And the winner is...Ted Cruz

It wasn't Mr. Smith Goes to Washington although Jimmy Stewart's remark that lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for seemed apropos. This was High Noon where the town fathers fled in panic leaving the dirty business of saving all that was dear up to the lone town marshal. It was intrepid bravery and fidelity to principles that a Gary Cooper would envy but could never emulate. Senator Rafael Edward Cruz gave the nation a stunning exhibition of rhetorical eloquence, humor, wit, precision reasoning, and gentlemanly deportment which did not diminish in 21 hours. He was polite to a fault. He did not resort to hackneyed talking points. He did not demean his office by resorting to ad hominem attacks and he did it all without a silly teleprompter. He set a new standard for political speech, one that of course cannot be followed by the lesser breed that dominates both parties. He also put on a seminar on effective social media use for aspiring politicians as he read aloud remarks about himself from Twitter.
But was it, as Harry Reid said, a "big waste of time"? Do not think for one minute that Obamacare is going to get through the continuing resolution process without some concessions from Obama and his Democrats. Concessions that would not have been made with out this effort. Cruz, like Rand Paul, took up a fight that many voiceless voters wanted to see fought. He addressed an issue that unites the Tea Party with the Teamsters and that has not been addressed by the president nor the Republican leadership. He spoke for millions of Americans, took the bipartisan invective with a smile and like Paul gave the voters a long look at the future of the Republican Party.
Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and Congressman Justin Amash, who has a thing for taking on his own party on the important issues too, are the faces of the new Republican Party and that is a welcome change.