Posted on 12/14/2014 9:06:53 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Other than the Koch brothers, there is arguably no one outgoing-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid disdains more than the Tea Party. And no one represents the Tea Party in the Senate more than Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
Yet, after hours of tedious wrangling, Reid on Friday agreed to allow a vote on a measure from Cruz questioning the constitutionality of President Obama’s executive order on Deferred Action, which does, in effect, grant de facto amnesty to upwards of 5 million illegal aliens.
Cruz told Breitbart News that a Senate vote on Obama’s executive action was important for two reasons:
“First, since President Obama enacted his unilateral amnesty after the elections, Democrats have never been made to answer for it.
Tonight, they will and they will show America whether they stand with a lawless President, who is defying the will of the voters or the millions of Americans who want a safe and legal immigration system.”
“Second, it allows Republicans to also show they are committed to ending Obama’s amnesty once and for all in the next Congress.
If we agree it is indeed unconstitutional, we have no business funding it when the GOP controls Congress last year. The Constitution matters, and we must defend it. That is why we have fought so hard to ensure this vote.”
During Friday’s testy chess match between Reid and Cruz, along with Texas Senator Mike Lee, Reid sought unanimous consent to adjourn the Senate until Monday, when Senators were scheduled to vote on the CRomibus government-spending bill. Cruz and Lee objected to the unanimous consent vote.
Reid finally relented, and decided to keep the Senate in session over the weekend, during which time he agreed to allow Cruz’s point-of-order vote to proceed.
The vote, which occurred Saturday night, was expected to fail — Cruz knew it would – and it did. Unsurprisingly, all 53 Senate Democrats (along with 2 independents) voted against it. Surprising, so did all but 22 Republican Senators. (Cromnibus passed late Saturday night).
Even more surprisingly, with poll after poll continuing to show a majority of Americans opposed to Obama’s unilateral action on amnesty, 23 Republican Senators voted with the Democrats — and by extension, Barack Obama.
Now, Senate Democrats and Republicans are finally on the record over Obama’s unilateral move on amnesty. With 2016 right around the corner, Cruz got exactly what he wanted. From Harry Reid, of all people. Go figure.
If you think it’s bad now, (and it is) just imagine how horrible it will be for our kids and their kids. They’ve run up more debt than we could ever even begin to pay. I knew the dems were communists but I’m completely dismayed and ashamed of the GOP.
I’m all in to run them ALL out.
Kick ass and take names, or vice versa
I read that it is now mathematically impossible to pay down the debt we now have incurred.
A complete collapse is inevitable at this point, and I am certain it was by design.
A people will trade and surrender everything for a mere promise of bread when in the midst of fear and privation.
And that is never lost on totalitarians and Marxists.
Too bad that truth is lost on so many wishful optimists in our midst.
Tea Party til we die !
VOTERS WHO VOTED FOR REPUBLICANS THIS MIDTERM: "Et tu, Boehner?" Referring to how Speaker Boehner betrayed and stabbed midterm Republican voters in the back with his passage of the recent traitorous spending bill.
BOEHNER: Who is Judas? Why do people keep calling me Judas as I walk down the street? Why did someone recently leave 30 pieces of silver on my doorstep? I only want what is best for America. As my secret friend Obama likes to say: "It was the right thing to do.God bless America!"
Well the Tea Party is about to be over. The GOP got very little in the CRomnibus bill save the one thing they truly wanted: the CFR reform to allow the donatiuons to congressional campaign committees to soar a thousandfold. The Chamber of Commerce, and all of it’s business RINO tentacles, will now be able to flush the coffers of the GOP House & Senate campaign committees all for the expressed purpose of quashing primary opponents of incumbent RINO’s. Unless the Tea Party finds a group of multi billionaire underwriters, the GOP-E’s tactic of reforming the committee donations will effectively end Tea Party candidates making any headway at all.
EXACTLY.
Folks who erroneously think we can just incrementally vote liberty back, are clueless as to where we have arrived.
The Republic has been fundamentally transformed into an Imperial Fascist Oligarchy - and it was the GOP who legitimized it, funded it and rubber stamped tyranny as how government will now operate.
In short, the GOP just voted to approve Obama’s lawless dictatorship and they declawed the new Congress before it has even been seated and have made sure that no Conservative will ever make it through a primary again.
Conservatism has been made politically irrelevant by the very party Conservatives swore allegiance to in the last two elections.
I would much prefer to live in boring times and be left the H_ _ _! alone.
but alas, mine is not to reason why . . .
He voted with Cruz. BUT, HE SAID THE MANEUVER WOULD PROVE USELESS.
