New York Times
(emphasis mine): Republican Senator Ted Cruz’s 21-hour, 19-minute
verbal assault on President Obama’s signature health care law ended
Wednesday when the Senate voted 100-to-0 to break off debate and move to
consider House legislation that Democrats plan to use to keep the
government open next week.
Mr. Cruz’s marathon session — which began Tuesday afternoon, went
straight through the night and ended at a predetermined noon deadline — did
not win over senators from either party, and in fact Mr. Cruz even
voted to open debate. After the vote, Senate Mike Lee, Republican of
Utah and a Cruz ally, said Mr. Cruz never intended to oppose the motion
to take up the bill, a position contradicted by his words and procedural
motions for days before the tally.
Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, greeted the
conclusion of Mr. Cruz’s performance by declaring it “a big waste of
time.”
The curtain falls on this little marathon of pointless political
theater and it’s like it never even happened. It wasn’t even worth the
money it took to keep the lights on all night.
