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Cornyn formally elected Senate GOP whip; Cruz enthusiastic …about GOP majority

From left, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn of Texas., and Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., leave a closed-door meeting of Senate Republicans at the Capitol on Thursday. (AP/Susan Walsh)

updated 12:20 with comments from Sens. Cruz and Thune.

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans formally reelected Texas Sen. John Cornyn as GOP whip. In the new Senate that makes him deputy majority leader.

The vote was by acclamation. Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania,  a conservative, nominated Cornyn. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a moderate, seconded the nomination, and both delivered speeches for him in the closed door meeting of Senate Republicans.

“I’m humbled to have been chosen by my colleagues to help lead the new majority in the U.S. Senate, and I pledge that those fundamental Texas values of personal liberty and limited government will continue to be my guide,” Cornyn said in a statement.

“After years of gridlock and dysfunction in the Senate the work before us is considerable, but Republicans approach this opportunity with determination, with humility, and above all with a firm commitment to address the top priorities of the American people.”

Sen. Mitch McConnell was elected unanimously,  as well. He will serve as majority leader in the new Senate.

Sen. Ted Cruz, the Texas tea partier who has tangled with GOP leaders, went with the flow at Thursday’s meeting, which lasted nearly three hours.

“The new leadership team is essentially the same as the old leadership team. The results were unsurprising. The top leadership positions were all uncontested and elected by acclamation,” Cruz said as he left the meeting.

Asked if he’s enthusiastic to see McConnell and Cornyn continue leading the Senate GOP, Cruz responded: “I am enthusiastic about Republicans being in the majority and now having the opportunity to lead.

“And if we simply do what we said we would do and lead with a bold positive agenda – pro-jobs, pro-growth, defending the constitutional rights of the citizenry – it will make a serious and a real difference for the country. And I am optimistic and hopeful that Republicans will do just that,” he said.

Sen. John Thune of South Dakota– reelected to his post as GOP conference chairman – said all the elections went “fairly smoothly.” Downplaying the idea that Cruz or others might continue to give headaches to leadership, he said he doesn’t sense much tension among Senate Republicans.

“We’re still new to this. We’re going to be a majority. We know that in order for us to succeed we’re going to have to function as a team and I think that gives you a renewed sense of purpose. Those things tend to be more evident in the minority, but in the majority – for sure we’re going to have disagreements. We have different folks who come from different places and have different views on issues,” he told reporters. “But when it comes to being successful in terms of trying to move an agenda I think we all recognize we have to work together as a team.”

Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire nominated McConnell. Sen.-elect Tom Cotton of Arkansas gave a seconding speech. Thune was nominated by Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia and seconded by Sen.-elect Cory Gardner of Colorado.

In the only contested GOP race, Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker beat Nevada Sen. Dean Heller to become the new chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Cornyn held that job for four years. Wicker’s challenge will be to defend the new 54-seat majority, in a year in which far more GOP-held seats are on the line.

Texas will stay Republican, says RNC chairman Priebus, shrugging off Cruz friction talk

Reince Priebus, Republican National Committee chairman, speaks with reporters over breakfast on Friday. (Michael Bonfigli/The Christian Science Monitor)

WASHINGTON – Republican national chairman Reince Preibus gloated Friday morning about the victories in Texas and shrugged off the idea that Sen. Ted Cruz’s outspokenness poses any sort of problems in the Senate.

Texas Republicans ran the table Tuesday night, winning every statewide office by wide margins. Battleground Texas – the Democrats’ much ballyhooed push this year, led by veteran Obama operatives – couldn’t stop the juggernaut and if anything, Priebus said, it prodded his own side to work harder.

Priebus and reporters on Friday. (Michael Bonfigli/The Christian Science Monitor)

“The Texas GOP and the Republican National Committee took the threat of Battleground Texas pretty seriously,” he said over breakfast with reporters sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor. “I do believe that Battleground Texas did a lot of work down there in registering Hispanic voters. I just think they woke up the [Republican] party.”
Priebus credited serious efforts by the Texas GOP, and said the national party “has been investing in Texas for about a year and a half.”

Democrats have eyed Texas as a sort of trump card in presidential contests. With California and New York safely in their column, those extra electoral votes would provide a Democratic nominee a nearly insurmountable lead. They’ve been counting on demographic shifts to deliver the state, eventually.

But, said Priebus, “We don’t plan on slowing down on our engagement in Texas…. We know that we have to hold and get better in Texas.”

