Anymore, a filibuster is an anti-American tactic used by Republican filibastards to prevent the majority from passing legislation much needed and supported by the American people. However, we now need a new term to describe attempts by a fools to appear heroic to stupid sheeple by pretending to filibuster, when they are not. I’m calling that a Phonybuster.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) announced Tuesday afternoon that he would launch a “speaking filibuster” in favor of defunding the Affordable Care Act until he is physically unable to stand.
Cruz’s speech is not technically a filibuster, as either way the Senate will vote tomorrow on the continuing resolution to keep the government from shutting down. Even though the vote will happen regardless of the length of his speech, Cruz vowed when he took the Senate floor, “I intend to speak in opposition to Obamacare, I intend to speak in support of defunding Obamacare, until I am no longer able to stand.”…
…Cruz stands nearly alone in his efforts to shut down the government unless President Obama agrees to defund health care reform. Many other Republicans, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), have scoffed at his plan, and even Fox News has tried to tell the Tea Party senator his plan is doomed. During the “filibuster,” Cruz compared his unlikely crusade against Obamacare to the first time men landed on the moon, joking, “The moon might be as intimidating as Obamacare!”… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Think Progress>
Lawrence O’Donnell discussed the Phonybuster with his panel.
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My first reaction was that this fool was trying to imitate Wendy Davis. Rachel Maddow thought so too.
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It’s all for show. He’s also trying to create a video library for 2016. When Idiot, Son of Idiot, Named after Idiot seems sane, compared to him, it’s definitely time for a straight jacket. The Senate will amend the House CR to fund ObamaCare, probably make a few other changes, and send it back to the House as the Senate CR.
I disagree with both Lawrence and Rachel on one small point. They both say this is meaningless. Keeping the Senate open while Cruz blathers on to an empty chamber is a waste of enough taxpayer dollars to fund health care for several poor families. Even worse, the Senate could have used that time to pass meaningful legislation to meet America’s needs.
Stay tuned.
34 Responses to “A Phonybuster”
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I have to agree with Lawrence and Rachel about Cruz's speech being meaningless because Harry Reid said there was no Senate business scheduled that day. So, Cruz wasted taxpayer monies by keepin the Senate open and the cameras rolling for his own "face-time". The vote was not delayed because it was scheduled for another time.
However, were it not for the TEAbuggery, something productive could hvwe bwwn scheduled. Republicans use delaying tacticd even on legislation they support to prevent the nation's work from ghetting done.
Here's Jon Stewart's take on Ted Cruz' speech : http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/09/26/1241474/-MUST-SEE-Jon-Stewart-s-epic-takedown-of-Ted-Cruz-s-non-filibuster
Hilarious, Patty!
Thanks Patty! That was funny! Just what the doctor ordered tonight before I hit the hay!
Cruz compared his unlikely crusade against Obamacare to the first time men landed on the moon,
I'd describe his efforts are more akin to Jackie Gleason's threats to send his wife to the moon in The Honeymooners — just venting frustration because he's losing the argument.
His antics are meaningful in another sense. He's got the Republican establishment leadership like McConnell and Cornyn witht heir knives out for him (my guess is, he lieft somce crucial rings unkissed backstage), while he's made himself a towering hero to the real flaming-nutball-insane-teabagger element of the base. That could mean more antagonism next year between the establishment and the base than ever before.
I love the Jackie Gleason comparison, yes his speech was about as effective.
Excellent reference, but Jackie may choke you.
First, it's clear Cruz never finished reading Dr. Seuss' book because after Sam-I-Am got the unnamed character to try them, he LIKED the Green Eggs and Ham.
Second, it's also clear that, despite Cruz' mendacious claim to "speak for the American people", he most assuredly does NOT:
Cruz opposes raising taxes on the wealthy. The public supports it.
Cruz opposes gun control. The public supports it.
Cruz is against immigration reform. The public supports it.
Cruz wants to cut funding of Medicare and Social Security. The public opposes such idiocy.
Cruz is the poster child for narcissistic self-absorption.
Well said Nameless! I wish Cruz would be a sponge and absorb his narcissistic self into oblivion!
And yet, he continues to get publicity. NO one I know ever heard of him until a few months ago. I think his aspirations exceed his abilites by far.
Very well put Nameless.
Aren't there some security guards of some kind who should have ushered Ted Cruz and his Phonybuster out of the door? (Love that phrase TC!). Failing that how about the men in white coats with butterfly nets? As you say – he is patently doing it to try and get a national profile – and pretending to be like the excellent, strong, principled and resourceful Wendy Davis. It was quite alarming to see Rand Paul pretending to be reasonable – but he too had an ulterior motive – to look reasonable and electable in his next shot at the Presidency…. horrors! Yet another case of the GOP wasting government money to try and get their faces on the Fox network and get some publicity!
