McConnell Shoots Down Ted Cruz's Plan To Risk Shutdown Over Obamacare

Talking Points Memo ^ | SEPTEMBER 23, 2013, 5:20 PM EDT | SAHIL KAPUR

[HenryArmitage]

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) broke with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Monday, revealing that he won't filibuster legislation to fund the government in service of conservative goals to defund Obamacare.

The Republican leader's decision is a major blow to the push by Cruz and powerful conservative activist groups, who wanted Republicans to unite and filibuster a continuing resolution until Democrats caved agreed to gut funding for the Affordable Care Act.

"Senator McConnell supports the House Republicans' bill and will not vote to block it, since it defunds Obamacare and funds the government without increasing spending by a penny," McConnell spokesman Don Stewart told TPM in an email Monday. "He will also vote against any amendment that attempts to add Obamacare funding back into the House Republicans' bill." The decision clears a path for Democrats to pass a continuing resolution that funds Obamacare. Procedurally, Democrats need 60 votes (they have 54 members) to advance the House-passed continuing resolution. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) can strike the language defunding Obamacare with 51 votes, which frees up McConnell and every other Republican to vote against such an amendment. This way he never has to actually vote to fund Obamacare but doesn't force a shutdown over an unachievable goal.

[Regulator]

Ah...the knife goes into his back

Now we know for sure Mitch...you’re on of Them.

[tumblindice]

Our Mr. Whipple: ‘Please don’t squeeze the Democrats.”

[LALALAW]

Mr. McConnel had best reconsider if he knows what is good for his political life.

[rrrod]

Maybe Paul will pull his support for McConnel?

[Cyber Liberty]

Isn’t he cute when he’s angry?

[mrsmith]

He’s insane. I hope whoever beats him in the primary can go on to win the general election.

[Venturer]

The only one fit to lead. Ted Cruz.

Mitch McConnell is toast.

[RIghtwardHo]

Here’s hoping.

[EQAndyBuzz]

“How do we get millions of calls into this gonadless jerk’s office?”

You don’t. You find out who his corporate sponsors are and boycott them. And you make it well known that an contributor to the GOPe will be boycotted.

[RIghtwardHo]

I’m not worried about them being smoked out, I just hope that they are outnumbered and I am not convinced they are.

[RIghtwardHo]

I just don’t know if that’s true. AZ keeps electing McCain. States keep electing these fools McConnell is in a little bit of trouble (against the Dem) in KY but it’s early and people love their incumbents.

[Jane Long]

Mark Levin just called on all of the billionaires to stop funding Karl Rove's PAC.

Tokyo works against conservative principles!!

[sport]

You can expect obamacare to be funded with the same confidence that you have that the sun will rise in the east on Monday morning after setting on Sunday. When they do, all other bullshit aside, that will be the end of what was once the United States of America. The land mass will remain the same, the sun will still rise and set and most things will continue as they were. What will happen is that the Government Bureaucrats will take control of everyone's life. The parasite class will not notice at first because all they are concerned with is doing dope and fornicating. The producing class will find that no matter how much they try, they will not be able to match the expectations of their masters. Kinda like the Jews under National Socialists control found themselves, each time they met one goal, the National Socialists set another one and upped the ante. As the producers become fewer and fewer, thus producing less and less and the Government is increasing its strangle hold on the herd, the parasite class becomes less useful and more of a liability and is eliminated[read killed]. Unfortunately for them and I don't consider them members of the parasite class, the first to be killed will be the elderly, the young born with afflictions such as but not limited to downs syndrome, spina biffita, ceberal palsy. The next to be killed will be those currently afflicted with ceberal palsy, cancer, downs syndrome, spina biffida, those paralyzed or otherwise due to accidents. The kill happy abortion providers will be given a new list of clients. All the Affordable Health Care and Patient Protection Act will cost is in the end, your life.

But, that is what the majority of people, via their votes, said they wanted. The people got what they wanted.

[SC_Pete]

Shell game; shill game. Mitch McConnell has been in Washington too long.

[BlatherNaut]

Ted Cruz is the real GOP leader right now

Yes indeed. And McConnell is a louse. I wonder if the Saudis have bought and paid for his services along with the Dear Leader's or if he's just a run-of-the-mill political hack/crony capitalist. He's certainly willing to help destroy the US economy along with destroying the formerly greatest healthcare system on earth in the face of 70% public opposition, so somebody must be making it worth his while.

[drypowder]

McConnell isn't worried about keeping his Senator job, now that he has exposed himself as a true liberal democrat who looks down his nose at the American people, the democrat vote fraud machine will be there to ensure his reelection.

[mtnwmn]

Yes indeed.

[chickenlips]

We truly need a new term to replace RINO. These people are truly Republicans in the modern sense and being called a RINO is a badge of honor to them. They may be conservatives in name only, but they are modern Republicans through and through.

[taildragger]

Vichy Republicans, swine the whole flippin’ bunch of them...

[PATRIOT1876]

He’s done a few good things, but now it’s time to DITCH MITCH!