Quotes of the Week

[W]hat Republican leadership said is we want this to pass, but if every senator affirmatively consents to doing it on 51 votes, then we can all cast a vote no and we can go home to our constituents and say we opposed it. And listen, that sort of show vote, that sort of trickery to the constituents is why Congress has a 13 percent approval rating.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz to CNN's Dana Bash, on the vote to raise the debt ceiling

Obviously I would have loved for Ted and I to be exactly two peas in a pod on everything, but in this case he chose to exercise his right as a senator, and I do believe he had that right, which is not to consent to an up or down vote.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn giving his take to the Austin American-Statesman editorial board on last week's cloture vote on legislation to raise the debt ceiling

As it happened, the media was so excited to have something interesting to watch it forgot that [it] was getting screwed. Never again.

Associated Press reporter Andrew Taylor, warning against a repeat of the Senate's silent tabulation of last week's key vote on raising the debt ceiling

When you're looking for votes, it's always good to hunt where the ducks are. And, right now, the ducks are watching the Olympics.

Political strategist Mark McKinnon, on the strategy of politicians buying ad time during the quadrennial global sporting event