Nice commentary by John Hinderaker over at Powerline on Cruz’s ‘Long Speech.’ I’ve also included some of the highlights of his speech, and some additional commentary and analysis.
I’d also like to see some of your analysis of the Cruz speech. Did you find it inspirational or, as I’ve seen expressed by some on Twitter, depressing because it wasn’t going to stop ObamaCare? Personally, I was inspired and believe it’s steps like this that help the process and hold the feet of others to the fire đ It also establishes Cruz as a man to take seriously. Joel Pollak over at Breitbart takes this position as well with “Cruz Filibuster: Resistance Is Not Useless.”
At this hour, Ted Cruz is still speaking on the Senate floor. He is, at this moment, reading Green Eggs and Ham as a bedtime story for his children, but until how he has carried on a long, substantive denunciation of Obamacare. The parts I listened to were very good. It isnât exactly a filibuster, just a really long speech. Still, he clearly intends to follow in Rand Paulâs footsteps; it was Paul who brought back the old-fashioned, on-your-feet filibuster, and created a sensation doing it.
I am not crazy about Cruzâs plan to block cloture on the House resolution, but I applaud his speech. Obamacare is unpopular, and Republicans should pound away at it non-stop. Within the last few hours, reports have surfaced that House Republicans may attach a one-year delay in Obamacareâs individual mandate to the Senateâs âcleanâ continuing resolution. Obamacare may also feature in upcoming debates over raising the debt ceiling.
I think it is good for Republicans to keep pounding away at Obamacare with the procedural tools that come to hand, but the reality is that in the end, Obamacare must be repealed, and it can be repealed only by a Republican House, a Republican Senate and a Republican president. That is a tall order, but Obamacareâs growing unpopularity may help to bring it about.
Ted Cruz Reads Green Eggs And Ham On Senate Floor
And via Business Insider a very sweet picture pf Cruz’s girls watching their dad on C-Span:
Brit Hume is not impressed with Cruz. At all.
Amid media maelstrom, Mike Lee calls Ted Cruz ‘kindred spirit’
Ted Cruz is making history. After nearly 19 hours of speaking, he is as lucid, as brilliant and as articulate as he’s ever been. He’s certainly a class act and a consummate statesman. I watched him until midnight AND, in my small act of solidarity, I left my television on while I slept. I was ecstatic to see that he was still speaking when I awakened this morning.
More people of his stature in DC of any party – problem solved.
Donât Mess with Texas! I love this moment, and applaud Ted Cruz for his stand with and for the American people. Our Founding Fathers would be proud of this young man. He gets it! My 14 year old son even enjoyed watching some the speech, and loved it when he read the bedtime stories to his little girls. We are watching history in the making, and prayerfully, things will begin to turn around if for no other reason than exposing the dirty business going on in DC and the GOP. Who said, âThereâs no cause greater than the lost causeâ. These are exciting times for our country. Let us continue to fight!
From Wikip: The “Lost Cause,” the title of Edward A. Pollards 1866 history of the Confederacy… [Not sure if that sentence is in the book or not, seems likely though. Pollards was the editor of the Daily Richmond Examiner during the Civil War. Richmond being the capital of the Confederacy.]
So yes, interesting parallels in reverse. Then, the wartime editor of the Daily Richmond Examiner wrote the contemporaneous Southern history of the Civil War. Today, the Washington Examiner publishes articles to help in the fight against socialist destruction of the U.S.
Story confirming you’re right about fighting for the lost cause today. Sober NBC story from one month ago on Spain’s youth. This is what socialism does to the young. http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/25/20022234-our-generation-is-a-lost-cause-spains-youth-struggle-to-chart-a-life-amid-economic-crisis?lite
“…âOur generation is a lost cause because they donât let us work,â said Palomares-Romero, who lives with her parents in Orcasitas, a working-class neighborhood in the south of Madrid….âThe situation is bad and getting worse,â she said. âSpain is looking like the worst country in the world.â “
Thanks, Alain. đ
Sobering situation for the youth in Spain.
I’m sick as hell of all the people lining up to trash Ted Cruz’s efforts, and Ted Cruz personally. Bernie Goldberg – I used to think he was one of the good guys, now I can’t even look at him. Jonah Goldberg – never thought about the fact that they have the same last name, but Jonah’s smearing of Cruz in National Review will make sure I never take him seriously again. Dennis Prager never got personal but he just towed the establishment line, very disappointing. Michael Medved, who happened to find his way onto my radio yesterday afternoon, called Cruz out-of-touch-with-reality. Michael, funny how you’re out of touch with the fact that we know you’re a liberal who’s faking it! Brit Hume, Andrea Tantaros, Stuart Varney, Greg Gutfeld, I could go on – couldn’t be more disappointed. Couldn’t be happier that Tammy is on the right side here!
Yes, flaggman, Tammy is on the right side here…. *as usual* — but, just stay away from the Goldbergs đ And Michael Medved is an elitist; I think he went to Yale, so he thinks he is the smartest guy in the room, all the time.
