The "Filibuster" of Ted Cruz

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Not technically a filibuster because it isn't delaying a vote... Ted Cruz took the floor around 2 PM, I believe and 12 hours later he is still going -- although has yielded to 10 other senators thus far.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Camel hair brushes are made of squirrel fur. Wow, who knew.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Yielded the floor to Rubio...

"My question to you, sir... What did you do last night?"

 

Awesome. Lol

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Almost 21 hours and his time expires... Wow. Epic win.

[blotsfan 2,112]

Why did he filibuster if there was no bill? What would that accomplish?

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Why did he filibuster if there was no bill? What would that accomplish?

It's not a real filibuster. They are voting on a spending bill, but the vote was going to happen whether he talked or not.. He did it on principle.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Towards the end, Harry Reid asked Cruz if he would yield the floor to John McCain... Cruz declined.

Harry Reid is such a crook. Nevada should be ashamed of themselves for putting him in this position.

[OSUViking 505]

Do you have a link to some of the talking points he made, or was he all-over the place?

Edited September 25, 2013 by Vikingfan465

[Guest Phailadelphia]

He didn't say anything with any substance. At one point he compared Democrats' defense of Obamacare to Green Eggs & Ham then read the book.

 

After his "epic" "filibuster" he voted "yes" to proceed to the continuing resolution, which is the exact opposite of what his "filibuster" was supposed to achieve. In other words, he's just campaigning.

 

And then there's this: https://twitter.com/pemalevy/status/382935132211908608

 

But as a liberal? I'm enjoying the hell out of watching Cruz start civil war in his own party. Do your thing, dude.

Edited September 25, 2013 by Phailadelphia

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Do you have a link to some of the talking points he made, or was he all-over the place?

You can youtube a lot of it. His back and forth with Mike Lee was extremely entertaining. Although in 21 hours, you have to expect a little meandering. lol

He didn't say anything with any substance. At one point he compared Democrats' defense of Obamacare to Green Eggs & Ham then read the book.

 

After his "epic" "filibuster" he voted "yes" to proceed to the continuing resolution, which is the exact opposite of what his "filibuster" was supposed to achieve. In other words, he's just campaigning.

 

And then there's this: https://twitter.com/pemalevy/status/382935132211908608

 

But as a liberal? I'm enjoying the hell out of watching Cruz start civil war in his own party. Do your thing, dude.

The same rhetoric every other brainless individual spews forth. That wasn't the vote that mattered most. The vote they had today INCLUDES language that Cruz and others like him want. Later this week, Harry Reid will undoubtedly reintroduce a shorter version of the bill, after stripping that language, and adding others to keep the government up and running for an extended period of time. That is the bill and vote that is going to matter. The democrats are going to need to secure 60 votes (which is probably likely) to ensure debate gets cut off on this new revised bill.

 

After that gets accepted (if it does)... It gets sent back to the house, where John Boehner will have almost no time at all to decide if he either wants to put it to a vote in the House and ratify it... Or re-add those provisions taken out by Reid and send the bill back to the Senate... Doing this however, will pass the deadline imposed in previous legislation and the government will most likely shut down for a period of time.

 

It's almost sad... but saying things like "WTH. Ted Cruz voted for what he was arguing against he whole time" (and you are farrrrrrrrrrrr from the only one) just proves ignorance and your lack of understanding.

 

As far division amongst Republicans... You shouldn't want that, if you oppose them. The old fuddy duddy style of Republicans need to go. Mitch McConnell and John McCain in particular make my skin crawl. That division probably won't get them voted out of office just because of sheer name power... But hopefully when they die off or retire, those who replace them will not be of like mind.

 

 

Edited September 25, 2013 by Favre4Ever

[blotsfan 2,112]

A split of the Republican party is probably the best thing that could happen in politics.

 

*cue a split that somehow makes everything worse*

[Guest Phailadelphia]

 

Do you have a link to some of the talking points he made, or was he all-over the place?

You can youtube a lot of it. His back and forth with Mike Lee was extremely entertaining. Although in 21 hours, you have to expect a little meandering. lol

He didn't say anything with any substance. At one point he compared Democrats' defense of Obamacare to Green Eggs & Ham then read the book.

 

After his "epic" "filibuster" he voted "yes" to proceed to the continuing resolution, which is the exact opposite of what his "filibuster" was supposed to achieve. In other words, he's just campaigning.

 

And then there's this: https://twitter.com/pemalevy/status/382935132211908608

 

But as a liberal? I'm enjoying the hell out of watching Cruz start civil war in his own party. Do your thing, dude.

The same rhetoric every other brainless individual spews forth. That wasn't the vote that mattered most. The vote they had today INCLUDES language that Cruz and others like him want. Later this week, Harry Reid will undoubtedly reintroduce a shorter version of the bill, after stripping that language, and adding others to keep the government up and running for an extended period of time. That is the bill and vote that is going to matter. The democrats are going to need to secure 60 votes (which is probably likely) to ensure debate gets cut off on this new revised bill.

 

After that gets accepted (if it does)... It gets sent back to the house, where John Boehner will have almost no time at all to decide if he either wants to put it to a vote in the House and ratify it... Or re-add those provisions taken out by Reid and send the bill back to the Senate... Doing this however, will pass the deadline imposed in previous legislation and the government will most likely shut down for a period of time.

 

It's almost sad... but saying things like "WTH. Ted Cruz voted for what he was arguing against he whole time" (and you are farrrrrrrrrrrr from the only one) just proves ignorance and your lack of understanding.

