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Ted Cruz to John McCain: “There may be more ‘wacko birds’ in the Senate than you think”
Hotair ^ | 05/23/2013 | AllahPundit

Posted on 05/23/2013 3:26:50 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

Via Joel Gehrke, a scene from the intramural debate over the debt ceiling between Maverick McCain and the Paul/Lee/Cruz tea-party coalition. If you read Erika’s post last night, you already know the background. The tea partiers are threatening to block the Senate’s budget from being sent to the House for a conference committee unless Reid assures them that whatever emerges won’t raise the debt ceiling. (Or, if it does, that 60 votes will be required for passage rather than the simple majority typically required for budget bills.) Reid won’t budge on that — yet. McCain, who’s been busy lately recouping lots of Strange New Respect that he lost five years ago when he momentarily became the left’s chief obstacle to power, has spent the last 24 hours effectively siding with Reid. Whether that’s because he’s a stickler for traditional Senate procedure or because he disdains the new generation of Senate conservatives for being too brash in asserting themselves (and for not being as interventionist as he’d like), I leave to you to decide. In Maverick’s defense, he’s been consistent in criticizing irregular GOP maneuvering on the debt ceiling — and in dumping on tea partiers for driving it. From 2011:

McCain said conservatives’ insistence that an increase in the debt ceiling be accompanied by a balanced budget amendment was “worse than foolish” because it couldn’t get through the Senate.

Reading from the [Wall Street Journal] editorial, McCain continued:

“The idea seems to be that if the House GOP refuses to raise the debt ceiling, a default crisis or gradual government shutdown will ensue and the public will turn en masse against Barack Obama…. Then Democrats would have no choice but to pass a balanced-budget amendment and reform entitlements, and the tea party hobbits could return to Middle-earth having defeated Mordor.

“This is the kind of crack political thinking that turned Sharron Angle and Christine O’Donnell into GOP Senate nominees,” he said, referring to the failed tea-party-backed candidates from Nevada and Delaware.

He got irritated with his foreign-policy and immigration ally Marco Rubio over this last night too, and this morning accused Mike Lee of being, well, ignorant:

“Perhaps the senator from Utah doesn’t know about that — the fact that even if they did raise the debt limit, it could not become law because it doesn’t go to the president of the United States,” McCain said. “So again, maybe the senator from Utah ought to learn a little bit more about how business has been done in the Congress of the United States.”

As is usually the case with McCain, the excessive nastiness in his criticism leaves you wondering how much of this is about policy and procedure and how much of it is driven by deeper personal dislike. Here’s Cruz reveling in Maverick’s annoyance by answering his attack on Lee with an 11-minute speech, the highlight of which comes at around 6:00 with a reference to McCain’s now-infamous (and since apologized-for) dubbing of Cruz and Rand Paul as “wacko birds.” He’s going to have endless fun tweaking Mac during their time in the Senate together, isn’t he?

CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO



TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: budget; johnmccain; randsconcerntrolls; tedcruz
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1 posted on 05/23/2013 3:26:50 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Juan is senile. He needs to go home.


2 posted on 05/23/2013 3:31:58 PM PDT by TBP (Obama lies, Granny dies.)
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To: SeekAndFind

McLame goes, “fight! fight! fight!”

Keating 5 McLame should have been removed from the senate years ago for his corruption.


3 posted on 05/23/2013 3:33:50 PM PDT by boycott (CAL)
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To: SeekAndFind

Whooop! Ted Cruz...

Poor old Juan has done his best and given all he has to offer.

Time for Juan to retire with a little dignity still left.

He’d better hurry.


4 posted on 05/23/2013 3:34:13 PM PDT by Sequoyah101
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To: SeekAndFind

I want dueling brought back on the Senate floor. McMental needs to be made to stand up for his insults.


5 posted on 05/23/2013 3:34:47 PM PDT by Truth29
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To: SeekAndFind

We’ve lost more than enough times with ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS like McCain. Time for those clowns to step aside.


