Nothing to see here, folks
by digby
Here’s a little flashing red light:
For McConnell and Senate Republicans, governing in the majority could prove to be more difficult than winning it was.
The first test of McConnell’s ability to manage intraparty divisions could come as soon as lawmakers return to Washington later this month for a lame-duck session. Congress will have to fund the government (again) to stave off a shutdown, approve a sweeping Department of Defense authorization bill, potentially approve an Iran sanctions measure, and also could clear Eric Holder’s replacement as U.S. attorney general.
In all of those cases, McConnell’s interests and the interests of the Republican Party may not align with those of individual members, several of whom are mulling 2016 presidential election bids. At least four are flirting with a run for the White House: Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Marco Rubio of Florida and Rob Portman of Ohio.
Cruz especially could prove to be a troublesome force for McConnell, as the Texas conservative has built his national profile on bucking his own leadership as well as attacking the president and Democrats. Cruz was the intellectual architect of the October 2013 government shutdown that largely was opposed by the GOP leadership. Despite their warnings — and those of even more establishment colleagues — Cruz filibustered a spending bill unless it defunded Obama’s health care law. Though public opinion of the GOP tanked — dropping to historic lows — Cruz appeared unmoved. The Republican grass roots roared their approval, and nothing that Cruz or his aides have said since suggests he plans to drop his hardline approach. In fact, Cruz has conspicuously refused to endorse McConnell for majority leader.
GOP Senate aides across the ideological spectrum told Yahoo News that some of the chamber’s most conservative members have expressed a paranoia that a newly minted Majority Leader McConnell could try to strike deals with Democrats in the lame-duck session on issues such as a longer-term spending agreement — rather than having to find a coalition in the next Congress to approve spending measures more palatable to the Cruz contingent.
I’m guess that liberal members ought to have a little paranoia about all that too … just saying.
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