“I don’t think it’s going to be a problem in 2016,” he added, but without ongoing efforts the state could slip away in 2020 or 2024. “I don’t want to see [Texas] becoming a close state or becoming purple.”

Three hours before congressional leaders arrive at the White House for a reset lunch with Obama, Priebus was deeply critical of the president’s post-election stance – the lack of contrition or acknowledgement that voters rejected his views and embraced those of Republicans.

“I’m not sure the president got the message. He was dismissive. He was flip. And this isn’t the first time the president has said he would be bipartisan,” he said. “He needs to listen to the American people more…. We won in red states, we won in blue states and we won in purple states.”

Asked about Sen. Ted Cruz’s comments last weekend denouncing the president for “lawlessness” and calling for a flood of investigations by a GOP-run Senate, Priebus basically agreed.

With the size of the GOP majorities – in the House, the biggest in decades – the Cruz faction won’t stir division. “Unity is pretty achievable with those kinds of numbers,” he said. “…What Ted Cruz said I think is appropriate. The American people in part – in part, it wasn’t the whole campaign — are sick and tired of the abuse, as well. They want answers on the IRS. They want answers on Benghazi.”

He’s pleased that the RNC has curtailed the presidential primary process “from a 6-month slice and dice festival” to a compressed 60-day process. The party also plans to hold only about seven primary debates, enforced with “pretty debilitating” penalties; a candidate would forfeit a big chunk of delegates by participating in non-sanctioned “rogue debates.”

“We’re not going to have a 23 debate circus,” Priebus said.

The next presidential race is imminent. Priebus plans to have a “full blown field operation” by March in Florida, Ohio and Virginia – key battlegrounds the GOP will need to win the White House in 2016.

“I sure as heck hope we’re running against Hillary Clinton,” he said, noting that candidates she and Bill Clinton tried to rescue this election didn’t do well. Even in their home state of Arkansas, Rep. Tom Cotton ousted Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor.

“What you saw on Tuesday night is about as flat a performance as we could have seen from the Democratic Party’s brightest star,” Priebus said, adding that she would unify Republicans and help fill the party’s coffers like no other Democratic nominee.

Ted Cruz on Apple’s Tim Cook coming out: “I love my iPhone”; gay rights groups unamused

Sen. Ted Cruz speaks at a news conference on immigration at the US Capitol on Sept. 9, 2014. (AFP photo/Mandel Ngan )

WASHINGTON — Sen. Ted Cruz on Thursday called Apple CEO Tim Cook’s coming out as gay a “personal decision.”

“Those are his personal choices,” Cruz said on CNBC. “I’ll tell you, I love my iPhone.”

The Texas Republican, a vocal opponent of gay marriage, then pivoted to his stance on the broader issue. Cruz said marriage is a question best left to the states because of the country’s federalist system.

“My focus is on the constitutional question of who has the authority to make decisions,” Cruz said.

Last month, Cruz vowed to introduce a constitutional amendment that would ensure states can ban gay marriage. His announcement came after the Supreme Court let stand a series of lower court rulings that legalized the practice, a move Cruz called “tragic and indefensible.”

Cook came out in a Bloomberg Businessweek opinion piece on Thursday, revealing publicly for the first time that he is gay.

“Let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me,” Cook wrote.

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay-rights organization, had harsh words for Cruz’s remarks.

“Coming out is the most courageous and important thing that an LGBT person will do in their lifetime,” spokesman Fred Sainz said. “Tim Cook showed great courage and leadership in doing so. He no doubt will save lives by inspiring those struggling with their sexual orientation or gender identity. All we get from Senator Cruz is either backhanded compliments or his backhand.”

Would Ted Cruz and champions of religious liberty have ridden to the rescue if Houston had subponaed mosques?

The city of Houston sparked a firestorm when it subpoenaed the sermons of five pastors who led opposition to the city’s equal rights ordinance. Christian conservative groups and politicians, including Attorney General Greg Abbott and Sen. Ted Cruz, denounced the action as an attack on religious liberty. Faced with the criticism, the city amended its subpoenas to remove any mention of “sermons.” But it still seeks “all speeches or presentations related to” the ordinance and a petition drive aimed at repealing it.

Opponents had mounted the petition drive but the city ruled there weren’t enough valid signatures to put the repeal issue on the ballot. Opponents filed suit. The case is set for trial in January.

The ordinance bans discrimination by businesses that serve the public and in housing and city employment. Religious institutions are exempt. Critics complain the ordinance grants transgender people access to the restroom of their choice in public buildings and businesses, excluding churches.

