dialog are REALLY a stretch.
It's a minor gaffe..
I am the same way with my keys or any thing I happen to have in my hand at any given moment.. But I usually remember the important stuff. Like breathing and finding a restroom when necessary... :D
Any Star Trek error survives online scrutiny about as long as the Security Team members did. Nice shirt.
I can always count on a Trek gift from my kids for B-Days and Christmas. I have had the most fun with a sound/motion activated tribble. It's loads of fun!! :D Slip it under my wife's pillow or put it in the path between the bed and the bathroom at night before bed and then watch the fun... :D
We even took it on our last cruise and scared the pee out of our stateroom attendant.. :D
I remind all Weigantians that there was a time when ya'all thought Gun Control Legislation was a "sure thing"...
Defeating Obamacare is a hard row to hoe, to be sure... But it's not outside the realm of possibility...
“The most basic constitutional duty Congress has is to pass a budget. That’s Congress 101.”
-President Obama
And yet, he let Democrats in the Senate slide for FIVE YEARS on NOT passing a budget..
The hypocrisy of this guy is utterly incredible...
It gets even better..
"Threatening not to raise the limit is the height of irresponsibility."
-President Barack Obama, Sep 2013
"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure."
-Senator Barack Obama, March 2006
Hypocrisy, thy name is Obama.....
Let the spin begin....
Michale [2] -
How about we check the polls in 6 months or a year on how Obamacare is working? Think you'll see a change? I do, but it's not the same change you expect, I'd wager.
You are right on the Landing Party thing, though, jsut had to say that. Red shirt and all. But don't hold it against TheStig, as he might not be as aware of how big a Trekkie you (and I, truth be told) truly are. I think the precepts of the Prime Directive are the important ones, here...
Heh.
[3] -
Not just Karl, but a whole passel of Republicans. It's full-on R-on-R violence. While I largely agree with you that Republicans are better at staying on message and discipline among the ranks, I'm interested in what you think of the GOP civil war going on now? Maybe I should save such questions for Friday's article, though...
[7] -
OK, now you're just delusional. The Dems caved on gun control. So what's your point?
[8] -
Yeah, except for this year, when the Senate passed a budget, but the House was too chicken to name a conference committee to work out the "standard order" the way Republicans were begging for, earlier this year -- because the Tea Party was terrified that the conference committee would come up with something reasonable that the full House would approve of. You can't bitch about "no regular order" when the TP is standing in the way of that regular order, sorry...
-CW
How about we check the polls in 6 months or a year on how Obamacare is working? Think you'll see a change? I do, but it's not the same change you expect, I'd wager.
I'll take that bet.. :D
Let's make the stakes really juicy.. :D
You are right on the Landing Party thing, though, jsut had to say that. Red shirt and all. But don't hold it against TheStig, as he might not be as aware of how big a Trekkie you (and I, truth be told) truly are. I think the precepts of the Prime Directive are the important ones, here...
Touche.... :D
Not just Karl, but a whole passel of Republicans. It's full-on R-on-R violence. While I largely agree with you that Republicans are better at staying on message and discipline among the ranks, I'm interested in what you think of the GOP civil war going on now? Maybe I should save such questions for Friday's article, though...
I'll promptly address that there..
OK, now you're just delusional. The Dems caved on gun control. So what's your point?
My point is that Obama and the Democrats were like the cat with the canary. They thought they had Gun Control locked, just like they think now they have Obamacare locked..
With Gun Control, they were wrong.. Time will tell if they are wrong on Obamacare...
Point of order.. Is it 'Obamacare'?? Or 'ObamaCare'?? I move for a ruling... :D
You can't bitch about "no regular order" when the TP is standing in the way of that regular order, sorry...
I would say that the TP is simply doing what the Minority Party *always* does. Obstructing the will or the tyranny, take your pick) of the Majority..
It's how our system of government works. Or, DOESN'T work, in this particular case...
Michale
Michale -
Here, at least, it is "Obamacare." I wrote about this a LONG time ago (when the moniker first appeared), and decided to be consistent with Medicare (note small-"c"). Some (Karl Rove, apparently is one of them) still use ObamaCare, but I think this has largely been resolved in editorial boards across America in favor of "Obamacare" (small-c).
-CW