My observation is that the two wings, the Establishment Republicans and the newly elected solid conservatives had settled in to their fighting positions over the last four months. They are almost comfortable with this fight instead of the the battle that needs to be waged.
Sowell, hardly ever this direct, has slapped both in the face, rhetorically, and we shall see if it has any impact.
Senator Cruz’s filibuster last year got the Republicans blamed for shutting down the government—and his threatened filibuster this year forced several Republican Senators to jeopardize their own reelection prospects by voting to impose cloture, to prevent Cruz from repeating his self-serving grandstand play of last year. …Total mischaracterization. How could a filibuster get the Republicans blamed for the actions of the Democrats?
The Republicans need every vote they can get in the Senate—plus additional votes by defeating some Democrats who are running for the Senate this fall. It can be a very close call. Jeopardizing the reelection of current Republican Senators is an act of utter irresponsibility, a high risk with zero benefits to anyone except Ted Cruz—and the Democrats. …Putting party over country. Even in the case of “needed” votes, how does that explain the deliberate actions of the GOP-e in voting the other way (with the liberal Democratic agenda) instead of standing firm on conservative ground? After all, the latter is what they were voted in for—and the Democrats never, ever worry about voting party line when they are in the minority.