Posted on 08/01/2013 9:21:14 AM PDT by Mozilla
After several days of intense intraparty fighting over whether to threaten government shutdown over Obamacare funding, Ted Cruz backed away from some inflammatory rhetoric on Laura Ingraham’s radio show Wednesday afternoon, saying he had never used the term “surrender caucus” and had not “said an ill word about” his fellow legislators.
Ingraham questioned Cruz’s pugnacious strategy of calling out his members, worrying it would lead to a GOP “civil war.”
“If it ends up looking like these cowboys are coming in threatening to shut [the government] down, and they’re calling out people like Tom Coburn, committed legislators,” Ingraham said, “then you’re starting this kind of needless intraparty fight.”
“I have not said an ill word about any of my caucus,” Cruz objected.
“What about the surrender caucus? That’s pretty nasty.”
“I did not say that about anybody,” Cruz said. (Byron York at the Washington Examiner found an instance of Cruz using the term on Sean Hannity’s show last week.)
“Well, that’s your chief of staff,” Ingraham said. “He was speaking as your proxy, was he not?”
“He actually was not,” Cruz said. “He did that on his own, and I didn’t know about it. I don’t agree with it. I have not said an ill-word about any of my colleagues. They have used some pretty nasty language about me. But my approach is not to reciprocate, and I don’t intend to. I think Tom Coburn is a good man, and he’s entitled to his own view on what a good strategy is.”
This is the second instance today of a conservative senator backing away from the brink, after Rand Paul offered Chris Christie a truce this morning.
Listen to the clip below, via Laura Ingraham at the link.
RE: AS I understand it the cote to defund would ONLY apply to obamacare
Rand Paul explained it would NOT shut down the government
OK, let’s say they vote ONLY to defund Obamacre but continue funding the rest of the government... OBAMA VETOES THE ENTIRE BUDGET BECAUSE OF IT.
What next?
She is when they piss her off about something that she cares about but otherwise she is just another party hack rovian.
LLS
Seems like a “civil war” is coming. Why not now rather than later? Fat boy, McCain, Little Gay Lindsey, Karl, bring it on.
I guess we shall soon see if they are the “surrender caucus”.
It’s called “put up or shut up”.
If the shoe fits...............
Did anyone else hear Newt on Ingraham’s show this a.m.?
Newt sided with Mike Lee, Ted Cruz et al. Ingraham tried every possible way to argue and reason Newt out of taking their side, but he did not budge on it.
What Newt said was, you must start from the premise that Obamacare is an unmittigated disaster for healthcare, the economy, freedom, etc. From that factual premise, you cannot - CANNOT - argue that you must nevertheless vote to fund it.
He said, GOP, spend the next weeks pounding home what a disaster this is for our country. That it is so horrific, it is simply out of the question to vote funding for it.
Then, follow Mike Lee’s plan, pass a CR that funds EVERYTHING ELSE but Obamacare.
Show that it isn’t a government shutdown they’re seeking but to stop something that is so destructive they cannot vote to fund it.
Thereby Obama will show his hand that he so loves the idea of forcing this horrific monster on Americans, he would rather shut down the entire government.
Ingraham was pretty much left disarmed by her interview with Newt. She shot every arrow of “concern” in her quiver and could not land one, not one.
Bring it on.
You stop doing things because they are politically beneficial and you start doing them for the right reasons and because they are the right thing to do. You also educate the American people as to what you are doing and why and you call obama a liar when he lies... you use the dim’s playbook against Bush back on the rat party. Otherwise you get people that are progressive and acting in concert with the rat party for personal benefit and power. Either they do what we want or we (Conservative/libertarian coalitions) will take down the gop.
LLS
In recent years, she has been sometimes right, often emotional or flighty. It is a shame.I remain sad to see where she is at politically. She has joined Hugh Hewitt in the GOPe zone.
Wish Newt were Speaker right now. What a difference between him and boner.
I can understand your strategy.
Just remember this — all attempts at “educating the American people” is premised on one thing -— most of the American people WANT to be educated from the RIGHT SOURCE.
You’re not going to get this kind of education from the media ( where most Americans get their news ).
In effect, CRUZ, ET. AL. *WILL BE BLAMED* for the shutdown.
If they’re willing to take that chance... more pwoer to them.
Just remember this — It did not work in 1996 when the GOP controlled BOTH HOUSES ( now they control just one ).
Thanks for the summary, it’s good to hear Newt taking her on, particularly with the surprising capitulation of a normally strong consrvative like Laura.
Murdoch orders: GET CRUZ, and Fox-lackey Ingraham complies.
Newt was great. Let’s hope he doesn’t go wobbly later on. I know Newt is problematic but when Newt is right he is very, very right and knows how to frame things and is a strategist.
The showdown could result in the first government closure since 1996. Obama is SURE to veto any attempt at defunding it.
Who do you think most people will blame for this when it happens?
So, how is this strategy going to work?
The strategy works by pounding the Dems non stop about how bad kenyancare is. Pick one awful thing every week and carpet bomb them with it. It’s simple really. Put some demands on the kenyan and Dems up for election. This isn’t all or nothing. It’s about engaging the dems or surrendering. Again. Yet folks like you want to go ahead and fund it and be the surrender caucus. You fund it without a fight, you own it.
The problem is you are giving the beltway GOP the benefit of the doubt. They haven’t earned that. It’s been one cheese eating surrender party after another since 2008 with these losers running the GOP. It’s way past time to light a fire under the beltway GOP and get them to push back against the destructive Dem policies.
Yep. When he’s good, he’s very good. Unfortunately he goes off the reservation too often.
The Senate will never pass a budget that defunds Obamacare. No Obama veto will ever be needed. You have a House budget and a Senate budget and no agreement. The battle comes when more money is needed, for a continuing resolution or a debt ceiling increase or whatever. At that point, the House has passed a budget that funds the government. If Republicans hold fast and make their case forcefully, the American people sent them to Congress to get rid of Obamacare. They will be supported. It won't seem like it on the news, but they will be. It won't hurt to keep sending in those letters and phoning in and maybe even marching to stiffen their spines.
It will probably become an impasse at that point, because Obama and Reid will never agree to a defunding. However, by showing a spine, the Republicans might be able to delay Obamacare for a few years. Obama gave the opening by giving businesses a one year delay. Make the delay for the ENTIRE program and for 2 or 3 years. No hiring IRS workers or implementing regulations or anything. Obama has already delayed it one year for business, so there is a precedent for delay. Then, the winner in 2016 determines whether it becomes permanent.
That all assumes a GOP with some gonads, however. With Boehner in charge, it is not going to happen. Mike Lee and Ted Cruz are doing wonderful work, exposing that funding Obamacare is support of it, and letting the GOPe know that they will own it after this year. Those symbolic votes are worthless.
Laura who?
It is a canard that the shutdown was a bad thing. Reagan and Gingrich both came out winners after shut downs. Gingrich was working to win the whole shebang, and got stabbed in the back by Dole after the shutdown had lasted only a couple days. Later information showed that Clinton was about to cave. There was a great deal of disappointment among conservatives that Republicans did not show a spine, and was a big part of Dole’s defeat in 96 and the decline of the party thereafter. In 1995, the Reagan coalition was still around, and controlled 55 percent of the electorate, as shown in the 94 elections. Even California elected a Republican assembly that year. By 2000, it was a 50/50 nation, and a big reason for that was that Republicans became the party of government.
Ingraham often confuses me too. For six months straight, she’ll be entirely tea-party/anti-establishment... then the next six months she’s be totally beltway GOP-E. Then she’ll veer back again. It’s odd.
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