In the aftermath of the U.S. government shutdown and a close call with default, there is a political consensus among Democrats, many Republicans, establishment conservatives, business leaders and the inside-the-Beltway commentariat: Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Tea Party members in the House have done grievous harm to themselves and their brand. ..
Yet the showdown may have only whetted the appetite for more confrontation, starting with the budget and debt battles early next year and stretching through the 2014 midterm campaigns and the 2016 presidential contest. …
These intraparty animosities will be fought out legislatively and electorally next year, but any resolution seems impossible before the 2016 presidential race. Cruz, who is despised by a number of his Senate colleagues and much of the party establishment, could be the most formidable right-wing candidate in a generation. [cont.]
Al Hunt, Bloomberg