Now that the Senate appears on the verge of a deal to end the shutdown and avert default, one wonders what is the next course of action for the man most responsible for the ongoing GOP disaster. Well, if you were wondering what Ted Cruz is doing tonight, ask no more. Roll Call has the news.
Sen. Ted Cruz met with roughly 15 to 20 House Republicans for around two hours late Monday night at the Capitol Hill watering hole Tortilla Coast.
I'm going to repeat that in case some of you are too busy laughing to read it.
..at the Capitol Hill watering hole Tortilla Coast.
And who is at this important bar crawl...I mean, strategy meeting?
Sources said the House Republicans meeting in the basement of Tortilla Coast with Cruz were some of the most conservative in the House: Reps. Louie Gohmert of Texas, Steve King of Iowa, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Raúl R. Labrador of Idaho, Steve Southerland II of Florida, Mark Meadows of North Carolina and Justin Amash of Michigan
Yep, it's basically the Teabagger All-Star Lineup. But if this was a super-secret meeting to plot their next move, it clearly wasn't planned well.
The group is a collection of members who have often given leadership headaches in recent years by opposing both compromise measures as well as packages crafted by fellow Republicans. And, it seems, leadership unwittingly became aware of the meetup.
While the dinner meeting was held in a private basement room, the group was spotted by Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who was dining with some other members, including Gregg Harper, R-Miss. McCarthy is a regular at the Capitol Hill restaurant, and a source said he seemed particularly interested in what the group was up to
So, not only do they hold their strategy meeting in a bar, they hold it at a bar that the
freaking House Majority Whip goes to on a regular basis. Clearly, we are dealing with a passel of geniuses here.
Incidentally, this isn't a new thing. Indeed, if the recent past is any indication, the Teabaggers have a habit of plotting in bars. Witness the plotting for the failed coup attempt against Boner in January:
Next step: Plotting. This one didn't go too well either. On Wednesday night, an amused Republican staffer called me to report that Representatives Jim Jordan, Paul Gosar, Raul Labrador, and Steve Southerland were gathered at Bullfeathers, a Capitol Hill bar, openly plotting their coup. Not exactly the Roman Senate scheming to dispatch Caeser.
Maybe you should just cut liquor out of the thought process entirely in situations like this, guys.
Consider this your nightime humor boost. Or maybe not, because whatever Carnival Cruz is plotting with his minions, it can't be good.