Althouse: After 21 hours, Ted Cruz is cut off by Harry Reid, who says "I don't think we learned anything new, but it has been a big waste of time."

September 25, 2013

After 21 hours, Ted Cruz is cut off by Harry Reid, who says "I don't think we learned anything new, but it has been a big waste of time."

Reid portrays what Cruz did as the notion that "any day that government is hurt is a good day" and calls that notion Tea Party and "the new anarchy."

56 comments:

Big Mike said...: Reid doesn't get it, does he?

Ted Cruz was speaking for me, and for everybody else who will be paying substantially more for significantly less healthcare service under Obama's abomination.; 9/25/13, 11:36 AM
Henry said...: Your quote has some confused punctuation.

Reid said that "any day that government is hurt is a good day" for the Tea Party. Reid called it "the new anarchy."

Reid seems to have stumbled across an insight, though his anthropomorphizing of government is just pathetic.

My question is this: What was the old anarchy?; 9/25/13, 11:37 AM
YoungHegelian said...: What's with this spate of Demos calling the Tea Party Anarchists? Why I'm so old that I remember when the Left actually liked Anarchists. When there was the romance in the air that it would be possible to skip past the dictatorship of the proletariat, and go straight to the withering of the state, "bypassing the middle commie", to coin a phrase. And now, 1930s Catalonia --- a Tea Party hotbed! No wonder both the Falangists & the Commies hated 'em! Sacco & Vanzetti --- No longer martyrs to the cause! Who's gonna break the news to poor ole' Joan Baez? "Anarcho-Syndicalist" Noam Chomsky? Tea Party dupe, more likely! And who amongst us can ever forget the searing image of the ghost of Prince Alexander Kropotkin holding the Gadsden Flag behind that poor Tea Party lady from Wetumpka, Alabama as she testified to the IRS targeting her organization?; 9/25/13, 11:38 AM
Matt Sablan said...: Wow. Something Reid and I agree on. I wonder how Reid responded to the Wendy Davis waste of time speech.

Oh. So it is just partisanship on Reid's side, and not a real commitment to not wasting time or learning things. So, sad to know Reid and I reached those decisions through different thought processes.

As for rooting for a shutdown: Tell the president to come to the negotiating table if he's worried. So far, Reid and Obama have shown about the same level of concern about a shutdown as those on the right.; 9/25/13, 11:41 AM
Matt Sablan said...: ... Wait, Reid wasn't even on the floor part of this? How does he know we learned nothing if he didn't at least listen? I'm just snarkily shooting off, but I expect the Senate majority leader to at least have PRETENDED to care about the issue of the day.; 9/25/13, 11:44 AM
paminwi said...: I must be an anarchist since I mostly support the Tea Party. I must also be a racist since Harry baby has said that Tea Partiers are also racist. My goodness, in my old age I have never been called so many names! Isn't that bullying?

I want to go on record and say YEAH Ted Cruz!; 9/25/13, 11:49 AM
paminwi said...: I must be an anarchist since I mostly support the Tea Party. I must also be a racist since Harry baby has said that Tea Partiers are also racist. My goodness, in my old age I have never been called so many names! Isn't that bullying?

I want to go on record and say YEAH Ted Cruz!; 9/25/13, 11:49 AM
Bob R said...: Harry Reid is what I imagine the Pat Geary character would have turned into if he had aged poorly and gotten even more corrupt. You can say what you want about Cruz's tactics, but the more Reid is in the spotlight, the worse it is for team blue.; 9/25/13, 11:53 AM
ajs said...: Sen. Reid (who has a long history of ridiculous and incendiary comments) needs to stop calling Republicans anarchists over and over. He's the Senate majority leader, not some flame-throwing backbencher.

Does he know what an anarchist even is? Some of his friends in the "Occupy" movement come to mind.; 9/25/13, 11:56 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Your quote has some confused punctuation."

No, it doesn't.

I'm using "Tea Party" as an adjective.

You can accuse me of lack of parallelism if you want.

I'm saying Reid calls the notion Tea Party and anarchy.

