What Cruz is very skillfully exposing is that the Marxists are trying to advance their agenda at the expense of the various groups of American citizens. And as long as the Marxists don't concede to the Republican bills, more of their self serving dishonesty will be exposed.
So yes, it actually is like blackmail.
i’m not sure where the word tactics came from but i like the fact that is sounds like tacking in sailing terms. the strategy in a sailboat race is obvious the tactics however involve calculating where on the course you will need to be to win the race. tacking is just going up windward stair steps because you can’t sail directly into the wind. maybe these guys have figured out how to do that.