Posted on 11/18/2014 12:55:50 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Former Sen. Bob Bennett says even though Republicans are set to take over Congress come January, don't expect Sens. Ted Cruz and Mike Lee to set the agenda.
Bennett, speaking at a conference in Washington, says Sen. Mitch McConnell, who will be majority leader in the next Congress, has done a masterful job of "isolating" Ted Cruz.
"There is no cannier politician in Washington than Mitch McConnell," said Bennett. "Yes, Ted Cruz is an unsettling factor within the Republican conference. My sense of things is Mitch has very carefully, very methodically, very much under the radar isolated Ted Cruz. He's kind of sealed him off like a body puts a sac around some foreign matter it would prefer to expel but, if it can't, it can at least cut it off."
Bennett says McConnell's work has diluted the power of the Tea Party Caucus in the Senate.
"When the Tea Party Caucus was formed it was going to be so powerful. We heard all about it in Utah when Mike Lee was elected," said Bennett, who was ousted by Lee in 2010. "Lee said 'I'm going to have all these buddies and we're going to take over.' By the time McConnell was finished, the Tea Party Caucus was Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Jim DeMint, and DeMint left."
Bennett says at this point the power of the Tea Party in the next Congress will be more mythical than reality.
"Rand Paul didn't join and Marco Rubio didn't join. Cruz is going to look around and find that there are not going to be very many people with him."
Here's the video courtesy of C-SPAN.
Yea and they will be begging us to vote for them in 2016 when they drag out old hasbeens, Romney , Mccain or jeb.
As I pointed out before the election, it would have been in the countries best interest if McConnell lost.
Bennett SHUT THE F UP. You lost go away...
Of course. Anyone who witnessed the last election knows the Tea Party is dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead. I mean, except for gaining a net 17 seats we ran for. Oops...
McConnell will be up Pres. Cruz’ butt so far he’ll probably suffocate.
The grapes are sour with this one.
Life’s a b*tch for a washed up GOPe pogue. He has to buy his own cocktails now.
No one here may like what Bennett said but it’s the reality. Within the Senate, Cruz/Lee are pretty much isolated. That’s indisputable. So they can go to the American public .. but what media platform will carry their message?
If just under half the Senators in the Republican caucus are willing to follow Cruz' lead, he's not "isolated" -- even though the left and the GOPe would prefer to present him as such.
Notably, his "personal caucus" includes many House members, as well.
Cruz has access to the same media platform that is available to any Republican -- talk radio and conservative print. He won't get Jeb Bush/Mitt Romney/Chris Christie from the MSM, but who wants it?
So, you would have me hold my nose and vote for the phony conservative, Rand Paul, who the new John McCain, and media darling, who has been traveling around pushing Progressive social justice.
Do you really think that social justice is a small government concept?
“If just under half the Senators in the Republican caucus are willing to follow Cruz’ lead, he’s not “isolated””
That’s a mighty big “If.” Are you saying there are/will be 26+/- GOP Senators willing to go along with Cruz vs. McConnell? Who are they? Where were they when Cruz/Lee stood alone filibustering on the Senate floor last summer? I remember maybe 3 in all. If there are 26+/- I’d sure like to know who they are.
House members don’t count. They have no power, nor influence in the Senate where the Leader calls the shots, makes committee/chairman assignments, and sets the agenda determining what comes to the Floor.
There’s a reason not many will buck the Leader. It’s not his good looks.
If Cruz/Lee have access to talk radio/Fox only, they are preaching to the choir. How do you get others to buy into your agenda if they don’t hear it, or even hear of it? If all they hear about you is negative?
These men have their job cut out for them, and there’s no sense deluding ourselves that it’s otherwise.
The GOP vote for cloture was 25-19. Thus, besides Cruz, 18 other GOP Senators voted for cloture and against the leadership.
Recall that this turned into a test vote because Susan Collins refused to vote for cloture on her own. Thus, McConnell was put in the position of having to vote for cloture (he had not planned to).
Thus, the vote became a test vote between those supporting Cruz' filibuster and those giving cover to the Minority Leader (e.g., Cornyn changed his vote from Nay to Yay).
Cruz probably added a couple more to his "caucus" in the 2014 election (e.g. Sasse and Ernst).
Cruz is not "isolated".
What strategy do you propose, Finny?
Cruz and Lee will be setting agendas for decades to come.
And their new friends named Ernst, Lankford, Cotton...and more.
Amen! Praying these newly elected Senators stick to their convictions and DO form a strong force against McConnell/GOPe, as well as the Dims.
Fighting a battle on two fronts isn’t easy. If anyone can do it, Sen Cruz can.
I propose taking Einstein's definition of insanity to heart -- that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, is nuts, THEREFORE it is better strategy to change from YOUR strategy, which I have embraced for more than 30 years only to see the Republican party move ever and ever leftward, to embracing JRandomFReeper's strategy, which is to withhold votes from leftist Republicans.
Your strategy is basically voting "against" the Democrat by voting for the Republican even when that Republican is a functional Democrat the majority of the time. Your strategy of voting for leftist Republicans guarantees regret whether your candidate wins or loses.
My strategy is voting FOR what I want to win. I want limited government politicians to win. My strategy is to vote for something that, if it wins, will make things better.
And when HITLERY gets though with America...
Too early...:-(
So my NEW strategy, which takes a hell of a lot more guts and courage than my OLD strategy, which is the one you still subscribe to, is to be willing to be accountable for what I vote FOR.
When righteous Christian conservatives voted for the amoral abomination Romney in 2012, they were eloquent in describing what they were voting "against."
They were, and many still are, incapable of owning up to what they voted FOR. But after nearly four decades of voting "against," I have figured out finally that J Random Freeper (reading his back-posts in forum is very enlightening) is CORRECT. The ONLY way to fix this thing is to bite the bullet, muster courage, and vote so that leftist Republicans LOSE every time.
You seem to think I was being sarcastic? I was AGREEING with you, Finny. I am sorry if that was not apparent enough. I honestly think the destruction of this country might actually awaken enough people to effect a positive result.
/johnny
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