I am very proud of Cruz, and right now, I am very sad for our country….
No more Goldbergs! đ Have hope though, Obama and the GOP establishment are cancers, but most cancers can be cured.
Flaggman…more consolation for you…Hugh Hewitt was Rah Rah’ing in Cruz’s corner and on the right side with you. Sad but true that when Dems are losing, they attack us. When we’re losing, we attack us. A very bad strategy.
Inspired by Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Mike Lee, they both were uplifting in actions and words that showed what leadership should and could look like in DC. They did so without personal attacks of the others, but at least know how to put up a fight. Gov. Palin was on Fox News yesterday explaining about fighting the battle, even if you lose, and waving the American flag instead of the white flagâŚwas great visual.
Disappointed in Fox News and rest of media (that was to be expected) by coverage, lack of covering the story instead of personal attacking of Sen.Cruz. I watched much of the 20 hours and Cruz and Lee spent hours reading about now Americans are already suffering under Obamacare. That should be the stories! I rarely watch Fox anymore.
No Surprise with Sen. Rubio, He made sure to be on camera last night and this morning in âprimeâ hours to be seen on networks. I will give him that his comments were goodâŚstill not a fan though.
Disgusted with Sen. Mitch McConnell. I gave his office a call to let him know my disgust and inform them I have donated last night to Matt Bevin; McConnellâs primary opponent. I also signed up to volunteered for Matt Bevin, I donât much about this man yet but I know he isnât MitchyâŚ.all I need to know.
Sen. McCain very sad!
Encouraged overall, there are millions of us more than willing to fight the battles; but we need a few leaders in DC willing listen to us and stand up with us. If we can get a few more elected in 2014 like Cruz and Lee and add a Palin & West âŚâŚthere is still some hope and a second wind to continue the fight and save our great country.
Very inspirational. I was able to listen to quite a bit of it on my computer this morning while working. He swatted away Durbin like the pesky fly that he is. When Reid came in at the end it certainly appeared like Cruz is the young firebrand while Reid is the tired old loser with no ideas (also mcCain).
This is merely the beginning of our great struggle not only to defeat Obamacare but to defeat the Marxism that has overwhelmed the Democrat Party in particular and our country in general.
This great man needs to be our next president. RINOs be damned.
I’ll copy my comments from late last night on the other thread…
As I write this, it is a few minutes before 3 AM Pacific (thatâs 6 AM Eastern), Tuesday evening in my mind, but technically Wednesday morning. I went to C-Span and clicked through to the live feed from the Senate. And thereâs Sen. Ted Cruz, speaking firmly and eloquently about the disaster that is Obamacare, and the damage it is doing and will continue to do to the heartland. This is hugely impressive. Cruz speaks in terms of a real-world moral framework. He doesnât equivocate or apologize, but he makes his points without rancor. There is an aura of his manner that suggests, as with Ronald Reagan, that you can have a conversation with this man. He isnât trying to alienate or make enemies (this in contrast to Obama, who makes a point of being divisive).
I mostly see empty chairs in the Senate chambers, but Iâve watched Cruz yield to âquestionsâ from Sen. Mike Lee (of Utah) and Sen. Marco Rubio. This is something of a game, in that the questions are really an excuse by friends to give Cruz a few minutes of relief. Mike Lee told a long anecdote about eating at a salad bar, and finding one of the food items to be rancid and should be removed. But when he told a restaurant employee, that person shrugged and said she didnât work the salad bar. This employee indifference became a metaphor for the way Washington deals with complaints from the heartland.
And now itâs after 3 AM, and Cruzâs ongoing âquestionâ is cheering for the American dream, and warning that itâs slipping away.
Iâve questioned the wisdom of this effort. But Iâve got to hand it to Cruz. And give a few points to his relief team.
This is touching stuff. What can I say? God bless America. And God guide America.
…and a little after that…
Wow, Rubio just made a poetic analogy. He spoke of how Francis Scott Key wrote the words to the Star Spangled Banner after seeing the flag raised over Fort McHenry after a night of bombardment. Thatâs a touching lyric that always sends a chill down my spine. Then Rubio said how the flag flies over the Senate while the Senate is in session. And he said he had come here in the pre-dawn hours, and thus would not expect to see the flag flying. But there it was. And, seeing the flag flying, Rubio knew the Senate was still in session. That Cruz was holding the fort, just as the defenders of Fort McHenry had once done.
A few words of evaluation. Cruz’s efforts won’t do any immediate practical good. But Cruz will be getting grassroots support, and I think more elected Republicans will be coming on board with him. In the political arena, Obamacare is moving forward, and so (I say with all due cynicism) it will be politically wise for Republicans to stand with Cruz because there’s political upside but no downside. Obamacare will be generating increasing distress for everyone who isn’t a completely brainwashed Obamabot. Therefore, it’s politically advantageous to be distanced from it. And, the Republicans may be thinking, if Obamacare turns out to be a wonderful program (we know it won’t and can’t, but a gambler must allow for the hypothetical scenario), it will be forgotten who argued against it, except maybe for Cruz himself. So the Republicans are going to make the Democrats own Obamacare, and they’ll promise to come riding up on a white horse to save the day. Just as the Democrats promised to save us from Bush’s wars and fiscal irresponsibility.
