Now, nowhere in Ryan’s op-ed does he suggest ditching the fight over Obamacare. As Cruz’s cheerleaders point out, Ryan doesn’t even mention the health care law.
But the thing that defies logic (and good manners) is the necessity of this kind of puerile bullying. Ryan’s plan isn’t in competition with or heretical to Cruz’s message. It’s simply another objective conservatives should fight for, both in the short term and the long term.
Furthermore, the sniping is just unseemly, and frankly, Cruz’s defenders are only managing to make Ryan look like the grown-up.
I don’t recall Ryan jumping into the fray when plenty of Republicans were criticizing the strategy to defund Obamacare — a position by Cruz that I have applauded as heroic. When Sens. Bob Corker and Orrin Hatch and Rep. Peter King were scolding Cruz for a plan they knew was ill-fated, Ryan was virtually silent on the move. This, even though Cruz has never been shy about his disdain for Ryan Republicans. Back in March, Cruz criticized Ryan’s budget plan for its Medicare cuts. And he’s made it clear he doesn’t trust Ryan when it comes to budget negotiations.
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