The notion is (the sort of thing the) Tea Party (believes)... and the notion is anarchy.; 9/25/13, 12:00 PM
Illuninati said...: I didn't know that the purpose of a filibuster is to teach Harry Reid. If the only reason to filibuster is to teach Harry something, then why yes, of course it is a waste of time. Harry Reid is long past the point where he can learn.

Althouse said:
"Reid portrays what Cruz did as the notion that "any day that government is hurt is a good day" and calls that Tea Party and "the new anarchy.""

Harry Reid doesn't need help damaging the government, he has done enough damage to the government all by himself. The anarchy statement is so far out in left field it doesn't even compute. It is typical left wing goblygook.; 9/25/13, 12:11 PM
Hagar said...: Obamacare - or the parts of it that will manage to be implemented - will be a slow-motion trainwreck for some time to come, and Ted Cruz will be remembered for having spoken out against it.

It will not be sticking to those ostrich skin boots of his, so no, it was not "a vaste of time.".; 9/25/13, 12:14 PM
MartyH said...: Reid's the one who's been wasting time. He should have been passing fixes to Obamacare as glitches have been pointed out. Even if the House does not pass these fixes, he is signalling willingness to improve Obamacare. By not passing or even proposing fixes, he and the rest of the Democrats are signalling a preference for leaving Obamacare unchanged.; 9/25/13, 12:21 PM
David said...: Advantage: Reid!

Short and pithy wins every time.

Sorry Senator Cruz.; 9/25/13, 12:23 PM
Henry said...: I'm using "Tea Party" as an adjective.

Ah. I thought you might have scraped the quote from a news feed and it came in garbled inadvertently.; 9/25/13, 12:25 PM
Meade said...: Ted Cruz represents the democratic wing of the Republican Party.; 9/25/13, 12:29 PM
Tyrone Slothrop said...: Reid is whistling past the graveyard. He, and the establishment Republicans who have been slipping oppo points to Chris Wallace, are terrified of the Tea Party. The Senate, red and blue, have been ignoring the people they represent for a long time. With Cruz at the podium, Reid can see his comeuppance growing much closer.; 9/25/13, 12:29 PM
MayBee said...: You ever notice that when Code a Pink does their protests, people on the left make (I'm thinking Obama and Kerry here) make a point to mention how valid it is to have different opinions?

But boy, dare to have a right- leaning opinion and your representative will be called all kinds of names by Dems in power.

Reid realizes the bill is unpopular, right? And that Cruz represents real citizens with real concern? Why can't that be acknowledged?; 9/25/13, 12:41 PM
Larry J said...: I long for the day when Republicans win control of the Senate and get to treat Reid and the other Democrats exactly the same as they've treated Republicans.; 9/25/13, 12:45 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Ah. I thought you might have scraped the quote from a news feed and it came in garbled inadvertently."

No, I garbled it myself for your reading difficulty. I'm blogging from behind and your confusion is part of my strategy.; 9/25/13, 12:47 PM
Ann Althouse said...: I've inserted a second "notion" in the sentence to make it easier to read.

The "that" was hard to "hear" in your head the way I wanted to "say" it.; 9/25/13, 12:52 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: I think Reid should go fuck himself.

Pathetic leftwing racial dictator that he is....; 9/25/13, 12:54 PM
machine said...: Don't forget this:

Rep. Peter King (R-NY) is no fan of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), as the outspoken congressman made clear...

“My sound bite is to say he’s a fraud,” King told the Times. “I start with that, and then I go on. It takes me two or three minutes to explain it.”

Minutes later, according to the Times, King had a damning characterization of Cruz's effort to block funding for the health care law, which has raised the risk of a government shutdown. Cruz continued his quixotic campaign to defund Obamacare with a marathon floor speech...

“It is just a form of governmental terrorism," King said.; 9/25/13, 1:00 PM
victoria said...: Larry, Republicans already had their chance, and they blew it as much as the democrats did. Remember the 90's? Government shut down? If you continue to force candidates like Cruz on the American public you will never, i mean never have a majority.

