Posted on 09/19/2013 10:57:09 AM PDT by servo1969
WASHINGTON Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said Thursday that he would use any means necessary, including a filibuster, to help ensure passage of a continuing resolution that defunds Obamacare.
I will do everything necessary and anything possible to defund Obamacare, Cruz said at a press conference with House Republicans on the CR that the House is set to pass Friday that continues to fund the government through the end of the year and defunds Obamacare.
Asked if he would filibuster, Cruz said he would use any procedural means necessary.
Cruz drew fire Thursday, after the House plan was announced, for suggesting that there was no chance the bill would get through in the Democratic controlled Senate.
Harry Reid will no doubt try to strip the defund language from the continuing resolution, and right now he likely has the votes to do so, Cruz said in a statement Thursday. At that point, House Republicans must stand firm, hold their ground, and continue to listen to the American people.
Several House Republicans accused him of giving up the fight, but Cruz deflected questions about that criticism Thursday, saying, it is very easy in Washignton to make this about personalities, to make this about people. This is not about any of us, this is about the American people.
"How about 46 out of 46 votes to defund!"
And put some Dems on the hot seat, like that leftist gun-grabber Joe Manchin and the rest of the phony "moderates"...
Wrong, Joe, it does include mandatory public funding of abortions!
Where's your prolife principles now????
You and Obama lied, babies died!!!
On the Five I heard and seemed to catch it in other places that even if the Republicans in the House vote to defund, the President will veto this.
And the Democrats will heavily villify the Republicans for trying to defund this. We will see.
Cruz and others who are trying to stop this have my support 100%.
Cruz is a Baptist or in more general terms, a Christian, no, I don’t think he is going to be dishonest.
LOL!
The rules permit a senator, or a series of senators, to speak for as long as they wish and on any topic they choose, unless "three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn"[1] (usually 60 out of 100 senators) brings debate to a close by invoking cloture under Senate Rule XXII.
So Cruz can hand off to Lee who can hand off to Paul, etc. It will be fun.
Idon’ really know what I’m talking about, but I assume that once Cruz has the floor he can talk as long as he wishes. That is I don’t think he can be interrupted for a cloture vote, however if he requests to yield to another senator, perhaps at that time a cloture vote can be taken? I say this because I doubt that there will be many people in the room when he is well into his filibuster, but at any time if you have 3/5 of democrats in the room, a cloture could stop the filibuster.
Just looked this up. STrom Thurmond filibustered alone for 24 hrs and 18 min in opposition to the civil rights act.
IT’s interesting that Sen. William Proxmire of Wisconsin spoke for 16 hours and 12 minutes to stall debate on an increase of the public debt ceiling in 1981.
Proxmire was concerned about the nation’s rising debt level. The bill he wanted to stall action on authorizing a total debt of $1 trillion.
Proxmire held forth from 11 a.m. on Sept. 28 through 10:26 a.m. the following day. And though his fiery speech earned him widespread attention, his marathon filibuster came back to haunt him.
His detractors in the Senate pointed out taxpayers were paying tens of thousands of dollars to keep the chamber open all night for his speech.
You apparently need 60 votes to end a filibuster. The speaker must speak the entire time, and cannot sit down. I don’t know if he can yield to someone else. I would think that he cannot.
I don’t know. I think once a Senator takes the floor he does not have to yield it.
I think the question we have is, once he has the floor can he pass it to someone else. I think the answer is that he risks the speaker saying “no”....
The filibuster can be stopped with 2/3 majority vote.
I watched Rand Paul's filibuster, Cruz and Rubio were trying to help, I am certain if Paul could have yielded the floor to either he would have, so I think you are right, sadly. Wiki must be either wrong or harry changed the rules.
I was watching McCain speak a few years ago. That idiot Freshman Senator from Minnesota, who’s name escapes me (Thank Goodness), was presiding over the Senate that day.
I think actually it was Lieberman who was speaking at the time, McCain spoke later in criticism.
Anyway, Lieberman asked, “Mr. President, can I have an additional 2 minutes to finish what I’d like to say?”
The idiot said, “no”....
So I am quite sure if Paul had said, “Mr. President I would like to yield to Senator Cruz.” Reid of whoever presiding would simply say, “no.”
It was Al Franken(stein) MN-DemRAT buffoon, who did not give the extra 2 minutes to Lieberman. McCain chastised Franken for that, but demoRATs just laugh off any criticism of their outrageous behavior.
that’s non-stop talking too
At REAL talking speeds, with commentary when you come to a particlarly stupid passage, you could easily double or triple that time
I could see them spending a month reading it, easily
I agree.
When is someone in power going to start saying out loud “Obama is a LIAR and doing all this on purpose”? There is plenty of evidence to back it up.
Yes...you’re right. My point being that if Cruz starts a Filibuster, and yields to someone else, Reid or the democrat over seeing the session can simply say “no.” The filibuster therefore must be done himself, I guess unless the only people in the room are republicans.
For example, what happens if let’s say the session has not adjourned and it’s 4 AM, and we have only the president overseeing it...probably Al Franken for all I know...and there’s like 20 republicans in the room and no democrats, then if Cruz yields how can they stop that?
Every last word, then read it is Spanish for our future denizens. That should take a while.
I understand the confused New Yorker, Peter King, issued a scurrilous attack on Senator Cruz Friday.
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