Ted Cruz’ debt ceiling filibuster puts John Cornyn on hot seat

Dallas Morning News ^ | 2/12/14 | Todd J. Gillman

[jimbo123]

In case you weren’t glued to C-Span2 for the last hour, here’s what you missed.

The Senate voted 67-31 to quash a filibuster by Sen. Ted Cruz that would have blocked the Senate from lifting the federal debt ceiling. Cruz voted against cloture, naturally. But the top GOP leaders, fellow Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, sided with Democrats to cut off the filibuster.

The measure raising the federal credit line through March 2015 sailed through the House on Tuesday, after Speaker John Boehner decided that it would be better to let Democrats own it (only 28 Republicans voted aye) than to dig in, insist on budget concessions, and force a stalemate that would spook world markets and risk a default.

Cruz announced the same day that he wouldn’t let the Senate raise the debt ceiling via a simple 51-vote majority. The filibuster threat pushed the threshold to 60.

As GOP strategist John Feehery pointed out,, Democrats control 55 votes, so without Cruz’s maneuver, they would have been fully responsible, politically, for raising the debt ceiling. Instead, Cruz put GOP leadership on the spot.

Cornyn and McConnell – both facing tea party challengers for reelection – took the heat, and voted for cloture.

[CedarDave]

And here are the twelve GOPe RINO's who voted Yes:

• Barrasso (R-WY)
• Collins (R-ME)
• Corker (R-TN)
• Cornyn (R-TX)
• Flake (R-AZ)
• Hatch (R-UT)
• Johanns (R-NE)
• Kirk (R-IL)
• McCain (R-AZ)
• McConnell (R-KY)
• Murkowski (R-AK)
• Thune (R-SD)

[jersey117]

The good guys! Thanks for the list.

[jersey117]

Thune surprises me.

[GeronL]

It is amazing how the MSM twist things. As if McConnell and Bonehead only look bad capitulating because of what Ted Cruz says. Crazy.

[mickie]

I used to send money to Thune...but no more. The last letter I returned empty(@ his expense) with a note to remove me from his mailing list.

[JRandomFreeper]

That's what I elected him to do, put pressure on liberals. He's doing a fine job.

/johnny

[Howie66]

Safe bet that he doesn’t. He has a lovely wife and two beautiful daughters and is a FAMILY FIRST kind of man.

[CedarDave]

Thune surprises me.

Same here. And maybe Liz Cheney should have waited to run against Barrasso in Wyoming instead of Enzi.

[Howie66]

Nice pic of John Wayne McCornyn standing up to Barak Obama.

[Howie66]

Why?

Thune has been on the wrong side of a few issues of late.

I think that Rove has him under his spell.

[petercooper]

Thune that bastard.

[matthew fuller]

Dwayne Stoval is the Tae Party guy challenging Cornyn.

[alstewartfan]

He’d rather read Dr. Seuss to his children.

Any real man would. Bob

[alstewartfan]

Thune has turned out to be a waste. Bob

[tflabo]

Sent a donation to Thune’s campaign when he first ran against Daschle. Since then he’s been sending me mail and asks for more donations which gets filed under ‘G’. What a tall fraud he’s turned out to be.

[Windflier]

"Cornyn and McConnell – both facing tea party challengers for reelection – took the heat, and voted for cloture."

That's an impressive random act of journalism, coming from the (very liberal) Dallas Morning News. They just did Cornyn's Tea Party challengers a HUGE favor.

[Windflier]

Not surprise to see Susan Collins of Maine on that list. Does she EVER vote with the Republicans??

[Will88]

The procedural vote was the key. The debt limit itself sailed through on a predictable party-line vote, 55-43.

So, the brave Republican elites voted for cloture, but then went on record as opposed and voted against passage which required only a majority vote.

[Randy Larsen]

We’re supposed to be thankful for their bravery on the final vote not the details of how it got there.

Crooks are like birds of a feather.

[Ron H.]

Thank you Ted Cruz! Give them no place to hide.

Agreed.