Here it is:
" At a closed-door lunch meeting in the Senate’s Mansfield Room, Republican after Republican pressed Cruz to explain how he would propose to end the bitter budget impasse with Democrats, according to senators who attended the meeting. A defensive Cruz had no clear plan to force an end to the shutdown — or explain how he would defund Obamacare, as he has demanded all along, sources said.... But as the government shutdown heads into day three, a number of Republican senators privately blame the Texas freshman for contributing to the mess their party finds itself in. And now that they’re in it, they say it’s up to Cruz to help find a solution. “It was very evident to everyone in the room that Cruz doesn’t have a strategy – he never had a strategy, and could never answer a question about what the end-game was,” said one senator who attended the meeting. “I just wish the 35 House members that have bought the snake oil that was sold could witness what was witnessed today at lunch.”
Let me first say that I do admire Cruz for his willingness to fight. ObamaCare is an evil endeavor, far more evil than most Americans realize. It is not about health care, it is about control - and it will be deadly to not only health, but to our freedom.
Yes, Poltico leans left, as does most media, but it is one of the most insightful newsites regarding what is really happening in Washington, and it is clear that Cruz has no exit strategy. The "piecemeal" approach to funding this or that never had a prayer of a chance in the first place: Reid said he would not allow it and Obama said he would veto it if it came to his desk. The same goes for ObamaCare.
I have been on FR since 1998, and I am a conservative, military veteran, and evangelical Christian. But I don't like being lied to, and I also don't chase the "rainbows and chocolate fountains" fantasies about Washington DC political outcomes. The harsh reality is that the Republicans don't control the White House, and they don't control the Senate.
Any path out of the mess we are in will require some form of a compromise by all sides, as Newt Gingrich so eloquently wrote in his article 2 days ago.
Cruz stated (before his famous "filibuster") that there was no real way to repeal of defund ObamaCare. In fact, he repeatedly said it, here is just one:
Cruz: We Don't Have Votes in House or Senate to Defund Obamacare Now
So, what is the end game?
A good General does not lead his men onto the field of battle without first concluding that: A) there is a way to win, and B) no deserting his men on the field once the swords are unsheathed.
King Leonidas he ain't.
Cruz has no battle plan now. His 21 hour speech was his whole game plan.
So what do we do now?
The debt ceiling expires 16 Oct. I predict the markets will be rattled enough before that date where we will start to see some real damage. Bear this also in mind: our continued status as the world's Reserve Currency is already in decline, and this crisis can and will accelerate its demise. That means we will not longer be able to borrow as we have, and certainly not at our current interest rates. The interest we pay on current debt held will skyrocket, and that means less in the entire budget for everything, including mandatory spending programs (entitlements).
There is only real way out of this, and Boehner and Ryan seem to be gravitating towards it - the elusive "Grand Bargain" that is akin to the Simpson-Bowles compromise on tax and entitlement reform.
Again, I applaud Cruz for fighting. I know the score: we don't have the White House or the Senate. That is reality. Pretending that isn't reality isn't true is great to make oneself feel good, but the next day the hangover arrives and we are right back where we started. This will only be solved in the political arena, or it won't be solved at all.