Mayor Annise Parker says the city wasn’t trying to intrude on matters of faith. She says it just wants to know what pastors advised folks about the petition process. But critics are deeply suspicious the Houston subpoena could set up a test case aimed at revoking the tax exemption of religious organizations that advocate political activity the government doesn’t like.

What to make of the balancing act between the city’s effort to defend its equal rights ordinance and pastors who encouraged people to oppose it in speeches and correspondence?

What are the limits, if any, of religious leaders to speak out as a matter of religious faith without facing a government subpoena?

We asked our Texas Faith panel of religious leaders, theologians, academics and faith-based activists what they thought of the clash between faith and politics in Houston. Their responses: diverse and provocative.

“I celebrate the courage of preachers who, like the ancient prophets, become critics of the political system,” said one Texas Faith panelist.

But another said: “Foolish paranoid irrationality aside, the city of Houston does not restrict preachers’ ability to pontificate on why some people should be given human rights, but others should not.”

And there was this: What if they had been mosques? Would Ted Cruz and champions of religious liberty been so quick to ride to the rescue?

If you think there’s consensus – even among those in the faith community – you’re wrong.

Continue reading →

Dim views from Texas on Obama’s Ebola czar

WASHINGTON — President Obama’s decision today to name a so-called “Ebola czar” to oversee the federal response is drawing scathing reviews from many Texas Republicans — and some praise.

House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Austin, called it “an important and necessary step to name an Ebola coordinator.” But he said, Ron Klain — a former chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, a job he also held under Vice President Al Gore — isn’t the right person.

McCaul noted that previous administrations had special advisers on biodefense policy with solid scientific and medical backgrounds. “While the president’s pick may have the ear of the White House and experience from the campaign trail, I am concerned he doesn’t have significant relationships in the medical community that are imperative during this current biological emergency,” McCaul said.

Sen. Ted Cruz blasted the choice entirely.

“We don’t need another so-called ‘czar,’ ” he said in statement. “We need presidential leadership. This is a public health crisis, and the answer isn’t another White House political operative. The answer is a commander in chief who stands up and leads, banning flights from Ebola-afflicted nations and acting decisively to secure our southern border.”

There is no evidence that Ebola has entered the United States through Mexico.

Cruz called for an emergency session of Congress to enact a flight ban.

House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., echoed McCaul’s view. He wasn’t impressed by a czar without a medical background.

“What has been missing from this administration’s response to Ebola is not a new figurehead; what we need is a strategy to get ahead of this, and restore the public’s faith that they are safe,” he said.

 

 

Ebola: calls for travel ban rejected, debated

WASHINGTON – As more politicians clamored for a travel ban they hope will halt the spread of Ebola, public health experts and the administration remained adamant Wednesday that it’s a bad idea.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said a ban is still “not on the table at this point.”

On Tuesday, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz demanded that travelers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea – the countries grappling with Ebola outbreaks — be denied entry into the United States. The Liberian man who died a week ago in Dallas spread the virus to two nurses.

He flew from the capital, Monrovia, without a fever or any symptom that would have let screeners flag him as a potential carrier.

Cruz called the outbreak in West Africa a “public health and national security threat.” And, in an interview conducted before the third case was confirmed early this morning, he noted the disruption and worry caused by just two cases in Dallas.

“Our capacity to handle a widespread Ebola outbreak is limited,” Cruz said. “The best approach is to prevent an outbreak, because if we were to see anything, God forbid, like the numbers that are being seen in West Africa, that has the potential to overwhelm the capability of our system.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with the World Health Organization, argue that a travel ban would isolate poor countries badly in need of outside help and economic activity. In their judgment, a ban would let Ebola fester and explode in a pandemic far worse than it otherwise might.

Few federal lawmakers have defended that viewpoint. This afternoon, Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., chimed in.

She painted demands for a travel ban as alarmist.

“Many of my congressional colleagues have let their anxiety about this crisis dictate a panicked and perilous tone during a time when we need a cautious yet vigilant discussion,” she said. “This idea may seem like a quick fix but in reality, isolating West Africa will only exacerbate the epidemic in the region.”

Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Lewisville, a physician, was on CNN for a second day in a row arguing for a “pause” in travel from the afflicted countries.

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., a member of the GOP leadership and the senior Republican on the Senate committee overseeing transportation, joined with House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa., also called for a travel ban today.

“We believe a temporary travel ban for such individuals who live in or have traveled from certain Western African countries is reasonable and timely,” they said in a joint statement.

Alameel eyeing Cruz in 2018 as he fights to unseat Cornyn

David Alameel hasn't given up in his Senate campaign.

