Posted on 07/24/2013 3:25:43 AM PDT by IbJensen
Yesterday, when asked directly about Republicans shutting down the government over Obamacare, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell sounded less than committed to the endeavor. This is not a hypothetical question. Senator Mike Lee has issued a letter saying he will not pass a continuing resolution that funds Obamacare. He has been joined by fifteen Republican Senators.
Unfortunately, I can confirm from multiple sources in the United States Senate that Senator McConnell’s office has begun pressuring Republicans to back away from the Mike Lee effort. In fact, one senate source tells me Senator Lee himself was asked to take his signature off his own letter.
While Senate Republicans appear to be going wobbly, Speaker John Boehner blasted out two news stories yesterday. The first was an ABC News poll showing most Americans are soured on Obamacare and the second was a story that Democrats are starting to run from Obamacare. The Speaker seems to get what is going on.
For conservative activists, the next few weeks will be crucial to keeping pressure on Senate Republicans. They should first remind Senate Republicans that, contrary to myth, they gained seats in 1996 after the Gingrich government shutdown. At the time, Gingrich credited the GOP’s hard line with them holding their own in the 1996 election despite Bob Dole’s loss to Bill Clinton. Read this by Dan Mitchell to beef up on the real history of the 1995 shutdown.
Now, here is what conservative activists should pay attention to. I have obtained the complete list of current signatures to Mike Lee’s letter. Likewise, Ted Cruz has legislation that would defund Obamacare. I have a list of the sponsors of that legislation. We should keep track to see who pulls their name off Mike Lee’s letter and who pulls their name off Ted Cruz’s bill. Additionally, several Senators are either on the letter or the bill, but not both. We should pressure them to be on both.
As it stands now, here is the list that I have confirmed and we should all be vigilant against Senate GOP Leadership pressure:
ON BOTH THE LEE LETTER AND THE TED CRUZ BILL TO DEFUND:
Cornyn Cruz Enzi Fischer Grassley Inhofe Lee Paul Risch Rubio Vitter Wicker
ON LETTER, NOT ON BILL
Chiesa Kirk Thune
ON BILL, NOT ON LETTER
Call these people and ask that they sign the Mike Lee letter. It is important to get their signatures on that letter or we can presume they will fund Obamacare.
Alexander Ayotte Barrasso Blunt Boozman Burr Chambliss Graham Heller Isakson Johanns McConnell Moran Roberts Scott Toomey
They already have.
IMO McConnell values his friendship with Harry Reid more than he does his leadership position wih the GOP.
I would guess Mitch has already caved and will lead from behind again.
Obamacare will be funded.
They will never receive another vote or contribution from me.
You are so right, and KY people have been fooled for a generation by McC. There is no indication that they will awake from their slumber. Conservatives in the long run would have been better off if Walter Huddleston had won reelection in 1984, but we didn't know that then.
When have they ever fought and won? Yes they will cave, they always do.
Senators pride themselves on consensus. That’s what they do. Everything else is just theater.
Ok Kentucky... you have a TEA PARTY alternative so fire this backroom deal making pos criminal and let’s start saving America!
It’s all for show. Just like the Hillary show, or the Corzine show, or the IRS Lerner show—they want to stay in their first-class, chauffeured, wined and dined, pampered bubble. They love the power.
In their minds, they deserve it—because they are better than the rest of us. Their personal gain ranks ahead of their country, the Constitution, budgets, and the long term health of the economy. We need term limits.
Despite the political theatrics of 2010, the GOP was 100% behind most of the provisions of ObamaCare. If you need any further evidence of this, just take a look at the track record of the guy the party nominated to run for the White House in 2012.
YEs...they are SISSIES....STUPID SISSIES, HOWEVER, the Democras are EVIL and VILE.
McConnell is weak. He should be defeated in his next primary, but in the meantime, he should be thrown out of his leadership post and replaced by someone who actually has some principles.
Huh? A single governor in a very Democrat state and a very democrat statehouse put a mandate in law. That now represents and entire party?
“McConnell is weak. He should be defeated in his next primary, but in the meantime, he should be thrown out of his leadership post and replaced by someone who actually has some principles.”
Other than Gingrich, who allowed his ego to destroy him as Speaker of the House, who in recent years has been a strong Congressional leader for the Republicans? In the Senate since 1985 we’ve had Bob Dole, Trent Lott, Bill Frist, Mitch McConnell. All were party establishment men.
In the House we’ve had Bob Michael, Newt Gingrich, Dennis Hastert, and John Boehner. Other than Gingrich, more of the same. Hastert was as bad as Boehner.
As Senator McConnell has gotten more control over the party leadership, the less effective that leadership has become.
Just sayin'.
They will never receive another vote or contribution from me.
Same here. The other face of the Big Government party hasn't done anything for America since Ronald Reagan left the White House.
When that party nominates that Governor to be President of the country, then, yes, that represents the entire party.
What a title, isn’t the answer pretty obvious?
When has the Senate GOPe NOT surrendered? Usually in advance!
ObamaCare will be funded. Of course. Speaker Bonehead himself said so last year during the campaign that it was the law of the land and would be funded. And he was re-elected.
Barry Hussein Soetoro has probably told McConnell that if he supports Obamacare he will make sure he gets re-elected in the next election.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.