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House GOP Mulls CR with Vitter Amendment (Sword of Damocles)
National Review ^ | September 28, 2013 6:39 PM | Robert Costa

Posted on 09/28/2013 10:04:41 PM PDT by 11th_VA

House Republican insiders acknowledge a shutdown is increasingly likely, due to House conservatives’ aversion to passing a “clean” continuing resolution that simply funds the government. But the leadership isn’t ready to concede defeat. Behind the scenes, Speaker John Boehner and his allies are finalizing their strategy for the eleventh hour: a last-minute CR play.

Here’s how it could unfold, according to sources familiar with the leadership’s closed-door deliberations.

First, the House passes a CR today that delays Obamacare’s implementation for one year and repeals the medical-device tax. This legislation will almost certainly die a quick death in the Senate.

Should that happen, the House will send another bill back. The leadership is mulling several options. At the top of the list is a revised CR that includes the Vitter amendment, authored by Senator David Vitter (R., La.), which would eliminate Obamacare subsidies for congressional staffers and members.

The leadership thinks that a final CR with Vitter’s language would put them on solid political ground, even if Senate Democrats resist. In that scenario, and the government shut down, Republicans would argue that Democrats shut down the government to protect their perks.


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To: OneVike

Don’t trust it either....as GOP Senate has pretty much supported ObamaCare with their cloiture vote

I think Low Info voters will be hoodwinked....but I don’t trust the John Kerry types who “supported it before voting against it”


61 posted on 09/29/2013 4:12:02 AM PDT by SeminoleCounty (Unemployment is so high...its getting harder for Obama to job people anymore)
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To: 11th_VA

I favor the delay approach. I don’t favor the Vitter approach. All it does is drag a few Congressional staffers into the mess. Members of Congress, particularly Senators, are millionaires and can afford whatever coverage they want. Or to self insure if they so choose.

My first choice is repeal. My second is defunding. My third is delay. I’ve read a lot of the arguments on FR over the past few hours and I think it’s the way of least harm at this point.

There is what you want and what you can get. The Senate effectively killed the defund option. The House has already decided that it isn’t going to defend that patch of ground, so why belabor it? The question is whether delay is acceptable as opposed to full implementation?

I understand the sentiments expressed to just let the act go into law and let the ‘rats own it. Understood, but it overlooks the real harm that will come to Americans if it does go into effect. I agree that in war there are times when the “best” choice amongst bad choices is to call in artillery on your own position. This is not one of those times. There are other options on the table.

What ultimately convinced me to come in favor of delay is a detail that has been talked about a bit but not so much: the situation with the computer software. It’s just not ready. And that has the potential to cause a complete meltdown. Yes, it would be gratifying to watch the ‘rat’s beloved mcconnelcare crash and burn in a sadistic sort of way, but don’t forget that real Americans would be harmed as a result. If our best argument for conservatism is that we’ll harm Americans less, but we’re still OK with harming them, then I think we’ve already lost.

Second, delay allows us time to make our arguments and continue the steady drip, drip, drip of negative information coming out about mcconnelcare. One thing that we have now that we didn’t have even a month ago is the costs of coverage under the exchanges. We have the real data. Not conjecture: this is what mcconnelcare is going to cost YOU. That will allow for websites like www.seehowbadACAis.com Don’t underestimate the value of sticker shock. Also, if worse does come to worst a year from now, we will have had time to educate people on the ramifications of noncompliance.

Also, there is some PR value to be had in having stood back from the initial position of defund. Our side has given some. The other side is refusing to even negotiate. While we shouldn’t expect anything but propaganda from the MSM, the truth has a way of getting out.

I don’t trust Speaker Boehner to stand firm on anything. But simply because he hasn’t the last 50 times doesn’t necessarily mean that he won’t shock us and do it this time. And I did notice the information coming to light that the gop conference is pretty happy with this. That includes some fairly good conservatives that are not in a mood to agree with much of anything. I understand it isn’t much, but you fight with the Army you have, not the one you wish you had.

Finally, I think that digging in on delay will cause some defections on the other side. Joe Manchin being the first, but I think there will be others. The other side is evil, but they aren’t completely stupid. They know this isn’t ready for prime time and I’d bet they’re not all that keen on being left holding the bag if it collapses in a heap. Dingy Hairy can talk the talk, but I doubt that he’ll be able to keep all of his members in line if the House digs in it’s heels on a one year delay.


62 posted on 09/29/2013 4:44:57 AM PDT by RKBA Democrat (Power disintegrates when people withdraw their obedience and support)
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To: sickoflibs

The Vitter amendment with delay is fine. Alone it is not.


63 posted on 09/29/2013 4:45:44 AM PDT by RKBA Democrat (Power disintegrates when people withdraw their obedience and support)
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To: JediJones

“That’s a disastrous deal for us, since the whole Congressional exemption thing is a trifle compared to the full impact of Obamacare.”

I won’t go so far as to say it’s disastrous, but it’s not a good deal. Members of Congress by in large are quite wealthy: this really isn’t going to impact them.


64 posted on 09/29/2013 4:47:18 AM PDT by RKBA Democrat (Power disintegrates when people withdraw their obedience and support)
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To: montag813

-——VietCong operative McCain-——

aka The Manchurian Candidate


65 posted on 09/29/2013 4:47:20 AM PDT by bert ((K.E. N.P. N.C. +12 ..... Travon... Felony assault and battery hate crime)
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To: 11th_VA

TERM LIMIT LAMAR ALEXANDER IN 2014 RINO VOTED FOR THIS PIECE OF GARBAGE! Tea Party Backed JOE CARR is running against him.

