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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy exactly is Cruz getting all the heat?
Make no mistake the guy is a tool and a lunatic. But at this point isn't he pretty much inconsequential? I mean he's in the Senate which passed a clean bill. At this point isn't this entire thing on Boehner's shoulders? Why am I reading all these stories about Republicans beating up on Cruz and blaming him. Doesn't he not have anything to do with anything any more after he did his little speech stunt?
The house is the only thing standing in the way, and there are enough votes and Boehner is just not allowing an up or down clean vote. What am I missing? Is it just that Cruz is an easier target because he's new and he pulled his stunt a week or two back?
RandiFan1290
(6,256 posts)and blame it all on the mythical "tea party"
cali
(114,904 posts)I suggest reading Lizza's article published in the New Yorker last week.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2013/09/meadows-boehner-defund-obamacare-suicide-caucus-geography.html
Coyotl
(15,262 posts)cali
(114,904 posts)Make no mistake, Cruz is the architect of this shut down and he's meeting regularly with House members. In many ways, he's the face and voice of the shutdown.
el_bryanto
(11,804 posts)It also points to the fact that the Republicans are basically leaderless - that was evident in the campaign of the colorless Romney, a candidate nobody seemed to like all that much (even his supporters weren't enthusiastic). And it's more evident now; 2 out 3 Republicans probably knows this won't work to get rid of the ACA and it's a disaster politically - but there's nobody big enough to stop it.
Bryant
vi5
(13,305 posts)But Boehner could end this right now.
Cruz may have been the architect, and may be pulling the strings on the house hardliners.
But boehner is ultimately the one who could end this, not Cruz.
cali
(114,904 posts)a lot of it. I was just pointing out the significant role that Craphead Cruz is playing.
Berlum
(7,044 posts)So "The Annointed One" (what Cruz's daddy calls him),
is kind of a naturally incendiary creature,
Soul-Scorching Brimstone Style.
Heather MC
(8,084 posts)than blaming old established Washington insider republicans who should know better than to destroy the country for Ego Purposes and fund raising money. Besides Ted Cruz is an Ass hole
cali
(114,904 posts)Cruz is influential and he is one of the architects of this shutdown. It has zip to do with what you're claiming.
Cruz looms large in this government shutdown drama. He's the one who spent the August recess campaigning for Republicans to insist on tying funding for the government to defunding the health care law.
On Monday night, just hours before the shutdown began, Cruz appeared on CNN and suggested the House take up smaller spending bills one at a time to fund bits and pieces of the government.
"We should pick the top, the critical priorities, the areas where, if the Democrats force a shutdown, the areas where there'll be the most pain, and let's address that let's take them off the table," he said. "I think the House tonight ought to pass several continuing resolutions."
The House didn't do it that night, but by Tuesday afternoon, three such bills were on the House floor ones that would fund Veterans Affairs, the Washington, D.C., local government, and the national parks.
<snip>
http://www.npr.org/2013/10/02/228376346/why-sen-cruz-looms-large-in-government-shutdown-drama
Heather MC
(8,084 posts)BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)Ted Cruz didn't create this situation. He is just trying to exploit it for his own Presidential aspirations. If ambition is a sin, they are all guilty. You can't get mad at a Senator for grandstanding when the opportunity presents itself. That's what they do.
The underlying problems are the result of a small minority party trying to cobble together enough of the stupid, the religious, the racists, the crazy, the gun nuts, and the paranoid to win some elections. It is blowing up on them now because in the end, that means you have a lot of stupid, religious, racist, crazy, paranoid people on your side.
KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)E. Klein wrote an interview w/Norquist who now tries to blame this on Cruz.
Norquist's strategy, as he tells it to Klein, is in the article-
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023779724
cali
(114,904 posts)there is no hand up cruz' butt. this guy is freelancing.
randome
(34,845 posts)None of them understand what they are getting out of this. The shutdown is like some subconscious daydream that popped out into the real world.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]
cali
(114,904 posts)randome
(34,845 posts)Most of the GOP hates him. That's not a leader. It's his daydream that has been given a boost into reality but they all share it so it shuffles forward until enough Republicans revolt.
That's how this will end.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]
cali
(114,904 posts)that's what this is all about.
and yes, he's now on top of the 2016 repuke polls.
randome
(34,845 posts)He has poisoned the GOP brand in the meantime. Once the rest of the GOP turn on him, he will be finished.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]
winter is coming
(11,785 posts)The Koch brothers needed a new face to lead the charge on extremist bullshit and be a rising star of the Republicans. Apparently, Cruz didn't pause to reflect on the brief half-life of rising stars in today's GOP. He may toss his hat in the ring in 2016, but he won't get the nomination.
Trekologer
(998 posts)But that shouldn't leave the rank-and-file off the hook for following Cruz. They knew he had no end-game plan but blindly followed him anyway. That says more about them than anything else. If they should be angry at anyone, it should be themselves for that blind following.
randome
(34,845 posts){Cue whiny baby sound.}
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)he's sitting on top of the polls for the 2016 republican candidacy. The old guard knows what a colossal disaster that would be for the party so they're going to destroy him before we have a chance to.
LaydeeBug
(10,291 posts)Nine
(1,741 posts)Whatever's happening with Republicans behind the scenes, no one is holding a gun to Boehner's head. Republicans would love to pin the blame for this on as few of their ranks as possible, and on one guy all the better, but we shouldn't let them get away with that.
jsr
(7,712 posts)I think Ted Cruz is the new standard-bearer for constitutional conservatism, with Rand Paul being a slightly more libertarian version of that. - Matt Kibbe, president of FreedomWorks
BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)Karl Rove is behind a lot of the animus toward Cruz.
KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)easier to demonize Cruz, especially if others want to run for POTUS
blogslut
(38,019 posts)Its the latest example of Cruz leading the Houses right flank.
The private call came together after Boehner unveiled his strategy at a Republican conference meeting earlier this week. Boehners plan to focus on a debt-limit package, rather than a drawn-out CR battle made many conservatives uneasy. As they mulled a response, they reached out to Cruz.
On the call, Cruz told them that Boehner was making a mistake, and urged his friends to fight until the end on the CR. The group agreed, and they complained that Boehners shift to the debt limit was a diversion. Senator Mike Lee of Utah joined Cruz on the call, and both senators said theyd stand with House conservatives as they opposed the leadership.
By the calls end, there was a consensus: until the CR talks are complete, Republicans should whip no on Boehners debt-limit plan, as a way of preventing the leadership from directing the strategy. And thats exactly what happened late Thursday afternoon: GOP whip Kevin McCarthy worked the floor, but couldnt find the votes for Boehners debt-limit plan. After McCarthy reported back about the Cruz-inspired uprising, the leadership shelved it...
Pardon the source but, in this instance, The NROnline has nothing to lose by making up facts.
Don't get me wrong. They're all obstinate, selfish children but Cruz has been acting as lead whinybaby on this.
blm
(113,112 posts).