- Ted Cruz has had quite a week. First, Speaker John Boehner announced yesterday that the House would sneak a Obamacare defunding resolution into their upcoming budget bill up for a vote on Friday... a bill that would be certain to fail in the Senate.
- Amid much WTF-ing from some of his fellow Senate Republicans, there was much rejoicing from Mr. Cruz. If his favorite pet project ends up shutting down the government, well, it's not the end of the world, folks.
- But wait. It seems Cruz may have changed his mind about the feasibility of his grand scheming. Today, he basically said the House bill was a non-starter because Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has the votes to strip the anti-Obamacare gobledegook from the Senate version of the budget bill.
- Which, unsurprisingly, made conservatives very, very upset.
- Cruz quickly tried to recover by saying that he'd pull a Rand Paul and filibuster if the Obamacare Entropy Act doesn't sail through the Senate.
- But the damage is already done. One can't simply state facts about the Senate's ideological make-up and expect to retain the support of the far right! One anonymous Republican aide said today, "It is disappointing to see that Wendy Davis has more balls than Ted Cruz."
- Another GOP aide said, "Some people came here to govern and make things better for their constituents. Ted Cruz came here to throw bombs and fundraise off of attacks on fellow Republicans. He's a joke, plain and simple."
- Some have questioned his entire motive for taking up the anti-Obamacare fight: "He has been using this as an effort to raise money for himself, not as an achievable goal. It is obnoxious. Then again, there are some Republican primary voters that like obnoxious. That explains Michele Bachmann."
- There's not much we can do but sit and wait and see what happens.
- Texas Monthly recommends giving in and saying "God bless Ted Cruz, and pass the popcorn."
- And, if all else fails, conservatives have their pinch hitter-waiting in the wings on the anti-Obamacare front (hint: it's a terrifying clown ... so, much of the same, if we're being honest).
Daily Meme: Cruzing for a Bruising
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