Flip flopper
Via The Hill
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) delivered a message to Tea Party critics when he cast a decisive vote Wednesday that led to Senate passage of a debt ceiling hike: Bring it on.
In perhaps his most defining moment in the 113th Congress, McConnell strode up to the dais and declared his “aye” vote in a clear voice heard throughout the chamber. It broke the impasse and seven more Republicans soon voted as well to end the filibuster.
It was a risky decision for McConnell, who is facing a difficult primary battle from businessman Matt Bevin, a conservative backed by Tea Party groups.
McConnell’s vote broke a filibuster by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) that was backed by the Club for Growth, which helped defeat former Sens. Bob Bennett (Utah) and Dick Lugar (Ind.) in Republican primaries in 2010 and 2012 but has stayed out of McConnell’s race so far.
His colleagues hoped Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), a centrist Republican, would provide the needed 60th vote but Murkowski refused unless the GOP leadership team joined her, according to a source who was on the floor during the standoff.
Supporters of McConnell inside and outside the Senate said it was a moment of real leadership for the longtime Kentucky senator, who over the past year has voted more often than now with Tea Party groups as he readied for the tough primary challenge.
They viewed it as a sign that McConnell, always a supporter of the Senate as an institution, will not be cowed by pressure from outside groups.