David Alameel (Michael Ainsworth/Staff)

WASHINGTON – Even against long odds, David Alameel hasn’t thrown in the towel in his bid to unseat Sen. John Cornyn.

“I’m in it for the long run,” the Dallas investor and dentist told The Dallas Morning News editorial board on Monday.

Cornyn leads by about 20 percentage points in most polls. Alameel says it hasn’t dampened his optimism.

“My aim is not just to win. I want to change the way people think,” he said.

He also sees this year’s effort as a way to position himself to try again in 2018, when freshman Sen. Ted Cruz’s term expires.

“The next one is in four years, and you have to build a base. I’m building a base right now,” Alameel said.

To do that, Alameel has dug deep into his own pocket.

Through the end of June, he’d poured more than $5 million in personal funds into the campaign, accounting for over 99 percent of his expenditures. He’s spent another $2 million in the last three months, he said, but isn’t “keeping up exactly on how much.”

The next batch of campaign finance reports are due Wednesday.

Alameel said he sees the spending, and his campaign, as a form of public service.

“Different people have different values. My value is about doing something that makes a difference to my country, to my community,” he said. “Life’s too short, what are you going to do with your money?”

Cruz calls Supreme Court move on gay marriage legally “indefensible”

updated with Democrats’ comments

WASHINGTON – Sen. Ted Cruz blasted the U.S. Supreme Court for today’s refusal to review laws in five states allowing same-sex marriage.

The Texas Republican called that decision “tragic and indefensible,” “judicial activism at its worst” and “astonishing.”

He vowed to introduce a constitutional amendment when Congress returns to work in mid-November to block federal interference – from the executive or the courts – with state laws defining marriage as a union only between a man and a woman only.

“Marriage is a question for the States,” Cruz said in a statement. “Traditional marriage is an institution whose integrity and vitality are critical to the health of any society. We should remain faithful to our moral heritage and never hesitate to defend it.”

Cruz, who served as a law clerk to then Chief Justice William Rehnquist, accused the high court under Chief Justice John Roberts of abdicating its duty to uphold the Constitution. He took the court to task to tacitly embracing lower court rulings that applied the 14th Amendment to same-sex marriage.

“When the 14th Amendment was adopted 146 years ago, as a necessary post-Civil War era reform, it was not imagined to also mandate same-sex marriage, but that is what the Supreme Court is implying today,” Cruz asserted. “The Court is making the preposterous assumption that the People of the United States somehow silently redefined marriage in 1868 when they ratified the 14th Amendment.”

The Democratic National Committee emailed reporters the full text of Cruz’s statement, taunting him with photos of same-sex couples celebrating.

Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa didn’t think much of Cruz’s stance.

“Senator Ted Cruz is woefully out of touch with Texas and America. His pledge to introduce a constitutional amendment is simply cheap political tricks and pandering,” he said.

Ted Cruz prods FAA for travel restrictions to keep Ebola out of US, though authority unclear

WASHINGTON — Sen. Ted Cruz is pressuring the government to clamp down on air travel from West Africa.

Citing the Liberian patient being treated in Dallas for Ebola, Cruz, R-Texas, wrote the Federal Aviation Administration demanding assurance that the FAA is “doing everything within its authority to prevent the spread of this infectious disease.”

Public health authorities have insisted that a travel ban is unnecessary and potentially counterproductive. CDC director Tom Frieden reiterated the point this afternoon. But he and others also concede that screening in Liberia and other nations where Ebola is raging cannot detect or deter every infected traveler — especially those without symptoms.

FAA issued temporary flight restrictions on Israel when rockets were falling near Ben Gurion Airport. But it’s unclear whether this or some other agency — such as CDC or Customs — would have authority to block flights and travelers from West Africa.

“Given the severity of this virus and the fact that its spread to Texas has been associated with travel, it is imperative that the FAA take every available precaution in preventing additional cases from arriving in the United States,” Cruz wrote FAA administrator Michael Huerta in a letter the senator’s office shared with the news media. “As you may be aware, several African nations have already restricted or banned air travel to countries with confirmed cases of the Ebola virus. British Airways, Emirates Airlines and Kenya Airways have also suspended flights due to the rising death toll and deteriorating public health situation in Ebola-stricken countries.”

Cruz’s letter asks for details of any steps FAA intends to take “to limit or suspend air travel to countries that have experienced a significant Ebola outbreak.”

