The Senate followed the House Wednesday and passed a “clean” debt ceiling hike by a vote of 55-43. Every Republican opposed the hike. Yet the cloture vote to actually bring the bill to the floor was 67-31, with 12 Republicans voting to end debate. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) insisted on the 60-vote threshold because no spending cuts were attached to the deal. Raising the debt ceiling has become little more than a formality because spending only ever goes in one direction – up. Even the “cuts” the GOP is fighting to win are reductions in the growth rate. And it’s because precious few in Washington actually care about anything beyond the next election.