In sum, Cruz is keeping the flame alive, and for that we owe him a great debt. But where the flame will go from here is anybody’s guess.
As for a presidential run…Hmmm, I was hoping the next president might actually have a track record of executive experience. Part of Obama’s problem, aside from his rotten ideology and thin-skinned narcissism, is that he’s never done any real-world work. The president is the CEO of the biggest, clunkiest organization in the world. Not a position you want to hand over to someone that’s never done anything like that.
The picture of Senator Cruzâs girls watching him on TV will become an iconic metaphor of inspiration and determination for the Kool-Aid-free generation. How awesome it would be to see this image recreated as their father delivers the State of the Union speech. Meanwhile, the self-appointed pseudo-experts soil their underwear.
I stayed up with Senator Cruz until about 1:45am PDT. I wanted to stay up longer, but had to work today and I’ve never been functional after an all-nighter.
The whole experience was almost “sacred” to me. With Cruz and Mike Lee being practically alone in the chamber, if felt almost like they were right there in the family room with me.
The brilliance of these men came through over the hours of their “faux” filibuster. (Actually, I’m glad it didn’t really fit the definition of a filibuster. The word is so silly and implies a glorified waste of time.) There was nothing “wasteful” about their discourses. Like Ann Coulter (and many others) tweeted through the night, the whole thing was a profound learning experience. It was, in many respects, like attending a short-term law class being team-taught by two superior scholars.
Lee was a bit more formal (some might say “stuffy”) than Cruz, but his mastery of the constitution and legal protocol were amazing. And his personal stories were SO personal, that my they’re-sharing-the-family-room feeling became full-grown.
As to Cruz’s “speech,” it was a brilliant masterpiece of improvisation. I was continually struck by his profound articulation on every subject–and it seemed that as exhaustion filled him, the more interesting and clever his “performance” became. His expose of the Washington scene, his telling of his father’s personal story, his back-and-forth “things are not as they appear” repartee with Lee, etc. were riveting–but they always skillfully made their way back to the evils of Obamacare. It was one of my best “late night” experiences ever. This man is extremely presidential. If one didn’t know he had only been in office for 8 months, it would have been assumed that he was a veteran, seasoned statesman.
I really like Ted Cruz and turned on CSPAN yesterday to see what was up. I couldn’t turn my face away. I feel sure that we were witnesses to something important. No, not that his efforts will end the funding of O’Care but the rally of a base of people hungry for a leader. And I’m starting to think that Ted Cruz will be that leader. One day I feel that I will be telling my grandkids “I got to watched him make that “speech”.
To answer your inquiry Tammy, I was inspired but realistic that this will make no difference as regards to the outcome of this vote they will be taking. But I think it will make a difference for our country’s future. I think he’s the “real deal”.
I was and am inspired by Ted Cruz and it’s good to know where others stand — or sit as the case may be. I agree with Flaggman that a lot of the commentators I liked (past tense) showed their true colors — ugly. Same with some of the republicans who really just make me sick. I may be naive but somehow I just feel we are going to get this thing defunded or at least postponed long enough to toss it. It’s wishful thinking but it’s a start. TammyWorld is an oasis.
We need 400 more just like Senator Cruz.
From 2:30-11:30 I listened and couldn’t sleep so I got up and listened to the rest from 5:00 to noon. His speech was perfect and the questioners and their questions were very good. I heard him ream Harry Reid at 20 minutes ’til noon when Reid tried to trick Cruz into yielding the floor to Reid and then he denied Reid’s request to yield the floor to McCain like McCain was a two-year-old and couldn’t be bothered to ask for himself. I heard his entire interview with ElRushbo. Cruz is a true leader. He knows the problem thoroughly. He can describe it all and what is needed to change Washington. I’m not sad or disheartened or discouraged. I’m loving it! It is about time someone blew the whistle on those losers in Washington and stood tall and said “NO, not me!” and then asked everyone in ear-shot to look at the facts and join him in pressuring Washington from both parties to do the right thing and get out of the way of millions of Americans that don’t want to be told what to do. I’m loving it! What’s to be discouraged about? He is able to appeal to each person’s enlightened self-interest. He is very clever. He picked from a wide variety of writings, including Ayn Rand and Elrusho’s father and Dr Suess, he appealed to people who have “lucky boots” or superstitions for luck, he said he was not perfect but was flawed on many things. He encouraged every single person to get on the bandwagon and fight to push Washington back. He certainly is inspiring yet he is very challenging. Instead of challenging the leaders to take him on he encouraged the people to take Washington on. I’m loving it! Every single person I talked to got the message. Even the Marxists got it and are struggling to figure-out how to bash all of us. Yes, I’m loving it! I love a smart fight.