Here is why:
- By doing what he did, Cruz allowed almost all of Reid's planned jammed nominations to go forward and were confirmed. He would not have gotten all 23 had Cruz not done so. Yes, Reid was planning votes this week, after the planned budget vote that had been agreed upon. But Reid could not have hoped to get them all through. Thanks to Cruz, Reid did.
"At the root of the dispute lay a combination of the Senate's all-but-indecipherable rules, Cruz's attempt to use their murky corners to his advantage, and a bipartisan desire of many lawmakers to finish work for the year and return home for the holidays. "My concern about the strategy he employed is that it has a result he didn't intend," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said of Cruz' maneuverings on Friday night, when he sought to force a vote on Obama's immigration policy. Among the consequences, she said, would be confirmation of a number of appointees who are controversial, including some to "lifetime judicial" posts. Some officials said Cruz was personally informed by GOP aides that Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid was primed to take advantage if he went ahead. Under the Senate's rules, Cruz's maneuver allowed Reid to begin the time-consuming process of confirming nominations on Saturday at noon — when lawmakers had been scheduled to be home for the weekend. Had Cruz not made his move when he did, according to officials in both parties, Reid would have had to wait until Monday night — more than 48 hours later. Disgruntled Republicans said they felt confident that Reid's rank and file would not have been willing to remain in Washington in that case, and only four or five nominees would be confirmed instead of 23."
- It gets even worse. By allowing Reid to bring the nominations to the floor, the full Senate knew they had not even voted on a short term CR, much less the full budget. Reid now had even more power and leverage, and he used it to full advantage. Now, we are stuck with lifetime liberal judges and a Surgeon General who is going to use "public health" as a weapon against the 2nd Amendment.
Thanks Ted.
"Far more important, in the minds of Republicans, was that Reid responded by launching an immediate effort to confirm the judicial and agency appointees, some of them long stalled. One of them, Christopher Smith, has been awaiting Senate confirmation to an Energy Department post since January."
Cruz and his allies are accusing others of "spinning" the facts, which is outrageous. It is he who is spinning. The GOP Senate and their aides knew Reid would exploit this maneuver, and tried to warn Cruz. He didn't care. He went rogue to make his point.
I HATE Executive Amnesty! But this was akin to a soldier charging naked into a machine gun nest.
And the American people will now pay a price for it.