Tonight, Minority Leader Mitch Mcconnell announced he will not support ted cruzs longshot strategy to filibuster the budget resolution in the u. S. Senate. Thats a rapid change of fortunes for cruz, who just a short week ago was celebrating his improbable victory in which he almost singlehandedly pushed House Speaker john boehner to do something he manifestly did not want to do, pass a continuing resolution that would defund obama care. But ted cruzs biggest victory in his very short senatorial career could be his biggest defeat, revealing that there was an entire lake of contempt for ted cruz out there just waiting for the dam to burst. And this week this has been one of the strangest weeks ive ever had in washington, and i say that because as soon as we listed ted cruz as our featured guest this week, i got Unsolicited Research and questions not from democrats but from top republicans. Foxs Chris Wallace may have been shocked by the Republican Research dump on ted cruz, but its a sign of the time. As of this week, all of washington, d. C. , is in open revolt against the junior senator from texas. A u. S. Senator called me yesterday morning, said im going to be watching senator cruz on Fox News Sunday because i dont know what his next step is. Those who are pushing to shut down our government include a senator from texas who has a harvard law degree. I assume that in the course of his harvard education, he learned how to count to 60. I didnt think it would be smart to send the house bill to the senate and we filibuster our own bill. One senator, a republican senator, said its the dumbest idea he ever heard. Ted cruz has climbed out on a limb, and now its getting sawed off. Tactics and strategies ought to be based on what the real world is, and we do not have the political power to do this. Reporter today, Greg Sergeant of the Washington Post reporting a quote from a House Republican aide that compared ted cruz to one of the great bullies in modern pop culture. They, cruz and his allies are reminiscent of the cobra kai group from karate kid, sweep the leg, sweep the leg johnny, representing the republicans, the sensei, representing ted cruz, swept the leg. However, daniel lorusso, i. E. , president obama, appears ready to crane kick republicans in the face and take home the big trophy, in this case, obama care. But that said, all of this villainizing is what ted cruz wants, because for ted cruz, being the most hated man in washington is a badge of honor. What is not a badge of honor is being viewed as a snobby, overcredentialed jerk, and that is the picture of ted cruz painted vividly in a new gq profile out today, which notes as a law student at harvard, cruz refused to study with anyone who hadnt been an undergrad at harvard, princeton or yale. Says damon watson, one of cruzs law school roommates, he said he didnt want anybody from minor ivies like penn or brown. While working for george w. Bushs campaign, he was also known for dispatching regular updates on his accomplishments that one recipient likened to the cards people send about their families at christmas, except teds were only about him and were more frequent. Gq also retells the story of the oil painting ted cruz has hanging in his senate office. Its a story ted cruz had previously told abc news and one that Stephen Colbert knocked down handily. I have always liked the fact that i sit in my office and i look at a giant painting of me getting my tail whipped 90, and it is very good for instilling humility. Yes. Ive got to tell you, i dont know what part of this painting comes off as more humble. Is it the hint of halo surrounding his head or is it look toward heaven, or is it all the people in this painting of him who are painting more paintings of him . But while ted cruz may have earned the eyre of democrats and republicans alike, he has found one stalwart ally. After defending cruz on fox, sarah palin jumped fully into the bunker with him, tweeting at Fox News Sunday night, keep it truly fair and balanced. Release the gop names encouraging you to trash senator ted cruz. No more anonymous sources. The backlash against ted cruz, however, has not slowed him down. Earlier today on the senate floor, he continued to pla the part, laying into harry reid and senate democrats. We all know that 3 1 2 years ago, obama care was forced into law on a strict partyline vote, by straight, brut force, but it shouldnt be funded that way. Thats not the way a government should proceed. Joining me now is senator sheldon whitehouse, democrat from rhode island and a member of the Senate Budget committee. And i want to talk budget process with you, which, man, will that keep the viewers around. But before we get to that no, because i have to confess, i do this for a living, and i am so gd confused. I want you to explain things to me. But first of all, i have to get your response to ted cruz on the well of the senate, forced into law, straight, brut force. Is that your constitutional understanding of how obama care came to be . Well, i think it went through both the house and the senate, bicameral procedure. And i would note particularly that in the senate, this was actually quite a bipartisan effort at the beginning, until the message came down to the republicans to walk away at all costs. And we did hundreds of amendments in committee, many of them republican amendments. So, its a little bit like the orphan throwing himself on the mercy of the court, having killed his parents. To say that, you know, this was rammed down our throats because we all decided to walk away from it in order to damage the president. It takes a bit of nerve. Okay, so, heres my question. Youve got the house has sent you over a continuing resolution. The senate is now scheduled to vote on a continuing resolution thats going to keep the government open. And its looking like its not going to be voted on probably properly until friday, im understanding, or maybe over the weekend . Am i wrong that there is, the clock is running