Being more concerned with republican interests than the voters who put them in power. We are asking viewers to weigh in. The number to call for republicans during the first 45 minutes this morning is 2027488000 and you can also catch up with us on facebook twitter, or email us at journal cspan. Org. And a good monday morning to you. Here are some headlines. The Houston Chronicle headline, senate clash keeps crews in the spotlight. Bitter republican schism is another headline. The front page of the Washington Times one of the headlines cruise calls mcconnell a liar again. The frustration of senate colleagues. Crews calls mcconnell are a liar again. Cruz calls mcconnell a liar again. Here are some of his tweets. Here is a bit of crews from the senate floor curzruz from the senate floor yesterday. On friday i gave in unusual speech, a speech unlike any i have given in this chamber. A speech and was not happy to give. It is a speech to which the senior senator from utah is responding. In the course of that speech, i described a promise the majority leader had made to me and all 53 republican senior senators. That has not been disputed that the majority leader and front of every republican senator made that promise, looking me in the eye. There was no deal on the importexport bank. That its proponents would have no special preferences whatsoever. We saw on friday, that promise was false. Host to help us understand what happened we bring in a political congressional reporter. Guest good morning. Host explain this criticism from yesterday and where it came from. It has been long simmering between the majority leader and Mitch Mcconnell. Guest curruz is trying to showcase himself as the conservative leading the charge against the washington cartel. They have been fighting, with an overall strategy, the Government Shutdown in 2014, a fight over immigration at the end of last or at battles. This is the latest example of that. Ted cruz ratcheted it up when he accused Mitch Mcconnell of lying. The strategy to move the importexport tank. To take a step act, this started in the end of may when the senate was trying to pass a major trade bill. There were three senators who were holding out their vote on the bill. What Mitch Mcconnell promised those people, though senators, was the vote on the importexport bank. He said he would give them a vote. The debate is on exactly what he promised. Part of the promise, Mitch Mcconnell looked him in the eye and said he would not move the importup importexport bank on his own. As we know any senator can block any amendment from being considered. What mcconnell did was, and he wanted to move to a vote to override a filibuster on the importexport Bank Amendment on the highway bill. They said look, the law is no secret. That is the nature of the dispute. Ted cruz yesterday was very angry, coming on the floor lashed out at the Senate Majority leader for telling lies and for not truthful, and as essentially colluding with democrats to pass a Big Government agenda. It was a pretty remarkable thing. Ted cruz oneaday rollcall vote on a separate amendment to the highway bill, but given the way that to he has handled himself republicans and essentially did not allow him to have a vote because there were not enough senators who seconded in his motion to have a rollcall vote so that was dispensed with. But it was pretty remarkable. Host on the headlines, senate smack down. Ted cruz efforts squelched. The rift between mcconnell and ted cruz widens. You talk about ted cruz being disputed by Mitch Mcconnells office, but it has he been directly responded to in kind . Guest it yesterday, when mcconnell spoke, there was a subtle reference to ted cruz. He did not call ted cruz out by name, but he said there was no special deal that has been discussed all along. We tried to ask them a question in the halls on friday after ted cruz accused him of lying, and Mitch Mcconnell just smiled and walked away. He does not address the press until tuesday. He will certainly be asked then. Probably similar to what he said yesterday. Certainly, he will probably say theres nothing i backtracked on. It is a complicated procedural dispute. It happened behind closed doors so there is no transcript of the remarks of what mcconnell promised ted cruz and the rest. It may end up just being a game of he said, she said. Host in the leadership of the republican ranks, it includes senator john cornyn, ted cruzs colleague from texas. Who was seen on the voice of conservatives in the group of senators that make up that key Republican Leadership staff . Guest from the leadership perspective, it is hard to say exactly. John cornyn is certainly one of the more conservative members of the senate Republican Leadership team. The team is sort of broken down into several senior members. There is john barrasso, rory want, senators who have been serving for a long time. Specific members of leadership who are sort of liaisons to specific locks of members of the house. Conservative pockets. There is really nothing like that in the senate. Part of the frustration from ted cruz and others is they believe the voice of the conservative movement is not represented and the party leadership. That is the reason you are seeing some of the disputes play out. That is why ted cruz is kind of in the minority of the minority and the republican conference. There are a couple very notably standouts, and ted cruz is one of those. Host manu raju is a reporter at politico. We are asking our republican viewers for this first 45 minutes on the washington journal to weigh in on some of the criticisms of ted cruz in the senate. Also, what do you think of Mitch Mcconnell as the Senate Majority leader. Just a republican viewers for just the first 45 minutes. David, good morning. Guest thank you for taking my call. I really say, i have not decided which candidate i am going to vote for yet. What i say right on, and right on donald trump. Although i do not agree with everything they do, i do not think there is