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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: Jim Robinson

The truth and the message is that the Republicans are shutting down Obamacare. It is the dimoKKKRATS who are shutting down the government.


61 posted on 09/21/2013 1:26:36 PM PDT by Parley Baer
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To: RKBA Democrat

All I’m saying is we cannot afford to put all our eggs in the debt ceiling basket. If they try to combine fighting obamacare and cutting the budget in with the debt ceiling fight we will definitely lose. Obama/Reid hold the upper hand in this through holding the majority in the senate. If they go ahead and fund obamacare now we lose all.

Hold the line in the House. That’s our best shot.

The debt ceiling doesn’t amount to a hill of beans if you allow the constitution shredding obamacare program to survive. Obama doesn’t give a crap about jobs or the economy or solvency or freedom. That’s obvious in his destructive policies. And he’ll happily run with an obamacare win — if the house caves — and it alone is enough to totally destroy America, debt ceiling win or not. It won’t matter then. The precedent of unlimited federal government and power will have been set. Check mate.

Hold the line!! Do not fund obamacare under any circumstance whatsoever!!


62 posted on 09/21/2013 1:35:39 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!!)
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To: LibLieSlayer
There's a list of Senators who won't sign the pledge to defund ObamaCare at this site:

Scroll down to see the list:
http://www.dontfundobamacare.com/

We need to do as much as we can before the cloture vote is taken.

63 posted on 09/21/2013 1:40:07 PM PDT by FR_addict
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To: Marcella

ping


64 posted on 09/21/2013 1:41:00 PM PDT by Marcella (Prepping can save your life today. I am a Christian, not a Muslim.)
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To: FR_addict

Screw them. and screw the senate. If he house holds the line, obamacare cannot be funded. And don’t be led astray, obamacare is the entire ballgame. It sets the SCOTUS approved precedent of unlimited government power and the end of individual liberty.

Do not allow obamacare to be funded under any circumstances whatsoever!!


65 posted on 09/21/2013 1:46:13 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!!)
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To: Jim Robinson

“The debt ceiling doesn’t amount to a hill of beans if you allow the constitution shredding obamacare program to survive.”

Exactly. And in this instance, time really is on our side. Both the House and the Senate must approve both the Continuing Resolution and an increase in the debt ceiling. I don’t think the forces of evil care so much about the CR. But they DO care about the debt ceiling. So tie both to deathcare. No CR, no debt ceiling increase unless deathcare is defunded.

They’d accuse us of being insane and irresponsible for doing that. And they’d be right. And you should never fight against someone who is both irresponsible and insane.

So how you liking that shoe on the other foot, huh dingy harry?


66 posted on 09/21/2013 1:51:46 PM PDT by RKBA Democrat (Power disintegrates when people withdraw their obedience and support)
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To: Jim Robinson

P.S. Oh and remember how Ronald Reagan won the cold war. The soviets were used to accomodation and “responsible” leaders on our side. They were completely unprepared for RR who bankrupted the soviets by convincing them he was absolutely, completely, bat**** crazy.

“We begin bombing in 5 minutes.” I guess we’ll never know if that comment was the most carefully prepared “mistake” in history.


67 posted on 09/21/2013 2:05:03 PM PDT by RKBA Democrat (Power disintegrates when people withdraw their obedience and support)
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To: Jim Robinson
Hold the line in the House. That’s our best shot.

Exactly. It doesn't matter WHAT CR passes or what the CR "says" it will fund. At the end of the day, the House of Representatives is responsible to "cut the check" for all expenditures.

Will the House of Representatives have the balls to simply "not cut the check" for Obamacare?

BTW Jim, why is it everyone's focused on the CR and what the CR says, RATHER THAN what the Constitutional Responsibilities of the House of Representatives is?

It's simple: No matter what CR passes, DO NOT PAY FOR OBAMACARE. It's really that simple. Will the Republicans stand together on this one, or will they collapse like a cheap suit bag?

Given Boehner's in charge of the House and Eric Cantor has exposed himself as a STATIST RINO, I'm not terribly hopeful - however I'll be ecstatic to be proven wrong!

Keep up the fight!

68 posted on 09/21/2013 2:09:11 PM PDT by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: Jim Robinson

WAPO nice try with the propaganda piece. Problem is your credibility has gone into the sewer along with the democrat parties. Government health care is not a winning prescription for anyone other that HARD CORE COMMUNISTS who want to FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGE this country, sound familiar.


69 posted on 09/21/2013 2:17:03 PM PDT by spawn44 (MOO)
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To: RKBA Democrat

If the house hold the line (as is their constitutional right and duty) then the senate doesn’t even matter. We do not need the senate or the president to defund obamacare. We just need the house not to pass any bill that funds it. Period. No matter what.

And as has been posted many times, Obama/Reid cannot shutdown essential services no matter how many times they threaten. The worst they can do is cause legions of government employees to be laid off. Whoopee!

The military will be paid. The social security checks will be paid. Medicare will be paid. The courts will function. The mail will continue to run, but maybe on fewer days. The air traffic controllers will remain on the job. The essential bills will be paid. The Congress and the White House will remain open, but perhaps without heating and air-conditioning and without so many lawyers, staffers, assistants and underlings. The congresscritters can wear sweaters in the wintertime and sweat it out in the summer heat and do their own dirty work.

