Which Democratic Senator Says the Tea Party and Ted Cruz Have ‘Peaked’?

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) believes the Tea Party and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) have "peaked" as a result of the government shutdown.

“I’ve talked to [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch [McConnell (R-Ky.] about this," Schumer said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Thursday. "I think the whole Republican Senate is different now. I don’t think Ted Cruz will recover so quickly. I think the Tea Party and Ted Cruz have peaked."

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., talks with reporters before a Senate Democratic luncheon on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013 in Washington. (AP/ Evan Vucci)

Congress reached a deal late Wednesday night to reopen the government after more than two weeks of shutdown and raise the federal debt ceiling just before a deadline that could have created global uncertainty in the U.S. economy.

"First, [the Tea Party and Cruz] have so alienated their colleagues," Schumer continued. "But second, the tactics of the Tea Party -- 'I'm gonna hurt a lot of innocent people unless I get my way.' This is the first time it was in the spotlight, that the American people saw it. They didn't like it. The Republican Party has learned a lesson here and I think you're going to see a more mainstream conservative Republican Party."

The deal reached by Congress is a temporary one. It reopened the government up to Jan. 15 and raised the debt ceiling until Feb. 7.

"I don't think we're going to have the same kind of brinksmanship on January 15th and February 7th," Schumer said.

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Follow Eddie Scarry (@eScarry) on Twitter.

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