This little fag needs a haircut and a set of balls.
Posted on 09/19/2013 2:42:53 AM PDT by markomalley
The Examiner's David Drucker reports many House Republicans are angry and disillusioned with Sen. Ted Cruz. The Texas Republican has been traveling the country encouraging people to support a move to defund Obamacare. But now that House Republicans have committed to passing a continuing resolution that does just that, Cruz has admitted Republicans don't have the votes to succeed in the Senate.
"Harry Reid will no doubt try to strip the defund language from the continuing resolution," Cruz said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. "And right now he likely has the votes to do so."
The truth of that was obvious. Democrats have 54 votes in the Senate, and not a single one has expressed support for defunding Obamacare. In addition, several of the Senate's 46 Republicans have expressed opposition to the defunding proposal. Sen. Mike Lee's pledge to refuse to vote for any government funding bill that includes funding for Obamacare has been signed by just 14 GOP senators -- a minority of the minority.
But to House Republicans who support defunding, Cruz's admission sounded like a surrender before the fight. "I don't know how you could say, right now, that there are not the votes for it [in the Senate]," Tennessee GOP Rep. Phil Roe told Drucker. "I don't understand that." Other lawmakers expressed deep disappointment in conversations reported by Drucker. "Gee, thanks for the support," said Florida Rep. Trey Radel.
The unhappiness is understandable. But perhaps those Republicans now angry at Cruz should have listened to him more carefully all along. In his speeches promoting the defunding campaign, Cruz, a Harvard-educated lawyer, chose his words closely, not claiming that defunders had the votes to prevail but instead suggesting that they might somehow spur a popular uprising against Obamacare in which an enraged populace would pressure reluctant lawmakers to change their positions -- and then vote to defund.
Cruz's rhetorical strategy was on full display during a late August trip to New Hampshire, home to the nation's first president primary of the 2016 race. In an appearance at a state GOP fundraiser, Cruz repeatedly said the Obamacare fight could not be won in Washington DC. "The only way we're going to succeed in defunding Obamacare is if it comes from the American people," he said. "This is not a strategy of trying to convince Washington, DC. It's a strategy of empowering the American people."
Cruz was saying, in an indirect but still clear way, that Senate Republicans did not have the votes to defund Obamacare. (I wrote this at the time; see here.) Cruz went on to outline a plan in which, if enough people signed a petition at the website dontfundit.com, and then got in touch with their senators and representatives to urge them to support defunding, public sentiment would force lawmakers who now oppose defunding to change their minds and support it. "The only way we're going to succeed in defunding Obamacare is if it comes from the American people," Cruz said.
The tactic would even work on Democrats, Cruz argued. "If you're a Democrat, particularly in a red state, who's up for election in 2014, and you start to hear from 5,000, and then 10,000, and then 20,000, and then 50,000 of your constituents, suddenly the calculus starts to seem very, very different," Cruz told the New Hampshire audience.
Cruz was more direct in an appearance on CNN at about the same time. "We do not have the votes right now," he told the network on August 25. "I believe if we see a grassroots tsunami, that is going to cause Republicans and Democrats to listen to the people."
"But it's going to take a tsunami?" asked host Candy Crowley.
"It is going to take a tsunami and I'm going to do everything I can to encourage that tsunami," answered Cruz.
Now, Cruz has admitted again that defunders do not have the votes in the Senate to defund Obamacare. The difference from earlier statements, at least for those disappointed Republicans, is that some of Cruz's fellow lawmakers in the House are about to actually cast votes to defund. They're all in, and the last thing they want to hear is a leader of the cause in the Senate admit that it can't succeed.
Later on Wednesday, after the storm over Cruz's words, he and fellow defunder Sen. Mike Lee appeared on Sean Hannity's Fox News program. Cruz tried some damage control. "I can guarantee you one thing," he said. "Mike and I are going to fight with every breath in our body. As Churchill said, we will fight on the beaches, we will fight on the streets, we will fight at every step to stop the biggest job killer in America."
Those words would have been inspiring to House Republicans a week ago. Now, nobody is quite sure exactly what Ted Cruz really means.
This little fag needs a haircut and a set of balls.
There is no reason whatsoever to think that.
Cruz is correct. Don’t end it, suspend it.
Let’s get a veto-proof majority in 2014.
You have far more confidence in the GOP than I do.
I would wager that Reid will strip the language out and the revised bill will pass the Senate.
Then the RINOs that Boehner appoints to the Conference Committee will ignore the Senate's stripping of that language.
And, finally, the conference report will be approved on a voice vote (or unanimous consent) by the House (so the individual members can return to their districts and claim to have tried to defund Obamacare -- while they shout "aye" to the conference report).
Sorry, but I'm pretty cynical when it comes to politicians in DC. Of either party.
You raise a critical point, noprogs. Yes, the Senate strips out the defunding language. That pushes the proposed legislation to conference.
And, THAT is where the pubbies drop the ball. That is the very point at which they should be trumpeting to the world that the DHIMMICRAPS are the ones seeking the shutdown of the government (arguably not a bad idea, IMO).
Our job is only half done. We can keep up the pressure and IF it happens as you say the house knows what will happen....
No way. I have been listening to him VERY closely lately and all he says is that the Conservatives are going to get their heads bashed in by the Democrats. He needs to stick to golf.
(not holding my breath)
Yep.
Using the term “damage control” as a pejorative against Cruz was a dead giveaway of York’s liberal, big govt leanings.
Remember the Alamo!
Never underestimate the power of a grand but futile effort based on principle!
Think John Belushi in Animal House.
Senate Republicans - Stand Your Ground.
Go ahead and let Reid get all of those Democrat Senators to vote against defunding Obamacare. They will be on the record as imposing it on us yet again and the people responsible for a government shutdown.
The voters want the Republicans to defund this monstrosity.
Byron York used David Drucker’s article as his guide. Drucker says there are “many” GOP lawmakers disappointed. He quotes 2 of the many; but never says how many is many—2? 22? 52?. To quote one of the 2, “I don’t know how you could say, right now, that there are not the votes for it [in the Senate]. I don’t understand that,” Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., said. Does this mean Rep. Roe does not know who is in control of the Senate? Does Sen. Cruz have to explain this for elected representative every time he says something? Even I, just a voter, know there is no way
at this time the Senate will vote for this. And I am sorry Rep. Poe doesn’t understand. I don’t think Mr. York’s basis for his article is very strong.
does he understand ther
Screw the Senate if the House won’t fund it we win. Make the dems face reality that they don’t own us.
OOPS! Sorry I didn’t erase the last words. Please pretend they aren’t there.
Unless the legislator was living under a rock to a person House members know de-funding is an iffy proposition in the Senate. I don’t know why York presented that as a “blame Cruz” issue. I would have rather seen speculation on the next move on those 2000 pages of shall’s and shant’s,creating new expanded bureaucracies, “fees”, plus references to another 52,000 shall and shant directed to other government agencies.
Maybe he can play with barry!
” Screw the Senate if the House won’t fund it we win.”
You forget about the conference committee. Boehner appoints the members of the conference committee. Then there is the vote on the conference report (which is what actually becomes law).
It’s a little more complicated than you make it seem.
After a re-read. York’s piece is about another piece done by Examiner’s David Drucker. Looks like they’re feeding off the same trough. Still see no need to repeat ahh but I forget this comes from the City of Innuendo.
People get the fact that Republicans will NOT GET THE HEALTH CARE that DEMOCRATS will get!!
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