Ted Cruz and the long knives

Did Ted Cruz not take any history courses at Princeton?

The Texas senator acts like, and even physically resembles, Sen. Joe McCarthy. The man most responsible for McCarthy's political assassination? Sen. Joe McCarthy, although the Republican Brutus coalition, through a vote of censure, delivered the coup de grâce. Now, both Cruz and Sen. McConnell's gang are well on their way to emulating McCarthy's last act.

Cruz is undoubtedly the smartest idiot on earth. As a Republican senator, one can defame one's partisan opponents, one can defame half the nation, one can even seek to undermine and destroy every tenet of responsible governance. In fact, as a Republican senator, all that is one's duty. But one must never repeatedly unnerve one's Republican colleagues.

That's a killer.

So it is written, but it seems as though Ted hasn't read it.  

 

Comments

[Turgidson]

Yep. Tailgunner Ted's "brand" is that of some sort of principled, brave "truthteller" (of course, almost nothing he says is true, but his admirers think it is, and maybe he does too - I still can't tell). He's taken this to a further extreme than most by calling out his own party with almost the same vitriol that he reserves for Obama.

This is a crowdpleaser to a certain subset of voters (most of whom are currently falling hard for Mr. Trump). But it has a limited ceiling. Tailgunner Ted seems to genuinely believe that there is potentially a 50%+1 constituency for his circus act, but he'll learn otherwise. Once the party figures out how to get Trump to lose interest and wander off, they'll turn the screws on Tailgunner Ted if he shows any signs of breaking out. They don't have the power they used to, but the entire party outside of Mike Lee and a couple dozen braindead House Republican nutjobs hates his guts. They can stamp out his dumbassery if they need to.

And none of this even mentions that Tailgunner Ted's political platform is a heinous joke and he'd get demolished in the general election he'll never make it to, anyway.

Cruz can probably be an insufferable jerk from his safe seat in Texas for as long as he wants, but his options for advancement are basically nil unless he makes nice with the party for quite a while. Temperamentally, I don't think he can do that.

[Peter G]

Short close range and double edged is how I would describe those knives. Redstate is till my favorite site for right wing obliviousness. And so I had to drop around and see how Ted's rap on the nose with a rolled newspaper was being perceived. Erick does not disappoint. Outrage pulses and troops are being rallied. http://www.redstate.com/2015/07/27/where-is-the-outrage-cc-jebbush-governorperry-marcorubio-scott-walker-bobbyjindal-carlyfiorina/

Mind you the troops who are being rallied are what would be called in Casablanca, the usual suspects. I think there may be a reason Boehnert and McConnell have their positions and that would be that they enjoy the support of the many Republicans that the usual suspects at Redstate hate and do their utmost to unseat. They simply do not understand why the Republican leadership in congress cannot admit they are scumbags and that their sole reason for existence is to serve as stepping stones and targets for their disdain. And stairs for Ted Cruz and his ilk. This probably baffles any thinking person. You want to piss down my throat and say thank you for the refreshments?

Mitch knows better. He knows that Cruz has missed his boat and that the vociferous support that Cruz once enjoyed is now out following The Donald. Erick sees it this way: "Donald Trump is leading the Republicans in polling because he was the only guy showing leadership against Washington. Ted Cruz showed that leadership this weekend and Republicans should be thanking him for exposing the cronies and corruption." Whereas the congressional Republicans are almost surely thinking that one giant asshole at a time is enough.

[Peter G]

I had to agree with Erickson on one point. Ted is showing leadership in his assault on Washington. Unfortunately the majority in Washington are other Republicans.