More Than 21 Hours Later, Ted Cruz Has Been Cut Off

This story has been updated. 

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, rose to speak on the Senate floor at 2:41 p.m. on Tuesday. He stood up in opposition to Obamacare, he said. And he said he would continue to speak until he could no longer stand.

By Wednesday morning, Cruz and some of his colleagues were still standing. He was cut off by a new day of Senate business at noon by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

It was not a filibuster. But it was a very, very long speech from the Texas senator who has been the center of attention in D.C.'s budget fight, and the Senate leader in a doomed-to-fail movement to strip funding for Obamacare out of any resolution that Congress passes to fund the government. If Congress fails to come to an agreement, the government will shutdown at the end of September.

Ted Cruz stood up to "make D.C. listen," he said repeatedly. "Washington depends on the American people not paying attention."

But what we heard during the duration of Sen. Cruz's speech was his view of how to be successful in modern American politics. And, in the reactions to his speech from members of his own party, we may get a sense of just how successful the ambitious senator can be.

Click here for what you need to know from the 21 hours plus of speaking.