Posted on 09/24/2013 2:48:38 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Despite what you see on C-SPAN2, or what you read on Twitter, Ted Cruz is not filibustering Obamacare. The Republican senator from Texas is speaking on the Senate floor for what is expected to be very long time—asked by reporters when he'd stop, he replied, "We shall see"—but it's not a filibuster in the sense of actually stopping the upper chamber's proceedings. Instead, Cruz's stand is purely symbolic.
In a real talking filibuster, as famously portrayed in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, a senator occupies the Senate floor indefinitely so as to block the chamber from taking up any other business. In Cruz's case, Senate rules limit his time, and he'll have to cede the floor by Wednesday morning at the latest. That's a long time, but the Senate will have to wait whether Cruz speaks or not. As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday morning, "I want to make sure everyone understands: There is no filibuster today."
Democrats already have the 60 votes needed to initiate cloture and break an actual Republican filibuster, so the rest of the timing is essentially on "autopilot," as Reid said, because he initiated the complicated series of procedural moves cut off debate Monday.
Note for nerds: Sen Cruz may use lots of floor time under Rule 22 re Obamacare. It WON'T be a talking filibuster unless 41 sens deny cloture — Todd Zwillich (@toddzwillich) September 24, 2013
... and the chances of that are increasingly remote. What Cruz will do is time-limited and by definition not a talking filibuster. — Todd Zwillich (@toddzwillich) September 24, 2013
Cruz is not the first senator to give a non-filibuster "filibuster." Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont spent hours on the Senate floor giving a speech in 2010 that was later made into a book, but it was not actually a filibuster.
The Washington Post's Paul Kane has a day-by-day breakdown of how that timing will play out between now and next Tuesday, when the government runs out of money. Nowhere along the way—unless all 41 Republicans unite behind Cruz's effort, which seems unlikely—is there an opportunity for a real filibuster. But that won't stop Cruz from talking.
Green Eggs and Ham pure genuis.
“... it will hurt southern dems like Landieu to vote yes on cloture.”
No. Because Harry, needing only 51 votes after cloture on debate, can then let several of his proles actually vote against the final bill funding Obamacare.
Could well be disinformation....
Oh.....Senate Republicans are really THAT stupid!?
Or are they hearing from their low-information constituents who think Obamacare is manna from heaven?
BTW, Thank you never enough O mighty El Rushbo, for adding that incisive term “low-information voter” to our political vocabulary.
No! Individual bills one at a time would expand govt. LESS govt please. The less days they are in session the better!
There may be too much negative said about the leadership. They may well be following a different strategy — letting Obamacare run in 2014 so that the Dems will get the blame for the mess, and the GOP can take over the Senate and then kill the monstrosity properly (and get nice committee chair positions, too, of course).
No, people will “know” Cruz is a jerk, or so the media will tell them. They won’t learn anything else unless they go to sources besides the liberal media. Cruz will get a bigger name for himself though, which is what I think he wanted all the time.
At 10:55 pm Tuesday night: Cruz is still speaking clearly but a few stumbles indicate his increasing fatigue.
I’m guessin’ there’s some walkin’ dead on the GOP side.
They may not know it; may have it figured differently in their little establishment skulls, but letting Obamacare pass into law will be a sure-fire way for any Republican to get blasted out of the Senate on a permanent basis come their next re-election cycle.
No you. This is a necessary protest against a government boondoggle most people are against and that the MSM you are ready rollover for has failed to sell. I think the “jerk” is the one pinning a derogatory assertion on the motive of a man brave enough to stand-up for us and be heard.
It ironically symbolizes what is wrong with this Country. While Cruz attempts to enlighten and inform America SLEEPS.
Even throughout the day tomorrow while most of America is awake they'll remain asleep in relation to what's happening to this Country.
trying to out convive and out strategize sometimes just helps the opposition along...
let them do what they must do....I pray to God that its the right thing to do...
In Baldy’s defense, read the context.
He’s saying that the Media will put out the meme that “Cruz is a jerk”, the same way the Media put out the memes of “Palin=whitetrash”, “Reagan=buffoon”, “eeeeevilBOOOOSH”, and “If you’re against Obama you’re obviously racist”.
All of which have been, and are being, believed by the low-info’s.
In fact, O-CNN and Faux have already started this meme. They have been belittling and marginalizing Cruz since the speeching started.
We have to be as smart as the conniving baseturds in the opposition -- let's not be the Stupid Party any longer.
Much as I like Cruz, he is carrying out a crude frontal attack. Sun Tzu, the famous chinese general and strategist, pointed out the importance of deception and indirect strategies if you want to win a war.
Sun Tzu knows you have to make sure the troops you bring into battle are actually on your team.
Cruz is separating the wheat from the chaff in this party.
If an Old Sarge says so then please excuse my response.
Hey, it’s all good.
Yes, but there is an awful lot of chaff......
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