any difference between the democrats and republicans. I dont know why the republicans automatically have to do this. It is just like it is all like everybody falls right in line. I think cruise should do what he does. Speak the truth. Right on ted cruz, right on track. Host what did you think about ted cruzs president ial run and where do you think it stands right now . Do you think he has a chance in this large republican field . Guest i dont. He tells the truth and truth is taking a beating in this day and time. I would support him, but i dont think he has a chance. You got the establishment, it has been preordained between bush. It is a popularity contest. I dont know why bush has to be on top. Host david, you said you think he tells the truth too much. Would you prefer to keep them on the senate floor rather than have him as the republican nominee. Caller i hope he stays with it, god lesson. He tells the truth. That is what it is about trump. People are starving for the truth. Not in a bad, trash way. People want the truth. They are starving for the truth. As the bible says, people are starving for the truth. Host we are taking calls, just republicans for the first 45 minutes. Were also looking for your comments on twitter and facebook. On twitter Michael Thompson says ted cruz is right, nothing has changed. Robert little says, he is being accused of defining the established decorum. Another says, this party needs to wipe out the roaches. We are taking callers just from republicans. That number is 2027488000 and we want to get your thoughts on Mitch Mcconnell as majority leader. Dawn from texas, good morning. Caller i have been an early supporter of senator cruz when he first ran down here. I saw his background and i was basically tired of people that i supported, particularly senator mccain column particularly senator mccain, calling us down here wackos. I think they forget they are elected by the people. Senator mcconnell, if the people from kentucky are archaic oldtime statesman, then he is their man. I saw the same thing back in the 1960s, it just was not on cspan. They believe in a hierarchy. I also believe that senator cruz has to do something to catch their attention. But i will not stand for any more republicans, i am not a really conservative individual but i am a texan. He is a senator and he was voted into represent us. Host did you like how Mitch Mcconnell ran the Republican Party from the minority leadership position before he was the majority leader . Did you have criticisms of him then . Caller i have many criticisms. Harry reid called the president of the United States a liar. Now we have the water carriers saying, oh my gosh we have to do something. There are rolls out there. He called a president ial candidate a liar and he headline on the floor about mitt romney but i did not hear anybody else saying anything until after the fact. All i am telling you is, is that he is say you know, he does not have to be politically correct. But i will tell you this, i do enjoy hearing a person speak the truth. How much do these moderates actually care about the tea party . When you see a crime taking part in the irs, i did not see anyone jump right out. They know that these people are mad. They do not want to lose their positions. Its fun getting all the nice views. When i was a page, 19 69 19 70 i got drafted in 1972. I came from a line of politicians in texas. My uncle by marriage was Lieutenant Governor at the time speaker of the house before that. I thought it was honorable to serve. I think it was more honorable to serve in the military then it was in congress at the time. I am 62yearsold now. Times have changed. And i never thought this country would change as much as it has changed in the last six years. To me, ignorance is bliss today. Look at who is in the white house. Look at all the roles that are change in. My gosh, and a trillion dollar debt . I dont know what my kids are going to do. I am trying to do the best i can do to help. I just wish more people would get interested and really study and understand that those people represent them. Host that was abilene texas. Speaking of harry reid, he weighed in on the other side of the aisle. Here is the article. They said that this war between the republicans is the main similarity between now and his years in control. It has become increasingly clear thats whats wrong in the senate today, the same thing that troubled the senate he for republicans took control. Good morning, you are on the washington journal. Caller good morning. I am proud of ted cruz unlike that last caller from texas. If the guy from texas does not like ted cruz, we would be glad to ship him senator gannett and we will take cruise. He is looking out for the little guy and trying to get stuff past that senator mcconnell will not allow. Host your thoughts on mcconnell, go ahead. Particularly the transition. Caller i agree with crews and what he said on the senate floor the other day. They are not going to put in the amendments they do not want in. If they agree with him fine, if they dont agree with that, they are not going to let it in. Host it that was colorado this morning. On our facebook page, mark asks, why is see even there . Hes done nothing but badmouth other republicans. Let him go away and come up with another party, a new party of a senate empty of accomplishments. Much like the president s record that he attacks. That was marked grove on our facebook page. Yesterday, orrin hatch took some time to criticize senator cruz for the way he has been conducting himself. Here is senator hatchs comments about ted cruz. I know some of my constituents have not had much of a chance yet to experience this and are less familiar with the tradition on comedy and respect. Others may not know much about the history of rising above parochialism and narrow selfinterest. Mr. President , as one who has had the privilege of serving here for the past four decades i can attest, from firsthand experience, that the senate can be