out to avoid a shutdown . There are one or potentially two cloture votes that may be required, and each one of those cloture votes locks in a 30hour period for debate. Unless the republicans yield back that time, you could have to burn all of those hours, and that could run it into friday, conceivably, depending on the delaying tactics that they use. You could even run it into the weekend, but were hoping theyll make their points and be reasonable and move on so that you dont get to a real hairs breath cliffhanger with something as important as an American Government shutdown at stake. Senator, you just said we hope theyre going to make their points and be reasonable and move on. I know. That strikes terror in my heart if that is the game plan. It hasnt been the recent record, but you know, this is a fight that sooner or later had to come. The sensible and moderate republicans are fed up and furious with having been bullied and hectohtored and lectured bye tea party fanatics. I think what youre seeing with ted cruz is general blowback against the tea party fanaticism and how bullying theyve been of their colleagues. If you look around the Republican Caucus rooms, most of the bodies hanging in the corner of lost colleagues were taken out by tea party attacks, not by democrats. And so, i think a lot of the moderate republicans have just plain had it, and theyre pushing back, and it will be really good for our country if they successfully push back. A lot of them have been afraid of these tea party guys for too long because theyve looked at their colleagues who lost primaries and think, oh, gosh, better keep my head down and not cross these guys. But i think this is getting to be that Tipping Point where theyre really fed up and want to go back to being a Rational Party again. Is there some part of me that shouldnt be won over by someone who destroys the kind of clubby collegiality of the senate . Because theres part of me that thinks, like, obviously, ted cruz stands for everything i dont understand for substantively, but i also kind of like someone who is making his colleagues angry, because that body seems so fricking dysfunctional to me, and ive got to think theres something to it. If everyone is mad at you in the senate, then maybe youre doing something right. Yeah, well, the problem is that its dysfunctional because of this constant extremism that comes up. Right. And i dont think the cure for that poison is a worse dose of that poison. Thats a very, very good point. Senator sheldon whitehouse, thank you so much. Enjoyed it. Thank you. Joining me is michael steele, msnbc contributor, former chairman of the rnc. All right, i am, like i was telling you before we went on camera, i am fascinated by the ted cruz, ted cruz as a polarizing figure. Right, right. Why are people so why is he so polarizing right now among republicans and conservatives . Youre not talking about rank in file republicans out there. You dont see the uproar and consternation coming from grassroots activists around the country, the sarah palin wing of the party. You dont see that. This is the establishment. Right. This is what you just the point you just made. Well, you know, if hes getting the old folks all fired up, there must be something to it, and thats his mindset. His mindset is to go and to change the system to force it to look at itself and deal with new realities. All right, you sound sympathetic to him, but this has always been, every Single Person im always with the outlier, you know. Well, youre with the outlier, but i also feel like you have run head long into what the demands the base make, which can sometimes be difficult to heed and they can be. And run a successful party, and this is a breaking point moment. You have tom coburn, and tom coburn is no squish. Strict conservative. This is strategic suicide. Keep in mind, there is a general strategy that is a political strategy by the Party Officials to move this legislation or to block legislation, and then there is the personal strategy which tends to fall a little bit more into the ted cruz camp, which puts him in the position, hes the driver, hes the main focus of the debate. Its not the issue, its not the substance of the argument. It is what the man himself is all about. And so, i think what ted needs to do at this point, you got our attention. Now back off. And begin to bring the leadership around to a different kind of solution but theres no thats the thing theres nobody doing that, right. I dont think he understands. Obviously, everyone says what a smart guy hes been and i actually have seen him argue in the supreme court, i was blown away by how good he was, but he doesnt seem to understand the procedure at play here. Like, the things he was telling Chris Wallace in the interview this sunday didnt make a ton of sense. Hes backed himself into a procedural corner. There is no game plan. Again, when you are taking yourself outside of the process so far that you cant wrap back around into it, you have this problem where youre standing there alone, which is where he is right now, and where even the base that you have inside the membership, inside the club, is not feeling it. So, heres my question. Obviously, this helps him with the conservative grassroots. Oh, yeah. If he is hated, if john mccain hates him and were beating up on him on msnbc, this is all oh, hes loving it. Heres my question. The gq profile, the fascinating thing about ted cruz is he is a creature of the grassroots, but he is as much a creature of the american elite as any single politician in american today. The guy is credentialed up the wazoo. And when you read the quotes in gq about i wont study with anyone who didnt go to harvard, yale or princeton, that doesnt play very well with the conservative grassroots, does it . How about the brother from the Community College . He liked to get a little bit of the harvard glow flowing his way. And youre right, thats the sort of elitism that doesnt get exposed too readily, that you have thai