In regard to Dirty Harry Reid "caving in:" Well, OK, but he also showed that half the "Republicans" in the Senate can be used to help the Obama Administration do whatever it wants to do.
The Injun Princess Lizzie gave a speech that sounded a lot like Cruz', but then SHE did not vote what she said were her convictions. Obama backs her. She backed him, even after publicly disagreeing.
Great bunch'o'whores we got up there, eh?
You started posting re those NKVD/KGB “cultural assets” and I thought, “uh-oh”, but you came through like a Freeper. Keep kicking ass, FRiend, esp when PBS floats more weepy, soppy “retrospectives” on all the Commie songsters and poetasters and Hollywood agitators.
Didn’t Reid do this to get some other Democrat nominees passed that they couldn’t if they were not in session?
Sorry, my mistake.
The 56-40 roll call:
Voting yes: 31 Democrats, 24 Republicans and 1 independent.
Voting no: 21 Democrats, 18 Republicans and 1 independent.
Democrats Yes
Baldwin, Wis.; Begich, Alaska; Bennet, Colo.; Cardin, Md.; Carper, Del.; Casey, Pa.; Coons, Del.; Donnelly, Ind.; Durbin, Ill.; Hagan, N.C.; Heinrich, N.M.; Heitkamp, N.D.; Johnson, S.D.; Kaine, Va.; Landrieu, La.; Leahy, Vt.; Mikulski, Md.; Murphy, Conn.; Murray, Wash.; Nelson, Fla.; Pryor, Ark.; Reid, Nev.; Rockefeller, W.V.; Schatz, Hawaii; Schumer, N.Y.; Shaheen, N.H.; Stabenow, Mich.; Udall, Colo.; Udall, N.M.; Walsh, Mont.; Warner, Va.
Democrats No
Blumenthal, Conn.; Booker, N.J.; Boxer, Calif.; Brown, Ohio; Cantwell, Wash.; Franken, Minn.; Gillibrand, N.Y.; Harkin, Iowa; Hirono, Hawaii; Klobuchar, Minn.; Levin, Mich.; Manchin, W.V.; Markey, Mass.; McCaskill, Mo.; Menendez, N.J.; Merkley, Ore.; Reed, R.I.; Tester, Mont.; Warren, Mass.; Whitehouse, R.I.; Wyden, Ore.
Democrats Not Voting Feinstein, Calif.
Republicans Yes
Alexander, Tenn.; Ayotte, N.H.; Barrasso, Wyo.; Blunt, Mo.; Boozman, Ark.; Burr, N.C.; Coats, Ind.; Cochran, Miss.; Collins, Maine; Cornyn, Texas; Enzi, Wyo.; Fischer, Neb.; Graham, S.C.; Hatch, Utah; Hoeven, N.D.; Isakson, Ga.; Johanns, Neb.; Kirk, Ill.; McConnell, Ky.; Murkowski, Alaska; Roberts, Kan.; Thune, S.D.; Toomey, Pa.; Wicker, Miss.
Republicans No
Corker, Tenn.; Crapo, Idaho; Cruz, Texas; Flake, Ariz.; Grassley, Iowa; Heller, Nev.; Johnson, Wis.; Lee, Utah; McCain, Ariz.; Moran, Kan.; Paul, Ky.; Portman, Ohio; Risch, Idaho; Rubio, Fla.; Scott, S.C.; Sessions, Ala.; Shelby, Ala.; Vitter, La.
Republicans Not Voting
Chambliss, Ga.; Coburn, Okla.; Inhofe, Okla.
Independents Yes King, Maine.
Independents No Sanders, Vt.
There’s actually more chance of primarying them because the GOP Senate is going to do-nothing-conservative and beg to keep them.
Amoung them, these are up for reelection in 2016
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3237206/posts?page=54#54
The Whigs are dead and Crybaby Boehner killed it. There can be no more pretense about the GOP being the party of Main Street. IT IS NOTHING MORE THAN A WING OF THE UNIPARTY.
AND WE HAVE ALLOWED IT.
NO MORE. RESISTANCE IS NOT FUTILE.
Interesting McCain voted with Cruz and his pal Lindsay Graham with the Yes crowd.
Sanders, Warren, and Frankenstein voting with Cruz and Lee. Politics does make strange bedfellows.
I do find it encouraging both parties were split on the issue. It may be we can move to a new period were automatc lock step party line voting is replaced with coalitions comprised of independent legislators. That would be good for the Republic. I’m also encouraged some on the left apparently fear the imperial presidency.
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