Moments from a marathon

Time he actually spoke. Most of the rest was consumed mainly by lengthy questions from other Republican trying to give him a break

Time to talk

With almost a full day to fill, Sen. Ted Cruz used an array cultural references to make his point. Among them:

— “Star Wars.” “Just like in the ‘Star Wars’ movies, the empire will strike back. But at the end of the day, I think the rebel alliance, I think the people will prevail.”

— A quote from Ayn Rand’s novel “The Fountainhead.” “No speech is ever considered, but only the speaker. It’s so much easier to pass judgment on a man than an idea.”

— A quote (one of several) from Ashton Kutcher’s Teen Choice Awards acceptance speech, which he praised as “terrific”: “The sexiest thing in the entire world is being really smart, and being thoughtful and being generous.”

— Country music star Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.” Cruz didn’t try to sing it, but he read the lyrics.

All about Ted

The Washington Post’s acerbic liberal columnist, Dana Milbank, and others noted that while President Barack Obama’s health care law was the subject of Sen. Ted Cruz’s filibuster, he spent a lot of time talking about himself. Among tidbits he shared:

— He likes pancakes.

—He’s “a big fan” of White Castle (“I like their little burgers”).

—His father liked to watch movies three times.

—His parents were small-business owners who went bankrupt.

— He wore a newly purchased pair of black tennis shoes for his talkathon, instead of his usual “argument boots.”

— He thinks fact-checking media reports are a “pernicious” form of “yellow journalism.” (Oddly, he agrees on that one with MSNBC liberal icon Rachel Maddow, who’s skirmished repeatedly with Politifact over its evaluations of the truth of her statements.)

Time for bed

The nation now knows when bedtime is for Sen. Ted Cruz’s two young daughters, Caroline and Catherine: 7 p.m. CT. That was when Cruz, on the Senate floor, read the Dr. Seuss classic “Green Eggs and Ham” to the girls, who watched their Daddy on TV from home. Critics quickly accused Cruz of using a touching family moment to push his political goals, noting that, just as “Green Eggs and Ham” protagonist Sam, persuaded to try the repellent green eggs and ham, finds he loves them, Cruz has warned that once Americans get insurance under the health care law, it will never be possible to repeal it, leaving the federal government on the hook for an entitlement it can’t afford.

Rare event

Since the 1960s, when Southern Democratic senators railed against civil rights legislation for hours on end, “talking” filibusters (Sen. Ted Cruz’s speech was a filibuster in form if not fulfilling all the technical requirements) have been rare, That’s especially true in an era when the minority party, by agreement, can simply deny the majority the 60 votes it needs to move legislation to the floor, leaving it in limbo. But Cruz’s turn on the Senate floor seems to be part of a trend toward a return to old-fashioned filibustering. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., held the floor for almost 13 hours in March while demanding a pledge from Attorney General Eric Holder that the Obama administration wouldn’t order a drone strike against an American on U.S. soil. And in June, Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis, a Democrat, drew national attention as she talked for 11 hours against a bill imposing new abortion regulations.

Cruz’s crew

Senate rules allow a member conducting a filibuster to take questions — a provision allies of the speaker use tactically to give him or her a break by posing lengthy inquiries. Among those who helped spell Sen. Ted Cruz with questions that often turned into lengthy speeches: Sens. Louie Gohmert of Texas, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, David Vitter of Louisiana and Mike Lee of Utah. Cruz even got help from two potential rivals for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination: Marco Rubio of Florida, whose questions included one that took 51 minutes to pose, and Rand Paul of Kentucky — who Cruz had likewise helped with time-consuming questions when Paul conducted an almost 13-hour filibuster in March. Paul even tweeted supporters for ideas about what to ask Cruz.

Some Democratic senators also got into the act. Tim Kaine of Virginia, Richard Durbin of New York and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid each questioned Cruz at various points.