6 posted on 05/23/2013 3:36:32 PM PDT by boycott (CAL)
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To: SeekAndFind

why do wacko birds hate cheap lettuce!??

take a long hike off a short pier, Juan.


7 posted on 05/23/2013 3:36:57 PM PDT by TurboZamboni (Marx smelled bad & lived with his parents most his life.)
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To: SeekAndFind
Ted Cruz

Juan McShame

8 posted on 05/23/2013 3:37:16 PM PDT by South40
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To: SeekAndFind

Cruz just gets better and better. He sure has McCain’s number. He might bait hinm into a stroke.


9 posted on 05/23/2013 3:40:19 PM PDT by Paine in the Neck (Socialism consumes everything. Bolshies' gonna bolsh.)
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To: SeekAndFind
Haven't seen Cruz pull a punch yet, he hits full force.

No elite Senate *Good old boys club* tradition.

Exactly what we need.

10 posted on 05/23/2013 3:47:34 PM PDT by The Cajun (Sarah Palin, Mark Levin, Ted Cruz, Trey Gowdy......Nuff said.)
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To: Paine in the Neck
He might bait hinm into a stroke.

That would be a terrible shame. I'll almost shed a tear.

/johnny

11 posted on 05/23/2013 3:49:08 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: SeekAndFind

Ted, tell that idiot everyday to go home.


12 posted on 05/23/2013 3:54:53 PM PDT by bmwcyle (People who do not study history are destine to believe really ignorant statements.)
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To: Paine in the Neck

Cruz just gets better and better. He sure has McCain’s number. He might bait hinm into a stroke.
****************************************************************
I suspect that McCain has already had a series of very minor mini-strokes. His outbursts of anger have been increasing in recent months.

But I suspect his main problem currently is jealousy. Cruz is becoming the patriotic Senate warrior that McCain has been unable to bring himself to be. McCain is slip-sliding away toward irrelevancy and he knows it.

Plus that bubble-headed daughter of his has to be a major disappointment to him.


13 posted on 05/23/2013 3:58:08 PM PDT by House Atreides
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To: SeekAndFind

Oh that was beautiful! What a great speaker he is, and I’ll bet you could see the steam coming out of McCain’s ears.


14 posted on 05/23/2013 3:58:11 PM PDT by McGavin999
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To: All

Dear Senator McCain,

We’re more than “wacobirds”, we’re ANGRYBIRDS!!!!


15 posted on 05/23/2013 4:00:17 PM PDT by ak267 (The Law Of the Sea Treaty...LOST...must be defeated...CALL YOUR SENATORS!!!)
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To: bmwcyle

McCain thinks he is the Lion of the Senate (aka Ted Kennedy) now. He does need to leave.


16 posted on 05/23/2013 4:05:11 PM PDT by taterjay
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To: SeekAndFind

Ted Cruz rocks.....

Credit should also be given to the cameraman for keeping those legs in the upper left of the screen..... throughout the entire speech. ;>)


17 posted on 05/23/2013 4:10:18 PM PDT by Gator113 ( ~just keep livin~ I drink good wine, listen to good music and dream good dreams.)
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To: taterjay

He is the village idiot.


18 posted on 05/23/2013 4:16:11 PM PDT by bmwcyle (People who do not study history are destine to believe really ignorant statements.)
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To: SeekAndFind

bump


19 posted on 05/23/2013 4:24:17 PM PDT by OrioleFan (Republicans believe every day is July 4th, Democrats believe every day is April 15th.)
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To: SeekAndFind

“Perhaps the senator from Utah doesn’t know about that — the fact that even if they did raise the debt limit, it could not become law because it doesn’t go to the president of the United States,” McCain said. “So again, maybe the senator from Utah ought to learn a little bit more about how business has been done in the Congress of the United States.”

McLame has harsher words for Republicans than he does for RATS


20 posted on 05/23/2013 4:25:49 PM PDT by Cyclone59 (Obama is like Ron Burgundy - he will read ANYTHING that is on the teleprompter)
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