Sens. Cruz, Lee say they won't block deal

The Hill ^

[Sub-Driver]

Sens. Cruz, Lee say they won't block deal By Mike Lillis - 10/16/13 12:38 PM ET

Sens. Ted Cruz and Mike Lee said Wednesday that they won't try to block the bipartisan deal to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling.

"The timing of the vote will make no difference to the outcome," Cruz (R-Texas) said. "I have no intention of delaying the vote."

Cruz and Lee (R-Utah) had spearheaded the campaign to attach ObamaCare language to any new budget bills, and had pushed their colleagues to take a hard-line stance.

But the pair emerged from a meeting of Senate Republicans Wednesday afternoon to say they would let the agreement — which contains only one provision on ObamaCare — move forward.

"Some of us want to see it first — we still don't have text," Lee said. "But provided we get the text and have time t review it and everything, I suspect we'll collapse the time."

There has been speculation that the bipartisan deal might originate in the House, thereby eliminating some procedural hurdles when the bill moved to the Senate. But with Cruz and Lee withdrawing their filibuster threats, several GOP senators said the upper chamber will likely act first on the agreement.

The deal reached by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) would fund the government through Jan. 15 and raise the debt-ceiling until February. It would require income verification for subsidies under ObamaCare, but otherwise leave the helathcare law untouched.

The weeks-long fight over ObamaCare has left the GOP sharply divided and licking its wounds, after centrist Republicans warned for weeks that the battle was futile and damaging to the party.

Several Republicans left the meeting Wednesday grumbling that the conservatives in their ranks had prolonged the impasse even as Republicans were sinking in the polls.

"We left a lot on the table because we couldn't get our act together, but this is the best Mitch could do," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who will vote for the deal. "We need to stop the bleeding, lessen the damage to the party."

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) echoed that message.

"I hope it is another 15 years at least before we have to go through this exercise again," McCain said. "We're in a hole, we have to dig out and come up with a positive agenda."

[Zuben Elgenubi]

Tune in next week on Sock Puppet theatre when they have to raise the debt limit yet again.

[Lazamataz]

I almost expected you to say something like this, like a good little Concern Troll.

Cruz has been a good man, but there is a time to pick your fights. He filibustered, he did all that he could reasonably do.

[Lazamataz]

RightwardHo is a stool pigeon of the left. Get this filth off of Free Republic.

You agree with me.

[onyx]

Mark Levin referenced this piece in a tweet, and asked..."Where do we go from here?"

In her famous words, we 'Buck up or get out of the truck!"
I think that means, we support the GOOD GUYS!






Chief Justice Mike Lee!


Final FReepathon of the Year!

PLEASE Make Your Donations.

Mark Levin referenced this piece in a tweet, and asked..."Where do we go from here?"

In her famous words, we 'Buck up or get out of the truck!"
I think that means, we support the GOOD GUYS!






Chief Justice Mike Lee!


Final FReepathon of the Year!

PLEASE Make Your Donations.

[Lazamataz]

Yet another person sees RightwardHo for what he truly is.

[Democrat_media]

there are a lot of democrats/socialists moles on here

[Defiant]

I think you are wrong about Ted Cruz and about whether he should be filibustering right now.

[Lazamataz]

And yet ANOTHER person sees RightwardHo as the troll he is. Waiting for the moderators to catch up.

[Viennacon]

Hardly.

We understand guys. You gave it your all. Time to let America get exactly what they voted for.

[Democrat_media]

there are a lot of democrats/socialists moles on here

RIghtwardHo is one of those moles

[Buckeye McFrog]

there are a lot of democrats/socialists moles on here

Fine with me. Maybe they'll learn something.

[Guenevere]

I like that he called him not only the 'smartest'.

.....but one of 'the most principled law students to EVER have gone through Harvard.'

THIS is who we are getting to know.....a principled man....(rare in DC)

[Lazamataz]

Why? All he dd was make noise that accomplished nothing. If I just want someone who can yell I’ll vote for the Yorkie next door. Ted Cruz is a yapper, nothing more.

Wow, you actually are using outright Dem-talking-points.

I won't bother to explain what Cruz accomplished, not to a troll like you.

[sarge83]

How right you are. Without Cruz we could have surrendered 2 weeks ago like we have on everything else. The only thing Cruz did was shine the light on the liberal roaches that infest the republican party and they are just mad.

In a way Cruz has hastened the coming civil war in the republican party which is a good thing as the way it is currently being ran it will never win another national election. Whey vote for liberal lite when you can have the real thing by voting (D).

There is not opposition party to the democrats currently. The GOP has essentially adopted the “me too only a little cheaper” approach, where is the choice here? There is none.

[Lazamataz]

When will Admin Moderator get that?

[Viennacon]

100% agree.

Now we have Freepers going Peter King on the most conservative guy in the whole damn senate. Nice circular firing squad guys.

All he could have done would be delay it. This fight was dead the moment the RINOS refused to back Cruz’ plan.
A disgrace that people would try to throw this guy under the bus. If this is the thanks he gets, its no wonder nobody ever puts their neck on the line.

[RIghtwardHo]

EXATLY! What did the GOP get? MORE regulation? MORE IRS involvement? What GOP fool thought that one up?

[miliantnutcase]

What can Cruz do in the Senate?? He’s not the House majority leader.

[Servant of the Cross]

I will tell you the single biggest surprise in arriving to the Senate is the defeatist attitude here. I mean, we don't even talk about how to win a fight. There's no discussion. We talk about, "Hey, let's get a show vote so we can go tell our constituents we're doing something." But I promise you, Rush, if you had to sit through one Senate lunch, you'd be in therapy for a month ... but they've been here a long time, and they're beaten down, and they don't believe we can win. They don't believe it can happen, and the answer they say on every issue is, "No, we can't do it. We can't do it."

'Tis better to have tried in vain, Sincerely striving for a goal, Than to have lived upon the plain An idle and a timid soul.

'Tis better to have fought and spent
Your courage, missing all applause,
Than to have lived in smug content
And never ventured for a cause.

For those who try and fail may be
The founders of a better day;
Though never theirs the victory,
From them shall others learn the way. ... Edgar Guest

Viva Senator Ted Cruz!

[onyx]

I think he called him, “one of the smartest.”
I’m listening to Rush right now to hear it again.