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.

[BlatherNaut]

Ha! Most probably don’t even know who Mrs Beasley is/was ;^)

whoever she is, she looks a lot like mitch (though probably surpasses him in intellect)

[Windflier]

Voting ain’t going to fix what is broke in this country..... Too late for playing nicey nicey. The enemy is inside the walls

Good for you for seeing through the charade that is U.S. politics today.

[Hostage]

Exactly, thank you.

[Political Junkie Too]

No procedural opportunity should be waived but that is McConnell busy undermining Cruz and Lee. 

It's the same thing that McConnell did with the debt ceiling fight in 2012. He swooped in at the last minute with a Senate "compromise" that undermined the House's strongest card and gave Obama the debt ceiling power. McConnell single-handedly snatched defeat from the House's victory, and now he's doing it again.

He's afraid of going against the Democrats, but not his own party.

-PJ

[RinaseaofDs]

McConnellCare.

I hope he chokes on it, because that’s his legacy, the turkey-necked hack.

[MinuteGal]

If you had bothered to read my post and made an effort to understand its plain talk you'd climb down from your high horse to understand I addressed voter registration in closed and open state primaries...NOT IN GENERAL ELECTIONS.

A conservative may live in a state where (if he has dumped his GOP registration) he would NOT be able to vote for, say, Ted Cruz over Al Capone in the primary. Therefore, he becomes an INNEFECTIVE conservative. Is this so difficult to understand?

I was NOT addressing general election voting....it's up to you whether or not you want to sit the general elections out or vote for third, fourth or fifth parties....it's a free country.

But you're no longer a worthwhile conservative if you cannot vote in GOP PRIMARIES and GOP SPECIAL ELECTIONS in a closed-primary state due to your unthinking petulance and a stupid registration change....you're merely a useless apolitical bag of hot air.

But, again, it's a free country.

Leni

[MWestMom]

I’ve always seen him as more of a turtle.

[TheOldLady]

Bump