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Strategy by Sens. Cruz, Lee to starve ‘Obamacare’ of money infuriates some fellow Republicans [lefti
Washington Post ^ | Sept 20, 2013 | AP

Posted on 09/21/2013 11:44:50 AM PDT by Jim Robinson

WASHINGTON — Ted Cruz and Mike Lee stand as the Senate’s dynamic duo for conservatives, crusading against President Barack Obama’s health care law while infuriating many congressional Republicans with a tactic they consider futile, self-serving and detrimental to the party’s political hopes in 2014.

Cruz, the Texan who’s been anything but a wait-your-turn freshman, and Lee, the tea party-backed giant slayer from Utah’s 2010 election, spent months this summer pressuring Republicans to link any stopgap spending bill to keep the government running with permanently starving President Barack Obama’s health overhaul of money.

The two former Supreme Court clerks are determined to reverse what the conservative court of Chief Justice John Roberts upheld in 2012 — Obama’s signature domestic law.

The senators scored a win Friday when the Republican-led House, pushed by rambunctious rank-and-file members, passed a spending measure that would unravel the law. But the approach faces near-certain defeat in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where lawmakers in both parties complain that Cruz and Lee have pushed a losing cause.

In the meantime, their strategy has roiled many in the GOP, with plenty of public and private carping. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, subtly challenged Cruz and Lee to back up their words next week.

“I expect my Senate colleagues to be up for the battle,” Boehner said.

Several Republicans complain that the tactic could lead to a government shutdown on Oct. 1, the start of the new budget year, that would undercut the GOP politically...

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Extended News; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cruz; defund; gope; grassroots; housestrategy; lee; mikelee; obama; obamacare; reid; teaparty; teapartyrebellion; tedcruz
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To: KC_Lion

Love that!!


21 posted on 09/21/2013 12:12:52 PM PDT by Jane Long (While Marxists continue the fundamental transformation of the USA, progressive RINOs stay silent.)
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To: Still Thinking
"Hell, I wouldn’t be infuriated if they threatened to starve Obama personally."

Don't forget his sidekick Boehner. He's almost as bad.

22 posted on 09/21/2013 12:13:04 PM PDT by matthew fuller
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To: Mangia E Statti Zitto

And still no cave after the senate amends the bill and sends it back to the house. That’s the real strategy. The house must reject whatever the senate sends back that enables obamacare to go forward. Then they must send “clean” funding bills to fund each essential department, one by one. And reject what the senate sends back if they amend it. Do this all they way to 2014 if necessary. Hold the line! Defund obamacare!

Obama/Reid can try, but they cannot shutdown the essential government services. The government will go on, just cost less. Possibly a whole lot less.


23 posted on 09/21/2013 12:13:48 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!!)
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To: Jim Robinson

The piecemeal fallback strategy is a good one. But perhaps Obama could also fund his healthcare takeover by selling more debt indirectly or directly to the Federal Reserve. Thus, the debt ceiling battle is also critical.


24 posted on 09/21/2013 12:13:57 PM PDT by Hostage (Be Breitbart!)
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To: LibLieSlayer

On the bottom of the dontfundobamacare petition there is a list of all of the Republcian US Senators, with phone numbers and categorized as “will pledge” , “won’t pledge” or it’s blank if they haven’t said anything yet. What they need is a few million calls and emails.


25 posted on 09/21/2013 12:13:58 PM PDT by grania
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To: Jim Robinson
Do I sense a full-court press by all the MSM to pressure Republicans into distancing themselves from Cruz and caving in the Senate?

Since when has the WaPo had the interests of Republicans at heart? Why should Republicans care about anything that they have to say?

Macaca!

-PJ

26 posted on 09/21/2013 12:15:38 PM PDT by Political Junkie Too (If you are the Posterity of We the People, then you are a Natural Born Citizen.)
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To: Jim Robinson

Let these cowards know how ya feel!

http://www.nrsc.org/contact-us/


27 posted on 09/21/2013 12:17:14 PM PDT by rrrod (at home in Medellin Colombia)
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To: Jim Robinson
The Compost trying to give the Rove group more power than it has to mislead squishy RINO's.

Hold fast GOP, so far you're doing the right thing. Don't buckle, force the dems to defend an unpopular and destructive health care debacle. Make sure to remind everyone that it's the dems who would shut down the government over a law that will ruin our healthcare system and the economy plus ruin the future of our kids and grandkids.