But whatever happens, the House must not fund Obamacare. That will be checkmate for our constitution.


70 posted on 09/21/2013 2:24:30 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!!)
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To: Jim Robinson
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!

Bingo! The real test will come after the Senate rejects the CR just passed by the House. Last week I told my GOP congressman that I expect him to fight to the finish -- and to come home either as a victor or carried dead on his shield.

71 posted on 09/21/2013 2:28:06 PM PDT by Always A Marine
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To: usconservative

Yup. The House controls the purse strings per James Madison and the Founding Fathers. They as the representatives of we the people have the constitutional authority and duty to rein in runaway government by simply not funding it. We the people are the final arbiters. If the congress fails to do its constitutional duty, then its our duty to send them packing in the next election.


72 posted on 09/21/2013 2:31:07 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!!)
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To: RKBA Democrat

“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.”

Proud Whackbird here!


73 posted on 09/21/2013 2:31:22 PM PDT by austinaero
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To: Lancey Howard

You are correct sir. The Democrat plants who infest the GOP today are the ones who are most infuriated with Ted Cruz.


74 posted on 09/21/2013 2:38:00 PM PDT by dowcaet
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To: Jim Robinson

“If the house hold the line (as is their constitutional right and duty) then the senate doesn’t even matter. We do not need the senate or the president to defund obamacare. We just need the house not to pass any bill that funds it. Period. No matter what.”

Yes. I agree.

“And as has been posted many times, Obama/Reid cannot shutdown essential services no matter how many times they threaten. The worst they can do is cause legions of government employees to be laid off. Whoopee!”

They realize and we realize it. And for that reason, I don’t think they care so much about the CR. Everyone knows its a nonevent. But throw the debt ceiling into the mix and, well, watch the pucker factor increase tenfold. Note dear leaders recent speech. He was rattled. Not about deathcare, but the debt ceiling.

“But whatever happens, the House must not fund Obamacare. That will be checkmate for our constitution.”

I agree. That’s why we shouldn’t hesitate to up the stakes. It’s just like poker: we got your continuing resolution and raise you a debt ceiling. Oh and by the way, we’re a bunch of insane Tea Partiers. So we’ll be fine if the government shuts down and the debt ceiling isn’t raised.


75 posted on 09/21/2013 2:46:58 PM PDT by RKBA Democrat (Power disintegrates when people withdraw their obedience and support)
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To: austinaero

“Proud Whackbird here!”

I’m completely sane. The problem that I keep running into, though, is that the ‘rats use sleep gas to break into my house at night. Then they inject mind-altering chemicals under my finger nails. That allows them to try to control my brain waves using microwave technology.

I’m sorry. You were saying? You’re a whackbird? You really should have that looked into.

Ouch! Damned microwaves. I hate it when someone down the street starts cooking popcorn. Don’t they realize that they’re being controlled???


76 posted on 09/21/2013 2:56:53 PM PDT by RKBA Democrat (Power disintegrates when people withdraw their obedience and support)
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To: RKBA Democrat

I don’t give a whit about the credit limit at this time. Today’s fight is not funding obamacare. Win that fight or we lose all. Do not delay the fight. Do not cave in. Do not try to wrap it all up in one big package. The bigger the package the more likely we lose. I don’t trust Boehner/Ryan et al to win the credit limit fight. They don’t have the skills.

The obamacare fight is easy. Just say NO and there’s nothing Obama/Reid can do about it. They cannot fund it if the house says NO. It’s James Madison’s constitutional check on runaway unconstitutional government.

Do not fund the unconstitutional, liberty-destroying, nation-wrecking obamacare. Period! That would be checkmate om America.


77 posted on 09/21/2013 2:58:43 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!!)
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To: Jim Robinson

“-—many congressional republicans-—” WHO? who the bleeping WHO? Name names or shut the flock up. Sounds more like made up krap to me. I gotta throw the BS flag on a story with no freeeeking names.
( not you, Jim-—the bleephole that made up that story)

It was Cruz who I first heard say that gov’t should be funded one dept. at a time. I’ve said that for decades-—NO CR’s. It’s how it’s supposed to work. Debate funding. No blanket funding and sunset every bleeping program.


78 posted on 09/21/2013 3:11:20 PM PDT by cherokee1 (skip the names---just kick the buttz)
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To: Jim Robinson

“The bigger the package the more likely we lose. I don’t trust Boehner/Ryan et al to win the credit limit fight. They don’t have the skills.”

I see your point, Jim. K-I-S-S.


79 posted on 09/21/2013 3:43:56 PM PDT by RKBA Democrat (Power disintegrates when people withdraw their obedience and support)
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To: Jim Robinson
Right on!

Then they should begin passing bills to fund the legitimate and essential departments of government, one at a time.

And NOT funding the illegitimate and non-essential functions the left loves. Although I'd be pleased with only funding what Coolidge would have signed that perfect a budget may not be the best current strategy. Cruz's strategy aims to grow public support. There should be lots of possible, relatively small, cuts about which the far left would reflexively overreact and seem foolish to normal folks. Use political jujitsu to take control of the agenda.

80 posted on 09/21/2013 4:16:09 PM PDT by JohnBovenmyer (Obama been Liberal. Hope Change!)
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