Good piece!
“...........Some old timers in the Senate have publicly criticized Cruz for his outspokenness, especially after the Hagel hearings.
Liberals have predictably pounced on Cruz. Last week, Washington Post opinion writer Dana Milbank even asked in his column, “Is there nobody who can tell Ted Cruz to shut up?”
But his allies in Congress argue the press he has attracted for his tense encounters during Senate hearings has given a false impression of the man. He gets along well with members of both parties, they say.
“He’s got a very collegial approach,” Lee of Utah said. “He’s got a very collegial manner that’s evident to anybody that gets to know him. And it’s different than the caricature, the heavily caricatured image, portrayed by some in the media.”
“One side of Ted people don’t talk about is he’s actually good company too,” said McConnell. “I took him to Afghanistan, along with a couple of other freshman back in January. You learn a lot about somebody if you spend a lot of time with them over a short period of time. He’s got a great sense of humor. Great company. Whip smart.”
Cruz says that despite his ardent feelings on issues, he never resorts to personal attacks against his opponents.......”
Smart, that. It keeps the debate focused on the issues rather than "He was mean..."
Old timers, more 'senior', freshman, blah, blah, blah.
This fixation with seniority in the Senate has always ticked me off. The very idea that a senator, say such as Reid or Feinstein, or McConnell for that matter should have any more sway over the rights, privileges, duties and capabilities as a Senator just elected is plain lunacy.
These senators are not single individuals unto themselves; they are REPRESENTATIVES of STATES of this UNION (as sorry as it is at this point in time). No state, should hold preference over the other simply because they are too lazy to defend their freedom and go out and find someone new to represent them.
I realize seniority plays an important part in running the Senate, but it does not translate into the relative value of proposed legislation simply because the person has been there much, much too long. Instead of thinging of these Senators as 'venerable' we SHOULD be thinking of them as pariahs to be ousted, IMO.