GOP beginning to face the truth . . .

John Judis, writing in The New Republic says that "There is a growing fear among Washington Republicans that the party . . . is headed for history's dustbin.  And I believe they are right to worry."

That latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll showing people blame Republicans for the shutdown by 22% points more than they blame the president seems to have marked the tipping point.

And now the more moderate Republicans are trying to focus that blame on the Tea Party crowd -- most especially on Ted Cruz.   Grover Norquist says that John Boehner was forced into the more extreme strategy and never wanted to shut down the government.   "Boehner had a strategy, and Ted Cruz blew it up," Norquist said.

Rep. Peter King (R-NY) predicts that Boehner now has the leverage he needs to bring a clean funding bill to the House floor, since the Tea Party's hold has been loosened by the public reaction.   King thinks that a bill will come to House floor and be resolved within the next few days.

Meanwhile, from the inter-party war, as opposed to the intra-party war,  the liberal group Americans United for Change has sent Ted Cruz a fruit basket with the following message:

“Dear Ted, a Texas sized thank you!!! Thanks to you, Obamacare is more popular and the GOP is less so. Keep up the Good Work!!!

I don't believe we're going to have to worry about Ted Cruz in the 2016 presidential election.   I believe he has miscalculated whatever calculated strategy he was using.  Even if this is not the end of the Republican Party, the influence of the Tea Party and of Ted Cruz is definitely going to plummet.

Ralph