Vicki from Pasadena; 9/25/13, 1:03 PM
n.n said...: Reid supports Obamacare because it preserves the status quo, which is a fleecing of the People, and state-sponsored corruption.; 9/25/13, 1:05 PM
mccullough said...: Anarchy will be when young and healthy people by-pass insurance until they need it.; 9/25/13, 1:06 PM
Anonymous said...: Wendy Davis was trying to stop a vote. What the heck was Cruz trying to do? Draw attention to himself and it worked. That was not a filibuster.; 9/25/13, 1:07 PM
chickelit said...: I get the meme from Reid that Cruz must now be destroyed or Alinsky'd but getting cheap shots from the wrong people isn't going to help.; 9/25/13, 1:15 PM
machine said...: Cruz: a vote for cloture is a vote to fund Obamacare!

Then he votes for cloture...

Such brave heroes; 9/25/13, 1:15 PM
Sigivald said...: You'd think that if a shutdown was so bad, Democrats could come up with a ... compromise budget that avoided it?

I realize that they seem to think (as, to be fair, any party in power seems to think) that "compromise" means "the other side comes around to my position", but ...; 9/25/13, 1:17 PM
chickelit said...: The mere optics of being "cut off" by Reid are what many Tea Party people will remember. He wasn't allowed to "stand as long as possible."

Oh and I think Ted Cruz' political career will long outlive Harry Reid's.; 9/25/13, 1:19 PM
PH said...: Regardless of where you stand on the issue of Obamacare, Ted Cruz has to be applauded for showing that he is not only passionate, but willing to back that passion up.; 9/25/13, 1:20 PM
Left Bank of the Charles said...: Congress really only needs 3 weeks: 1 week for appointments and treaties in the Senate during which the House can hold oversight hearings, 1 week for civil and criminal legislation, and 1 week for the budget.

The rest is a waste of time.; 9/25/13, 1:41 PM
cubanbob said...: If the government shuts down does IRS stop collecting? One can hope.; 9/25/13, 1:42 PM
SGT Ted said...: So, wanting to repeal an unpopular law opposed by a majority of citizens is now "anarchy".

Reids been sniffing his own farts for far too long.; 9/25/13, 1:47 PM
Annie said...: Reid is exhibit A for term limits and no cadillac pensions. These corrupt career assholes need to keep a day job and only meet one week every two years. We would all be better off.; 9/25/13, 1:49 PM
Annie said...: And what Big Mike said in comment one.; 9/25/13, 1:49 PM
victoria said...: Please, Cruz is a sycophant and the only reason he 'filibustered" was to draw attention to himself, not the issues. At least Wendy davis was standing up for something and was trying to delay a vote.
Ted Cruz, ew!

vicki from pasadena; 9/25/13, 1:58 PM
Larry J said...: victoria said...
Larry, Republicans already had their chance, and they blew it as much as the democrats did. Remember the 90's? Government shut down? If you continue to force candidates like Cruz on the American public you will never, i mean never have a majority.

Yes, I remember when the Congress passed a budget, Clinton vetoed it and the Republicans were blamed for Clinton shutting down the government. I also remember how almost no one noticed that the government "shut down".

Last year, the Republicans played prevent defense with the budget. Their consultants assurred them that if they just went along to get along with Obama, Romney would not only win the presidency but Republicans would win control of the Senate. They were wrong on all counts when millions of Republican voters stayed home on election day.; 9/25/13, 2:00 PM
machine said...: and the guy who ran for President saying the first thing he would do would be to repeal Obamacare suffered a convincing loss...

The election was all about Obamacare and it was a blowout...so much for an unpopular law opposed by a majority of citizens....

GOP lost and now wants to hold hostages...wah!; 9/25/13, 2:08 PM
Kirk Parker said...: Victoria,

"If you continue to force candidates like Cruz on the American public..."

LOL! ROFL!!!! That's one of the funniest lines I've read all day.

Oh, wait -- you meant it seriously???; 9/25/13, 3:16 PM
Kirk Parker said...: (In case it's not obvious: Cruz is a candidate that the little guys forced on the party establishment.); 9/25/13, 3:16 PM
chickelit said...: machine wrote: The election was all about Obamacare and it was a blowout...so much for an unpopular law opposed by a majority of citizens....

