Republican leadership took yet another hit from the conservative wing of the Republican Party with the resurfacing of the “Defund Obamacare” initiative last week and Sen. Ted Cruz’s subsequent jump into the national spotlight.
Cruz’s 21-hour speech accomplished nothing important. His campaign to “make DC listen” only alienated his fellow party members and further divided Republicans and Democrats.
The events leading up to the so-called “filibuster” that earned Cruz stardom among conservatives require important context. Throughout September, Republicans and Democrats collaborated on a Continuing Resolution (CR) – a specific type of appropriations legislation – to fund the government and avoid the shutdown. Because the CR unites multiple agencies with multiple projects, it takes the form of a joint resolution. The specific portion concerning the Affordable Care Act is H.J.Res.59.
While the House debated the Affordable Care Act portion of the CR, Cruz undermined the authority of House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy and threatened to campaign against members of his own party if they rejected H.J.Res.59. When the House finally passed the measure, Cruz took to the floor of the Senate and “filibustered” the resolution which he pressured House Republicans to pass just days prior. Notably, his stunt was not a true filibuster. A filibuster is meant to stall a vote, which Cruz did not, since the Senate limited debate by invoking cloture.
To borrow the words of Senator John McCain, a regular day of Senate business cut short Cruz’s “extended oratory” at noon on September 25.
Cruz, while young and inexperienced in national politics, knows how the party works. More specifically, he knows that defunding Obamacare is impossible with the current Democratic-controlled Senate and administration. Cruz went ahead with his phony filibuster, which he knew would have no effect on the voting process, to appear as a crusader of conservative values.
It seems Cruz was more interested in self-aggrandizement than substantive debate. He drew an analogy between his own party members and Neville Chamberlain, who encouraged Churchill to “accept the Nazis.” McCain strongly countered this analogy, upbraiding Cruz for disrespecting those who fought in World War II and using such “inappropriate” language on the Senate floor.
Cruz wants you to believe that he is a warrior for the besieged conservative and a politician crucified by both Republicans and Democrats. He wants you to think that all he really cares about is “making DC listen.” He wants to believe that he serves a cause greater than himself, but that cause just happens to be his own goals.
Ted Cruz uses his office to promote himself and serve his own intentions, ignoring and even undermining the goals of his own party. His consistent and blatant disregard for his party members reveals he puts his own interests above the best interests of the party, and conservatives everywhere. In short, he is not a Republican and does not care about the Republican Party.
As he has done time and time again, Cruz will continue to alienate his own party to promote himself. Ted Cruz is a self-interested man and the real RINO you should be worried about.
