Posted on 10/12/2013 5:08:48 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Tensions between Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and other potential 2016 presidential contenders over the government shutdown were visible just beneath the surface at Friday's Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C.
Cruz fired up the conservative crowd with a demand that they double down in their fight against ObamaCare, ripping establishment Republicans as well as Democrats for opposing him in his quest.
But even in the aftermath of Cruz's fiery speech, others shied away from any discussion of the high-profile confrontation.
The shutdown went unmentioned by Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), both early champions of the defunding battle.
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who is working toward a compromise with the White House on the shutdown and debt ceiling that does not erode ObamaCare, made a short argument for his alternate plan in Friday afternoon video message to the group.
The GOP leaders' avoidance of the high-profile battle at the conference was an important illustration of the delicate position in which they find themselves.
The conservative base loves Cruz for his defunding push and "with us or against us" mentality, but polls show the effort is hurting the Republican brand.
Paul's and Rubio's dodges, and Ryan's implicit rebuke, demonstrate that they are seeking to avoid being tainted by the fight's fallout while avoiding any confrontation with the partys base.
Cruz used his speech to frame the debate over ObamaCare and the government shutdown in stark terms, painting it as a key battle in the larger war for individual freedom.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
It's astonishing that none of the Republicans are hammering the Dems on the shutdown now, since the House Republicans offered full funding of ObamaCare, contingent upon all exceptions and waivers being stripped out.
It's the most effective arrow in the GOP quiver, but they refuse to touch it. That reeks of elitist complicity.
So true. None of them will cry over Cruz’s demise.
That’s why Cruz is the only viable candidate for me!
He’s our Cuban Reagan to get us out of the Kenyan Carter disaster
Cruz/West.2016
...in the aftermath of Cruz's fiery speech... The shutdown went unmentioned by Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), both early champions of the defunding battle. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who is working toward a compromise with the White House on the shutdown and debt ceiling that does not erode ObamaCare, made a short argument for his alternate plan in Friday afternoon video message to the group... Paul's and Rubio's dodges, and Ryan's implicit rebuke, demonstrate that they are seeking to avoid being tainted by the fight's fallout while avoiding any confrontation with the partys base. Cruz used his speech to frame the debate over ObamaCare and the government shutdown in stark terms, painting it as a key battle in the larger war for individual freedom.Sounds like Reagan to me. I'm old and jaded, and was fired up from the four or five minutes that I heard while munching breakfast at McDbag's yesterday.
Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Paul Ryan (R-Wis.):
All wussies and sell-outs to the GOPe
“Polls show the effort is hurting the Republican brand”:
Only according to their fixed “polls”. We, here in flyover country, love Cruz!!
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