bifurcation of personality. I have my grassroots thats exactly right. Im down with the people, but only after i have my latte. Right. So, thats the problem. Do you think hes vulnerable there . I think so i think ultimately, it becomes like swiss cheese, holes that you can go in through and have a problem with. Hell have a problem with down the road. But thats if he does a president ial race, because as you saw, they get into the Oppo Research out on the guy already. I know. So, there clearly is a button thats been pushed within the party by him. The question for him now is does he back it down . He got everybodys attention. Does he back it down and begin to play so we dont walk into this trap on monday. Thats the trap on monday. Theres two options for him, quickly, which is that if this thing zoferlz and they pass and continue a resolution that funds obama care, he gets to be the great hero in defeat, right . Right. But if theres a shutdown and theres a huge backlash against the Republican Party and the bluff is called, then he is in trouble. Its called sol, my friend. Msnbc contributor michael steele. Good to be with you. Always a pleasure. At least, some huge, good news out of kenya, where theres been a Major Development in the hostage situation in the mall in nairobi that has been site to one of the most horrific attacks on civilians weve seen. Well bring you the latest and talk to a journalist who has been shot at by the alleged masterminds of the attack, next. [ male announcer ] whats important to you . At humana, our medicare agents sit down with you and ask. Hanging out with this guy. Hes just the love of my life. [ male announcer ] getting to know you is how we help you choose the humana medicare plan that works best for you. Mi familia. [ male announcer ] we want to help you achieve your best health, so you can keep doing the things that are important to you. Keeping up with them. I love it [ male announcer ] helping you now thats whats important to us. We always love hearing from you on facebook and twitter. For tonights question, i want to ask you about our good, good friend, senator ted cruz. We keep learning new things about the guy. Here it is. What is the next great biographical nugget we will find out about the junior senator from texas . Take your best guess, be creative. Tweet to allinwithchris. Ill share a couple at the end of the show and well be right back. Run, go, go did he just fumble . I formation i formation we have got to get the threetechnique block im not angry. Im not yellin. Nobodys tackling anybody we got absolutely. I dont think this was such a good idea. Im on it. If we cant secure the quarterback center exchange. Youre doing a great job, coach. Well theyre coming along better than i anticipated. Very pleased. Who told you to take a break . [ male announcer ] want to win your own football fantasy . Just tell us. Then use your visa card for a chance to win it. Just tell us. Maestro of project management. Baron of the buildout. You need a permit. To be this awesome. And you. Rent from national. Because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. And go. You can even take a fullsize or above, and still pay the midsize price. aaron purrrfect. vo meeeow, business pro. Meeeow. Go national. Go like a pro. At this hour, Kenyan Security forces claim to be in control of the west gate premier Shopping Mall in nairobi, kenya, the site of one of the most horrifying terror attacks in recent memory. Kenyan interior ministry saying our forces are combing the mall floor by floor looking for anyone left behind. We believe all hostages have been released. This hour, the kenyan government hasnt yet made a full accounting. Midday saturday, nairobi, kenya, a mall that could easily be mistaken for any major mall in the u. S. Or anywhere in the world, fell under attack by 10 to 15 gunmen, reportedly from the Islamist Al Shabaab militia. One eyewitness was an american who had recently moved to nairobi from north carolina. You could hear while we were back there them methodically kind of going from store to store, talking to people, asking questions, shooting, screams, and then it would stop for a while. Then they would go to another store. Another eyewitness, a Software Engineer who was in the parking lot with his two daughters said they were throwing grenades like maize to chickens. He and his daughter survived. At last count, at least 62 people have died in the attack, mostly kenyans along with foreigners from britain, france, australia, canada and india. At one point, terrorists started a fire in the mall, which according to Security Forces, was meant as a diversion. A reported 175 people were wounded in a siege that entered its third day today. At least three assailants have been killed by Security Forces with at least ten suspects arrested. The attackers also took hostages as the standoff proceeded. We have done search of the building and we can confirm that the hostages, almost all of them have been evacuated. The kenyan foreign minister has since told al jazeera the mall attack was the work of al qaeda, not al shabaab. More on that in a second. President kenyatta said one of his nephews was in the mall and killed in the attack. The chief of the Kenyan Defense forces said the terrorists are clearly a multinational collection from all over the world. The fbi is looking into reports that americans were among the attackers. The New York Times photographer tyler hicks happened to be nearby the mall when the siege began. He entered the mall along with Police Officers and captured these stunning images. Once i got inside the mall, i could see how tense everyone was, the army and police, how carefully they were moving. They were dashing across open areas, taking extreme care with their cover. It seemed kind of like anywhere you looked there would be another body. People were still hiding in shops. And as the police and the army were moving through, they would either discover people or they would sense that help had arriv