66 posted on 09/29/2013 5:14:26 AM PDT by GailA (THOSE WHO DON'T KEEP PROMISES TO THE MILITARY, WON'T KEEP THEM TO U!)
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To: 11th_VA

67 posted on 09/29/2013 5:20:19 AM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: 11th_VA

NO CONGRESSIONAL EXEMPTIONS....NONE....ANd the President and his wonderful family need to be on it also!! YOU FIRST, OBAMAS!!


68 posted on 09/29/2013 5:41:03 AM PDT by Ann Archy (Abortion......the Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: 11th_VA

The spin has already begun. The MSM have already started “blame the extremist Republicans.”

The government WILL be shut down.

This could be the begining of Civil War II as the states will move to govern themselves because the federal government, as we know it, is no more.The federal government is just a collective of coercive utopians, socialists who have become fascist.

The People may NOW declare that they do not want such a federal government. Obama must resign or be impeached for his treason, lies and deceit, and abusing the legislative process, contrary to the Constitution. If Obama is not impeached, then the federal government can shut down for good.

Let the federal government shut down and NEVER reopen in its present form, the states can convene a convention and establish a NEW federal government based on what the People want, not based on coercion, lies,deceit and treason.


69 posted on 09/29/2013 5:48:43 AM PDT by Candor7 (Obama fascism article:(http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/05/barack_obama_the_quintessentia_1.html))
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To: sickoflibs
If the bill only requires the republican staff and congressmen on the plan, it will Surely pass.
70 posted on 09/29/2013 6:03:56 AM PDT by justrepublican (Screaming a "Vexatious requester" at a Wellstone memorial...........)
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Extend the Vitter concept and revoke all exemptions and instruct the administration not to grant any exemptions. Then also stipulate that companies don’t have to pay for abortions and defund Planned Parenthood.

Let the rats chew on that.


71 posted on 09/29/2013 6:32:59 AM PDT by Leto
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To: sickoflibs

"We're sick of those House peons sabotaging our perks, privileges and exemptions."

"Republican peasants!!"

"Obama has ruled that we Democrats are the Chosen Ones."

72 posted on 09/29/2013 6:37:02 AM PDT by Liz
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To: kevao
Some major SHTF is about to fall, one way or the other, in the next few weeks.

Agree.

We are on the cusp of a consolidated government, where 100 senators, 435 congressmen, 850 or so Article III judges and thousands of unknown bureaucrats rule with an iron fist over 320 million subjects.

If the pubbies capitulate once again, it will mean both the end of their party, and republican self-government.

73 posted on 09/29/2013 8:55:58 AM PDT by Jacquerie (Democrats soil institutions.)
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To: gasport
Other than Manchin, what other sky-blue Democrat(s) could be peeled off?

If they remain united (a large question, given McCain), the Republicans need five Democrats to cross the aisle.

Aside from Manchin -- who is not up for re-election in 2014 -- there are these red-state Democrats:

Landrieu (LA)
Begich (AK)
Pryor (AR)
Hagan (NC)

Plus, there is the retiring Max "Train Wreck" Baucus (MT).

Jay Rockefeller (WV) and Tim Johnson (SD) are also retiring red-state Democrats, but I doubt they're likely to leave the party line.

Landreiu, Begich, Pryor and Hagan are almost certainly doomed, though, should they support Obamacare. They might even be doomed if they don't, however.

74 posted on 09/29/2013 9:19:35 AM PDT by okie01 (The Mainstream Media: Ignorance On Parade)
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To: Mygirlsmom

When the GOP-e STARTS negotiations by giving BHO most of what he wants, what can be expected? Now even if we can peel off some democrats, BHO will veto it and Boehner may surrender to BHO yet again. What congress needs is many more like Ted Cruz and no more RINOs.


75 posted on 09/29/2013 1:36:16 PM PDT by opres
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To: Travis McGee

I love that poster !!!


76 posted on 09/29/2013 7:27:08 PM PDT by 11th_VA (I want a president who won't enforce tax laws ...)
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To: USS Alaska
By this time next year, right before the 2014 midterms, most of the Country will be screaming for it's elimination, the free riders will love it.

Most already don't like it. My fear is that the "free riders" will tip the scale in the other direction. And a portion of the opposition to it already wants a pure "free ride" with single payer, to take the "evil" corporations out of the picture entirely. They and the Democrat party will blame the "evil" corporations for raising premium rates. It'd take something of a miracle for those people to ever vote for a Republican to reform Obamacare. Of course, our advantage in a mid-term is that the libs have a hard time getting the low-info "free riders" to show up at the polls. If they ever figure out how to mobilize them in a mid-term the way they did last year, we're in trouble. Bill Cunningham tonight on the radio was explaining how the extended voting times from a day to weeks as well as absentee voting is all designed to help the Dems mobilize those low info voters. Obama's stormtroopers can do 30 times as much work to drag people to the polls if they have 30 days to do it vs. just one day.

77 posted on 09/30/2013 1:54:38 AM PDT by JediJones (The #1 Must-see Filibuster of the Year: TEXAS TED AND THE CONSERVATIVE CRUZ-ADE)
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To: 11th_VA

Why doesn’t the House just pass the CR, stripping out the funding of ObamaCare, and then go into RECESS for the year? That way, it is all on the Dem-led Senate if they shut down the govt! Or on Obama, if the Senate passes it, and he vetoes it!


78 posted on 09/30/2013 12:03:20 PM PDT by 2harddrive
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