Hang on – this tw*t thinks Neville Chamberlain thought that the Nazis should be appeased in the 1940s? In the MIDDLE of the Second World War – what a dumb schmuck!!! He neither has any intelligence or any ability to actually read known history – or have the TP re-written that to suit themselves?! If he could actually read and understand what he read, he would realise that he and his policies are far more akin to the Nazis than any other ones. Chamberlain pledged that if Poland was attacked we would as their allies attack Germany – doesn't sound like continued appeasement to me – 'cos that's what Britain did. One last thing – Neville Chamberlain could only have thought the Nazis should be appeased in the 1940s by psychic means – he died on 9 November 1940.
Don't you just love it when the Republicanus/Teabaggers trip over their own stupidity and lies! I wonder if in their rewrite of history, Nero fiddled while Rome burned? The Republicanus/Teabaggers might want to pay attention to that one.
Good analogy, Pat!
Wendy Davis' filibuster being seen by the press as heroic while Cruz's is dismissed as idiotic must be a bitter pill for Cruz to swallow. Good! I hope he chokes on it. Cruz will probably never figure out that his attempt to ride the same wave that propelled Ms. Davis to stardom failed because he identifies as Republican (even some Republicans are beginning to think that Republicans are idiots) and because he's not Wendy Davis.
A clear case of the hero v. the clown.
"The strange series of events started with Mr. Cruz’s marathon speech — which began Tuesday afternoon and went on until noon on Wednesday — and ended with the unanimous vote to cut off debate and proceed to consideration of a bill passed by the House that would keep the government open past Monday." [<a target=”_blank” href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/26/us/politics/senate-budget-battle.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0">Source</a>%5D
Even Cruz thought his filibuster was a bunch of crap. He voted in favor to cut off debate. He voted to shut himself up!
Jerry, I agree. See below,
I believe they voted 99 kto 1 to defund Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Seriously… 🙂
If they actually took a vote to defund Ted Cruz, it would probably be 100 to 0. Cruz will vote to defund anything!
LMAO @ bioth!
I think Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) was the only no vote… 🙂
Nope. Even he voted Yes.
Whoa, then who was the no vote?
It was unanimous. You may be confusing this with the 99-1 vote in the Borowitz spoof to defund Cruz.
If Cruz was a "Mr. Smith" attacking the corruption within Congress, that would be worth listening to.
After 21 hours of pleeding with his fellow Senators to do one thing, he does exactly the opposite just an hour after he got done blowing hard. No convictions, no principles, no truth, no shame. What a dirt bag.
He's in good company. The last phillabuster that went 24 hours; was Strom Thurmond speaking against the Civil Rights Act. That bill also passed, but the KKK guy spent 50 years in Congress. Lets hope that isn't Cruz's future.
Used to be that Americans famous common sense would keep us from going to far off the cliff; even though we have had plenty of nut jobs in Congress. We seem to be extremists now, and that has no patience for common sense, facts, or truth.
If Republicans happen to get the White House and the Senate next election; that's the fat lady singing.
"If Republicans happen to get the White House and the Senate next election; that's …"
Me getting my Passport dusted off and thinking about which nation I want to move to.
I hear Canada is nice … and not that I can hear it anymore, but from when I had hearing, they got the best National Anthem of all!
I fully agree, Steve.
TC, I like phoney buster, because that is exactly what this was. He got a lot of publicity, thus name recognition if he runs for the nomination in 2016. I read somewhere that he thought the Senate could impeach, so that is how much he knows about government. If McConnell and Rand disagreed with him, he is own his way out the door with Republicans. Good riddance.
And yes, it was a terrible waste of taxpayers money, just as all their votes against Obama care have been.
Wetting publicity was his job, I think. See below.
Personally, I called his little act of defiance and stupidity a "Fauxbuster" . . . it rolls off the tongue more easily.
“I intend to speak in opposition to Obamacare, I intend to speak in support of defunding Obamacare, until I am no longer able to stand.”…
Right . . . he couldn't find enough lies to tell about Obamacare to fill his 21 hours and 18 minutes so he had to:
– read Green Eggs and Ham to his daughters on TV;
– read Sam I Am to his daughters on TV;
– read part of the Bible;
– allow his Republicanus/Teabagger friends to ask questions so he could have a break.
If he'd had to filibuster like Wendy Davis, Democrat in the Texas senate, who was admonished to stay on topic (even though she was on topic), Cruz would have been burned toast!
Cruz's attempt at a fauxbuster was not only craven in the amount of time and resources that he wasted, but was also meaningless as regards his original intent, assuming that his intent was indeed to oppose Obamacare, and not just gain some notoriety in preparation for 2016.
That name works too. Amen to the rest.
When Cruz vited with tghe crown, I thought it over. Cruz accomplished three things. He got lots of publicity. He wasted a whold day of the Senate's time. He gave the other Senate Republicans cover, as they can now say that they tried to do the sane thing. If we default they can blame it on Cruz, who thinks he is perfectly safe in Texas, so he did what he was told.