and has been, in times not to far past, a distinguished and constructive body that does much good for our nation. Our reply vividly times when this was marked by goodwill rather than rancor and disrepute. In some ways, we are a shadow of our former self. Host that was senator orrin hatch on the floor yesterday during a rare sunday session for the senate. You can watch the entire session on our website at cspan. Org. We are just talking to republicans for the next 20 minutes or so. Here is a another quote of ted cruz this one in the Washington Times. He took to his twitter page. Next up, california. The line for just republicans. Good morning. Caller on this deal, i have no reason to doubt senator cruzs veracity when he said senator mcconnell secured his vote on legislation by saying that this would die and egg noble death. And once he secured senator cruzs vote, he turns around and throws the send as an amendment. Now, when senator cruz points this out, the cronies stand up and say there is something wrong with the republican caucus. That is not true, the problem is lies and the lying liars who are telling the lies. That is what the problem is. Senator cruz was lied to and he stood up and said, i was lied to. Now they want to point at him and say he is the problem. He is the problem because it he says he was lied to . What happened to the truth in washington, d. C. Host it that includes john cornyn, Republican Policy Committee chairman john barrasso, and vice chair roy blunt. Is there somebody that you think speaks for conservatives . Somebody you think who is doing what ted cruz is asking the Republican Leadership to do . Callers i see a lot of them pretending just before conservatives. A lot of them standing up and sang, i am a conservative. But i dont see any conservative action coming out of the congress or the senate. I just see a lot of noise. I see a lot of handwaving and fingerpointing. I dont see any action. All i see is the go along, get along, bunch of crimea some that has been going on ad nauseam you know, forever in that place. I am sick of it. Host that was a caller from salinas, california. And on twitter, edwin says ted cruzs version of the truth carries no weight. And sam says, at least someone is holding the leadership to a account. A color next from columbia, maryland. Caller i believe cruz is a very good senator. A smart man. A constitutional lawyer. Yes, he speaks the truth. Mcconnell lied. He asked a question, mcconnell lied. I dont know how mcconnell became in charge. I wish they never agreed to make him in charge. As for mccain, i think he should retire. He has done nothing for the v. A. Nor for the vets. He is collecting his paycheck and going on with business as usual. The problem of congress and business as usual, is these people are obligated to the people from their party. People put them in office. Deep left to understand that is why i support trump for the next election. He is so funded, i believe he will bring it jobs. I also believe he will fix the v. A. System and he will protect our borders. People talk about immigration. It is illegal immigration people are so concerned about. People take jobs for less than the minimum salaries. We are educating their kids. We are taking care of them medically. We really need to get a handle on this, people. As for the Democratic Party i believe you should study your history. You have a very racist history. You need to study at and realize where you are coming from. More government involved in your life. I am against that completely. I think cruz is a very good man. Maybe he will be better for us in the senate than he was as being president. Than he would be as being president. Host why do you think you would be better in the senate that he what is president . Caller we need people who understand the constitution. We have far too many people who have probably never read the constitution. It bothers me. We need to go back to the cause judicial government and abide by our constitution. We have too many people indebted to the k street lobbyists. These people who speak to you on the campaign trail, they are being funded by k street. I corporations. By donors. Big donors. Wall street dont halls. They are not going to look after the little people. Host bobby a report on the new poll that was out. Trump still leads the race. This comes out after a week of attacks over criticism that the poll had trump leading jeb bush and 15 and scott walker at 10 . That is a new cnn poll that is out. Ronald chung, the state of the union, talking about his dealing with Republican NationalCommittee Officials as some headlines came up last week that might make a thirdparty run if he does not get the republican nomination. Here is a little bit of an interview with cnn. I have had some great conversations over the last couple days. He is a terrific guy. The group is good. Now they are starting to view mean not as an outsider because i am leading and all of the polls. They are starting to see what is happening. There is a movement going on. This is more than me. Host donald trump yesterday on cnns state of the union. We are seeing a rare segment where ted cruz continues to air his concerns about leadership in the senate. Just talking to republicans this morning, 2027488000. Caller good morning. Thank you for taking my call. I would like to say the president leadership right now is no different from the democrats. They do not serve their people. Mcconnell, boehner, they are brought into the myth. They rammed everything through now the republicans are buying into the hype. Ted cruz is speaking the truth. He is airing people starting laundry and they do not like it. Host Ted Cruz Press release from over the weekend. Todays event shows that the mcconnellread Leadership Team mcconnellreid Leadership Team caller good morning. This is the exact reason we need term limits. To get guys like mcconnell boehner, reid pelosi, and dinosaurs like john mccain out of there. I think we should hold for senators to two terms an