Mr. Popularity
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-least popular man in Washington) just spreads the love everywhere he goes. He did his job in the House, agitating for a revolt among the crazies. Mission accomplished in the House, which pissed off just about everyone. Now he's
moving on to the Senate.
Infighting within the House GOP conference is threatening to spread to the Senate, where Republicans are now facing their own dilemma over a government shutdown. [...]
If Senate Republicans were to help Reid pass a clean stopgap spending measure, stripped of language to defund ObamaCare, they would be accused of undercutting the House. If they were to block the Senate Democrats’ version of the government funding bill, Democrats would accuse them of voting to shut down the federal government.
That's the old "rock, hard place" dilemma for Republicans, because of course they
would be voting to shut down government if they vote against the Democrats' version, the only one that will be signed by President Obama. Which makes them all a little bit testy and not too terribly fond of the Harvard- and Princeton-educated junior senator from Texas. For example:
I didn’t go to Harvard or Princeton, but I can count -- the defunding box canyon is a tactic that will fail and weaken our position. –BC
— @SenBobCorker
Just how crazy is Cruz making people? The fever dreams of GOP leadership:
Sr. GOP Leadership aide: "Cruz is the leader of a secret cabal of leftists [whose] aim is to destroy the conservative movement from within"
— @ryangrim
And it's only going to get worse.
Cruz, re: possible filibuster. "I am prepared to use any and all procedural methods to stop Obamacare from being funded."
— @AP_Ken_Thomas
Yeehaw!!! Government shutdown filibuster! (You know, there is something Senate Democrats could maybe do about that whole filibuster business....) That's sure going to endear Sen. Cruz to his colleagues.
Stand with Daily Kos and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in denouncing Republicans who would completely shut down the government just to destroy Obamacare.