 

As far division amongst Republicans... You shouldn't want that, if you oppose them. The old fuddy duddy style of Republicans need to go. Mitch McConnell and John McCain in particular make my skin crawl. That division probably won't get them voted out of office just because of sheer name power... But hopefully when they die off or retire, those who replace them will not be of like mind.

 

 

Perhaps I should have been more clear. I'm well aware the vote to end debate today was not the vote on the bill to pass the CR, but merely to proceed to it. I used my language carefully there for a reason. It sheds light on why Cruz's antics over the last 48 hours have been so asinine--there was no point to it all. He's trying very hard to make it look like Obama & the Democrats are going to be the ones shutting down the government, but that's not a PR battle he appears to be winning right now.

 

No one believes its the Democrats trying to shut down the government over Obamacare. That--and the fact that everyone knows there's a 0% chance Obamacare gets defunded--is all that matters.

 

As far as the Republican Party goes, I LOVE that they're destroying themselves from within. It will force that party, and the country, back to the center. Where it belongs.

Edited September 26, 2013 by Phailadelphia

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Even with your carefully chosen wording, you are still wrong. His 21 + hours on the floor were aimed at getting his colleagues to vote no on cloture of the revised bill that Harry Reid will introduce later on this week which will remove language in the bill currently to defund obamacare. The vote today... had language in the bill... to defund obamacare. Which is what the speech was about. He voted for exactly what he said he would.

You said point blank he voted in the opposite direction of the topic of his speech. That is undeniably incorrect and literally could not be further from the truth.

His intention was not to blame Obama or the Democrats at all. You only continue to prove you not only didn't watch it, but your sources are misguided. I don't necessarily blame you... There aren't many that share you political ideology that actually wants to defund obamacare... So, of course you won't like what Ted did. I can't blame you for that.

 

A split of the Republican party is probably the best thing that could happen in politics.

 

*cue a split that somehow makes everything worse*

Absolutely. I wish it would happen in both parties... And it might take some time, but this is absolutely the best thing that could happen. I just hope some of this gets resolved with the next round of Senate elections in 2014 so the party can move full strength towards the presidency in 2016.

Although, if a fuddy duddy Republican like I mentioned earlier captures the nomination.. I won't care again for another 4 years anyway. Can't Wait.

 

[Guest Phailadelphia]

Even with your carefully chosen wording, you are still wrong. His 21 + hours on the floor were aimed at getting his colleagues to vote no on cloture of the revised bill that Harry Reid will introduce later on this week which will remove language in the bill currently to defund obamacare. The vote today... had language in the bill... to defund obamacare. Which is what the speech was about. He voted for exactly what he said he would.

 

You said point blank he voted in the opposite direction of the topic of his speech. That is undeniably incorrect and literally could not be further from the truth.

 

His intention was not to blame Obama or the Democrats at all. You only continue to prove you not only didn't watch it, but your sources are misguided. I don't necessarily blame you... There aren't many that share you political ideology that actually wants to defund obamacare... So, of course you won't like what Ted did. I can't blame you for that.

 

Why did he need to talk for 21 hours to tell his colleagues to vote for defunding even though all of them already said they would?

 

Maybe I got a little egregious in pointing out the discrepancy between Cruz's words and actions. But to think he's not trying to force Obama and company to look like the culprits for shutting down the government here is a naive belief. There is no other end game possibility. His intent all along (and he even admitted this, but I'm too lazy to find the link right now) is through generating grassroots outrage. This happens, in his mind, by one of 2 ways: Pass a CR defunding Obamacare, which he knows will be vetoed, so he can blame the shutdown on Obama; or prevent cloture on the CR after Reid has re-introduced Obamacare funding so it can't be passed.

 

Then he can flaunt a bill to the American people that says "We all passed the first CR until Harry Reid added Obamacare funding to it! He and Dems are responsible for the shutdown!" Because most Americans have no idea what the hell is going on with the procedural gymnastics being performed by Cruz and Reid in the Senate right now.

 

The endgame of defunding Obamacare is a literal impossibility. It cannot happen, it will not happen. It makes this pending government shutdown all the more insanely idiotic.

 

Edit: And one last thing: If people didn't like or want Obamacare, they would have voted Mitt Romney and a slew of Republicans into office in 2012. Instead, they re-elected Obama, gave Democrats a bigger majority in the Senate, and would have given them a majority in the House again too if not for the House's gerrymandering following the 2010 midterms. I'd say that's an overwhelming consensus on Obamacare and any other policies passed between 2008-2012. That Cruz and company think the health law is unpopular enough to warrant shutting down the government says a lot about their worldview.

Edited September 26, 2013 by Phailadelphia

[blotsfan 2,112]

Absolutely. I wish it would happen in both parties... And it might take some time, but this is absolutely the best thing that could happen. I just hope some of this gets resolved with the next round of Senate elections in 2014 so the party can move full strength towards the presidency in 2016.

Although, if a fuddy duddy Republican like I mentioned earlier captures the nomination.. I won't care again for another 4 years anyway. Can't Wait.

 

I don't see a big schism in the democrats like there is with the republicans. There aren't many democrats that I think support right wing economics (or why be a democrat). But there are a lot of republicans that have left wing views on social issues. The only real way to make a separate unique democratic party would be to have democrats that have right wing social views, which is unlikely because its becoming more and more obvious how those views are wrong.