Cruz Control

Cruz' filibuster is truly must-see TV for those who care about politics or current events.  I actually had to search for C-SPAN on Directv because I can't recall ever watching it on satellite.   The senator is a fantastic speaker, perhaps one of the best ever--and NOT because he has good pipes or can enunciate well or can read well from a prompter, but because he appears to be speaking from his heart and head right to the people.  I want to believe Cruz.   He comes off as simply a guy doing the right thing the way the Founders intended for our government to work.  I've seen a lot of slick-talking politicos though, so trust but verify applies.

Whether this is a golden moment for him, elevating him above the Irish mafia (McCain and McConnell, who are going to come off as old dinosaurs yelling for people to get off their lawns) or young guns like Rand Paul (where is he tonight?) remains to be seen, but it certainly seems it can't hurt him with independents and those being affected by Obamacare already.

Two things that are being talked about that should sting the Congress--and not just Democrats: the Obama-provided exemption for Congress out of the bill and the idea that many Dems are looking past Obamacare towards single payer, knowing the train wreck this bill has become.  Obama is certainly on record as being in favor of that outcome (will any reporter ever ask?) so it's nice to see it raised.

REACTION  9/24/13

Dana Milbank has already declared the filibuster a defeat and lambastes Cruz for being all about Ted.   As if the president never says "I".

The New York Times basically says that nobody likes him, even on his own side.

ABC is keeping track of his 'best lines'.

CBS is giving far more importance to a story about a toad with wings than Cruz, who is participating in a 'faux filibuster'. 

NBC is basically handling it as a news story, making sure they have Obama's response (unprecedented attempt to scare people) right under their Cruz story, while Fox isn't headlining it but does have several stories under their main headline about Kerry's intention to sign a UN treaty on arms control despite having no support for ratification in the Senate.  So wait, he's doing exactly what they say Cruz is doing. 

Allahpundit has a good summary with the usual opinions: Ted's all about himself and wants the presidency; he's an enigma who won't play team ball; he's a wacko bird; he's courageous and a man of his word.

As to the Ted is about Ted theory, let's say you have someone come to Washington, DC, let's call him Senator Smith, and he really is an outsider, he really is a man of principle, he really does care about the hinterlands and not the cocktail party set (as pointed out brilliantly in the book "This Town"), and who really loathes the cronyism and insularity of establishment politics.  How would that person be treated?    That's the conundrum here.  Fortunately we've got plenty of time to get a true measure of this man before he might run for higher office.