Perhaps It's Time For Ted Cruz To GROW UP!

Leading the shutdown back in October was the right thing for Ted Cruz to do. Despite all the criticism he received it was crucial to make one last-ditch try at stopping Obamacare before it started signing up Americans and becoming much more difficult to repeal.

It was wrong, but no real surprise when the media wrongly blamed the GOP for the shutdown.  But they did and that blame lead to a huge drop in Republican approval.

That was then, four months later it is clear that the GOP has a real chance to take over the Senate.  It is also clear that without the Senate the Republican Party has no real chance at applying conservative principles to legislation.

Ted Cruz the hero of the October shutdown is so busy tilting at windmills he doesn't understand what needs to be done to get the ultimate result he desires.

Yesterday the Senate agreed with the house and raised the debt limit. Though there was nothing he could do to change the result, Cruz attempted a filibuster causing some of his Republican colleagues to go on record to cut off discussion.  It was a vote his colleagues had to make as they had their eyes on the ultimate prize that would enable them to make the conservative policy decisions for the good of the country, control of the Senate.

By forcing the closure vote Cruz forced twelve colleagues to vote to shut down debate thus giving their opponents ammunition in primary and general elections.

Cruz issued this statement:

Today’s vote is yet another example that establishment politicians from both parties are simply not listening to the American people. Outside the beltway, Americans of all political stripes understand that we cannot keep spending money we don’t have.

Some members of Congress care so much about being praised by the Washington media that they’re willing to mortgage our children’s future. They pretend we don’t have a problem and can just kick the can down the road.

Let’s be clear about the motive behind this vote — there are too many members of Congress who think they can fool people and they will forget about it the next week. But sometimes, come November, the people remember.

Let's be even clearer.  It's time for Ted Cruz to grow up and think like a leader. Yesterday's cloture vote had nothing to do with mortgaging our kids future or kicking the can down the road.  Yesterday's vote had everything to do with preventing another public relations disaster like the shutdown in October. It had everything to do with keeping the GOP's eyes on the real prize a Senate majority.

I am not saying that Cruz should have voted for the debt ceiling bill, but the fact that he insisted on a cloture vote displayed he needs some maturity especially when one realizes he is the Vice-Chair of the NRSC who's purpose is to elect Republicans to the Senate.  His effort yesterday runs contrary to that effort.