Posted on 12/14/2014 10:49:21 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
It’s a question that will prove crucial next year when Mitch McConnell takes the reins of a new Senate: Just how big is the Ted Cruz caucus?
Three votes on the “cromnibus” late Saturday night suggest it could be as large as 22 senators — a dangerously high number for McConnell — or as few as a handful.
Let’s break down the three votes — on filibustering the $1.1 trillion package, on Cruz’s point of order aimed at targeting the president’s immigration action, and final passage.
The high-water mark for the Texas Republican came on his point of order vote, which 22 Republicans backed. While that represented a thumping, it could also be seen as a show of strength against the McConnell forces. Just 20 Republicans, including McConnell Republican Whip John Cornyn of Texas voted against Cruz; three did not vote.
Cruz’s point of order itself basically contended that the underlying bill was unconstitutional because it didn’t block President Barack Obama’s immigration action. Many Republicans, including Cruz, say they oppose the immigration action but don’t think the cromnibus itself is unconstitutional.
On final passage of the cromnibus, 18 Republicans voted no.
But only 12 Republicans joined Cruz in both votes for both his point of order and against the cromnibus. They are: Sens. Michael D. Crapo of Idaho, Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, Mike Lee of Utah, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Rob Portman of Ohio, Jim Risch of Idaho, Marco Rubio of Florida, Tim Scott of South Carolina, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Richard C. Shelby of Alabama and David Vitter of Louisiana.
Nine others switched to yes on final passage after voting with Cruz to say the bill itself was unconstitutional. They are: Sens. Roy Blunt of Missouri, John Boozman of Arkansas, Richard M. Burr of North Carolina, Deb Fischer of Nebraska, John Hoeven of North Dakota, Johnny Isakson of Georgia, Mike Johanns of Nebraska, Pat Roberts of Kansas and John Thune of South Dakota. Johanns is retiring.
Those nine Republicans ended up providing the margin of victory for the underlying cromnibus, which passed 56-40.
Even that group of a dozen might be overstating Cruz’s hold on the GOP.
An even smaller subset of the Senate Republicans — 11 of them — voted with Cruz against final passage, for his point of order and to filibuster the bill in the first place: Crapo, Lee, Moran, Paul, Portman, Risch, Rubio, Scott, Shelby, Sessions and Vitter.
That’s more than enough to cause McConnell trouble given that he will have 54 Republicans in his camp and will need to get to 60 votes on most bills and likely 51 Republicans to pass a budget resolution.
Notable in the group who consistently voted with Cruz are his potential presidential rivals Paul and Rubio.
It’s also worth noting that Rubio continues his shift to the right after helping write the Senate immigration bill last year.
No Democrats supported the Cruz point of order.
Correction, 11:28 a.m.
An earlier version of this post omitted Scott as voting against cloture.
There was a time when Portman was an extremely conservative representative in the House from Ohio’s very conservative 2d district.
GOPc
I like that!
How big?
My man could win this thing! Hands down!
Peter Wehner sounds like a huge RINO....just like Powerline’s Paul Mirengoff.
FWIW, Mirengoff is pretty much getting slammed, on his own site (at the comments following), for the Cruz attack piece.
Will be interesting to see where the 9, is it 9, new R Senators lie . . . with the GOPe or with real conservatives like Cruz, Lee & Sessions.
Yep, Alabama has two very good senators.
Ted Cruz 38.01% (4,387 votes)
Rand Paul 35.25% (4,068 votes)
Dr. Ben Carson 13.65% (1,575 votes)
Scott Walker 3.4% (392 votes)
Rick Perry 3.26% (376 votes)
Mike Huckabee 2.77% (320 votes)
Jeb Bush 2.56% (296 votes)
Chris Christie 0.73% (84 votes)
Marco Rubio 0% (44 votes)
Total Votes: 11,542
http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/11/ben_carson_jeb_bush_rand_paul.html
That looks about right. Texas gets the spotlight for its solid conservatism but Alabama is a true stronghold too. The people here really get it.
Go Alabama. Crimson Tide!
The Paulite hipsters failed to pull him over the line on this one. Social un-conservatives. Conservative is a lifestyle not an anarchist movement that is amoral.
Cruz works tirelessly to thwart RINOs and Democrats. God bless him!
Sure, although the notion that Rand Paul is an amoral anarchist may be a little over the top.
Paul agrees with the Founders until they speak of a moral society being the only way Freedom works. His departure from this causes reservations.
So Rand Paul favors an immoral society?
Rand Paul Quote, waffling at best:
Speaking on Roe v. Wade:
“My intention is to bring it forward and to have a healthy philosophic and moral discussion over what we should do, what the state should be involved with, when should life be protected. And I don’t think we’re ready yet, our society, maybe, to change any laws, but I think its worthwhile having the discussion if we can keep it from being too much of a flippant of a discussion over this that concrete this and that,”
http://www.lifenews.com/2013/03/21/after-controversy-rand-paul-clarifies-hes-100-pro-life-on-abortion/
Sen. Rand Paul “would agree” with legalizing marijuana and other drugs, and investing the resulting savings into funding Social Security. At least that’s what he said during a television appearance in June of 2000, years before he was elected to the U.S. Senate.
http://marijuana.com/news/2014/10/rand-paul-on-legalizing-drugs-i-would-agree/
Is he wrong that society doesn’t seem ready to change the law yet? If society were ready, there would be legislative majorities. I don’t see where he’s too far off the mark here.
As for marijuana, I don’t think that’s much of a litmus test. William F. Buckley favored legalization. Was he an amoral anarchist?
As for marijuana, I don’t think that’s much of a litmus test. William F. Buckley favored legalization. Was he an amoral anarchist?
The Founders would see him as amoral in his responses, as well as most believers. Unfortunately most of his followers are.
I have two teenage children and don't want his influence on their decisions in life. Very negative toward personal responsibility.
So your children are going to smoke pot if the government doesn’t keep it illegal? To me it’s the job of parents to instill moral values and character in their children.
William F. Buckley and Ronald Reagan were friends. Buckley was a committed Catholic and a social conservative.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.