GOP lost and now wants to hold hostages...wah!

In a sense, the 2010 midterm was all about a retort to Obama's profligate spending. But silly partisans like machine believe that all branches of government and all Constitutional duties should be under the auspices of a single party, single payer.

Ein Volk
Eine Partei
Ein Zahler; 9/25/13, 3:25 PM
ajs said...: Machine, how do you reconcile that with the fact that every poll since the ACA was enacted shows (growing) majorities opposed to it?; 9/25/13, 3:30 PM
Bob Ellison said...: I've been trying to understand leftists lately. (It's a hobby of mine.) They don't seem to believe in rules like the rule of law, or natural rights like freedom and such. They seem to be a different species from me, at least in our differential heads. They want power, I think, not rules.

What structure would a mind like Harry Reid's propose for a federal government?; 9/25/13, 3:49 PM
Drago said...: Victoria: "Please, Cruz is a sycophant and the only reason he 'filibustered" was to draw attention to himself, not the issues."

Interesting.

"sycophant".

What powerful people is Ted Cruz praising in order to gain approval?; 9/25/13, 4:02 PM
Rumpletweezer said...: This is the price we pay for having outlawed dueling. Harry Reid, if not dead by now, would be so scarred by the constant slapping with a glove that children would cry and run away from his hideousness.; 9/25/13, 4:06 PM
PB said...: Harry is just a backroom sleaze who would never expend such a personal effort to speak his true thoughts in public.; 9/25/13, 4:20 PM
grackle said...: Ted Cruz represents the democratic wing of the Republican Party.

Yep.

Please, Cruz is a sycophant and the only reason he 'filibustered" was to draw attention to himself, not the issues.

Mind-reading is fun. Here's a fact: Cruz is fulfilling a campaign promise made to the folks who elected him. Turns out such behavior is kind of popular with voters. Other politicians might be better off taking notes.

http://tinyurl.com/k7xxbms; 9/25/13, 4:40 PM
Robert Cook said...: "What's with this spate of Demos calling the Tea Party Anarchists? Why I'm so old that I remember when the Left actually liked Anarchists."

What gives you the idea that the Democrats are "left?" What gives you the idea they are anything but a superficially "nicer" and somewhat less crazy Republican Party? Everyone in Washington, with rare exceptions, serves the prerogatives of Wall Street and the 1%.; 9/25/13, 4:56 PM
Kelly said...: machine said, "the election was all about Obamacare". Really? I thought it was about the 49 percent and Mitt Romney killing some guys wife, and Ann Romney's horse, and Mitt Romneys dog. You know, all the important things voters stay up late into the night thinking about.; 9/25/13, 5:12 PM
gk1 said...: I think I finally saw a Bridge over the River Kwai~ Colonel Nicholson moment today where the democrats have finally realized they can't run obamacare with less than half (the tax paying half) of the American public on board with it. The republicans will never give up trying to kill it or continually point out all the problems at every opportunity. The republican "base" wants this overturned and will search for candidates that want to kill it. Clumsy implementation will only excellerate its implosion.; 9/25/13, 7:18 PM
Big Mike said...: @Rumpletweezer, children run away from him in fright even without dueling scars.; 9/25/13, 8:09 PM
jr565 said...: What Ted did was pointless, but leave it to Harry Reid to make me want to defend Ted Stevens. That Harry is one major douche.; 9/25/13, 11:45 PM
damikesc said...: Rep. King. Isn't he, you know, comically corrupt?

And, machine, if you don't comprehend what Cruz was talking about in regards to cloture, why are you criticizing him?

@ Victoria --- Davis was standing up to sentence Texas women to horribly unclean abortion clinics. Infections, apparently, are the new feminism.; 9/26/13, 2:13 PM
Bob Loblaw said...: How many people would actually notice a government shutdown? Usually when they government "shuts down" they exempt all sorts of things like Social Security and military.; 9/26/13, 3:55 PM