79-19: The Cruz Rebellion Against Obamacare Ends in Tears
By David Weigel
It was as the vote-counters forsaw -- Ted Cruz's effort to turn Republicans against cloture on the continuing resolution was a bust. Twenty-five of the 46 Republicans currently in the Senate voted for cloture, 19 voted against it. (Two of 'em, Jeff Flake and Orrin Hatch, didn't show.)
The "nos" included the minority whip, John Cornyn, and the entire GOP leadership of the NRSC, the committee tasked with electing Republican senators -- Jerry Moran and Ted Cruz leading off that count. They included Rob Portman, the Ohio senator seen as a possible dealmaker on tax reform -- he finished the vote and went to talk to Republican members of Congress who observed the vote, looking crestfallen, from the corners of the Senate.
The "ayes" included Mitch McConnell and a number of Republicans seen as national party spokesman -- i.e., establishment spokesman. John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and John Thune all went "aye," as did Ron Johnson, a 2010 freshman elected with Tea Party support.
The list of "no" votes, all Republicans:
Thad Cochran
Mike Crapo
Ted Cruz
Mike Enzi
Deb Fischer
Chuck Grassley
Dean Heller
James Inhofe
Mike Lee
Jerry Moran
Rand Paul
Rob Portman
Jim Risch
Pat Roberts
Marco Rubio
Tim Scott
Jeff Sessions
Richard Shelby
Pat Toomey
David Vitter
Vitter the diaper shitter?
http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/09/27/_79_19_the_cruz_rebellion_against_obamacare_ends_in_tears.html