He also asks whether passengers will be notified that they flew on a flight with anyone later confirmed to have Ebola. United Airlines voluntarily disclosed the flights Thomas Eric Duncan flew from Liberia to Brussels and then to the United States; health authorities have issued repeated assurances that since he had no symptoms during his journey, there is no chance he spread the infection to fellow travelers.

Duncan apparently lied to airport screeners in Liberia by denying recent exposure to Ebola.

The FAA had no direct response to Cruz’s letter.

“The health and welfare of flight crews, airline workers and the traveling public is a priority of the FAA,” the agency said in a statement. “We work closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as other federal government partners on issues of public health and on disease awareness, when appropriate.”

Cruz’s letter:

Sen. Ted Cruz letter to FAA re Ebola

On immigration, Cornyn sees focus on border security in GOP-run Senate

Sen. John Cornyn at a Senate hearing Nov. 6, 2013. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON –Republicans will remain focused on a security-first approach to immigration if they win control of the Senate, Sen. John Cornyn said Monday.

“Our Democrat friends want to eat dessert before they eat their vegetables on immigration. I just don’t think that’s going to work,” he said.

Cornyn spent an hour with The Dallas Morning News editorial board earlier today. Video clips posted here.

He warned that President Barack Obama would be unwise to issue any sweeping immigration policies using executive authority.

“I just can’t think of anything that would poison the well more,” said Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, who is seeking a third 6-year term against Democratic nominee David Alameel, a Dallas investor and dentist.

Immigration advocates have accused Cornyn for years, and Republicans generally, of using security demands as a trump card to deflect demands for broader reforms.

Cornyn acknowledged that advocates might see a security-first approach as yet another stalling tactic.

“I guess we could say trust me. But there’s not a lot of trust,” he said. “But anything comprehensive is going to be viewed as another exercise like the Affordable Care Act” – that is, a huge, complex package with too many moving parts and too many objectionable elements.

A piecemeal approach suits Republicans better, Cornyn said.

“Is a Republican-controlled Congress going to pass a quick pathway to citizenship? No,” he said. “But would there be an opportunity to vote on — once border security was addressed, once the visa overstay was addressed and an e-verify system put in place, is there way then to look at how do we provide some way for people to earn a legal status so that they can stay and be productive? I think there is.”

Cornyn was pleased at last week’s resignation of Attorney General Eric Holder. He’d called for years for Holder to resign, and Monday repeated assertions that Holder turned his office into an arm of the White House political operation.

“Eric Holder took this to an extreme,” Cornyn said, citing the Justice Department’s legal fight with Texas over the state’s voter ID law, and Holder’s role in the Fast and Furious gun-running operation.

He declined to pick a favorite for a replacement.

“I’m sure he’s not waiting for my recommendation. That might be the kiss of death,” he said, referring to Obama.

But he named one potential nominee he might find acceptable: Kathryn Ruemmler, a former White House counsel to Obama who previously held a top post at the Justice Department. He cautioned Obama not to name a replacement before the new Congress begins in January.

When it comes to the looming 2016 presidential race, Cornyn sounded tepid when it comes to the state’s junior senator, Ted Cruz, or fellow tea partier Rand Paul, who represents Kentucky in the Senate but who also has deep Texas roots, born and raised in the Houston area and educated at Baylor.

Asked about them and Gov. Rick Perry, who also is eyeing a run, Cornyn said, “I’m not going to pick among my friends. I do think that we have a number of governors that I think have had good experience running things which I think will make them attractive.”

Cornyn took a small swipe at Democratic challenger David Alameel, a Dallas dentist and investor.

“I’ve not seen him on the campaign trail,” he said, though he did recall meeting Alameel years ago. “He used to be a supporter of mine and he used to be an active Republican donor.” (Earlier this year Alameel requested a refund of his donations to Cornyn, which the senator refused.)

On the Islamic State, Cornyn reiterated his view that Obama should have come to Congress and sought a full debate over U.S. military involvement. That, he said, would promote buy-in both from lawmakers and the public.

And he called it remarkable that Tony Blinken, a top White House national security adviser, said Sunday that Obama still wants Congress to repeal a 2002 authorization to use military force in Iraq, even as he invokes it for the U.S. involvement against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

“My head may explode trying to figure that one out,” Cornyn said.

He added that Obama seems to be ignoring military advice by refusing to commit U.S. combat troops to the fight.

He called it a grievous mistake to work with Iran against ISIL.

“That’s very dangerous,” Cornyn said. “You can already see them try to leverage their participation… into not giving up their nuclear weapons-building capability…. The single biggest threat to the Middle East is an Iranian nuclear weapon.”