28 posted on 09/21/2013 12:17:31 PM PDT by Lakeshark (KILL THE BILL! CALL. FAX. WRITE.)
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To: Hostage

I suspect Boehner/Ryan will cave on the debt ceiling non-fight like they did in the past. Sadly, they do not have the skills (or the balls) necessary to win the debate.


29 posted on 09/21/2013 12:18:47 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!!)
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To: Jim Robinson

David Brooks is right.

We have 45 in the House and 4-5 Senators.

Time to split. Gotta start somewhere. Declare a Liberty Party, raise the flag in time to contest all 435 seats in 2014, and let’s have at it.


30 posted on 09/21/2013 12:19:09 PM PDT by Jim Noble (When strong, avoid them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise.)
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To: Jim Robinson
Obamcare going forward effectively sets the precedent that there are no constitutional limits on government and that there is no constitutional privacy or security, no choice of free enterprise, no freedom. The government can force you to do whatever they wish, whenever they wish. And spy on you to ensure you don’t resist.

Amen, Jim.

It is the initial shot in the final communist takeover of America.

31 posted on 09/21/2013 12:19:57 PM PDT by xzins ( Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! Those who truly support our troops pray for victory!)
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To: JLAGRAYFOX

Signed.


32 posted on 09/21/2013 12:21:26 PM PDT by matthew fuller
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To: Jim Noble

FUDB! Statists are never right!

We have not yet begun to fight!


33 posted on 09/21/2013 12:22:04 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!!)
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To: Jim Robinson
infuriates some fellow Republicans

The fact that it infuriates them rather than inspires them to openly ally with the Democrats shows that they know a large part of the Republican electorate is against them. If this was 2014 and it was too late to primary them out they might try to run this through over Cruz, but they know the RINO hold over the party exists only because of the "...would you rather vote for a Democrat?" threat. They can't pull that this year because there will be primary threats.

34 posted on 09/21/2013 12:23:17 PM PDT by KarlInOhio (Why is our military going to be used as Al Qaeda's air force in Syria?)
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To: LibLieSlayer

See post 11 and go to that site for a list of candidates.


35 posted on 09/21/2013 12:23:52 PM PDT by matthew fuller
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To: Jim Noble

Brooks is the enemy.


36 posted on 09/21/2013 12:30:04 PM PDT by txrangerette ("...hold to the truth; speak without fear." (Glenn Beck))
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To: Jim Robinson

I like the strategy, but I think they need to be prepared to go to the mattresses. That means smashing the debt ceiling. I don’t think either side really much cares if the government gets shut down for awhile. But their bankster cronies do care about getting paid.

If the debt ceiling is smashed, that’ll put dear leader in the position of having to decide who gets paid. It’s a safe bet that the banksters will get their interest payments. It’s also a safe bet that Federal employees and the military won’t get paid. Where it gets interesting is when he gets to decide if the social security recipients get paid or not or if the ghetto rats get their EBT cards plussed up or not.

You see, the other side counts on us always backing down and rolling over in time to do the “right thing.” I.e. to make sure the bills are paid. It’s time for the other side to worry about doing the “right thing” for once.

In the mean time, the other side needs to truly perceive us as lunatics who are willing to not only cross the line but giggle madly while we do it.


37 posted on 09/21/2013 12:34:49 PM PDT by RKBA Democrat (Power disintegrates when people withdraw their obedience and support)
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To: xzins

“In short, it is of the Devil, himself.”

Oh it’s even worse than that. Don’t worry about deathcare if the gop caves. Worry about a lot of mightily pi$$ed off conservatives deciding that they not only don’t have a voice in DC, but that they shouldn’t waste any more time with it at all.

That doesn’t sound that bad. Until you consider that they will take this to the states, and national divorce will be the next strategy.

The seceshers are waiting in the wings for the gop to capitulate.


38 posted on 09/21/2013 12:40:26 PM PDT by RKBA Democrat (Power disintegrates when people withdraw their obedience and support)
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To: Mangia E Statti Zitto; Jim Robinson

“I believe the Cruz/Lee plan is working!”

Indeed it is. And in ways that will surprise us. Just a small example from this morning: for the first time I saw someone on a freeway overpass with “IMPEACH OBAMA” signs.

Courage begets courage.


39 posted on 09/21/2013 12:42:39 PM PDT by RKBA Democrat (Power disintegrates when people withdraw their obedience and support)
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To: RKBA Democrat

Well, I hope so too, but you know they (Boehner/Ryan et al) caved easily in the last debt ceiling pillow fight. Hope they’ve boned up for the fight this time.


40 posted on 09/21/2013 12:43:08 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!!)
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