Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Welcome To Whoville!

The Republican clown show continues!  This particular showing warrants a big gulp and a jumbo bag of popcorn.
At 2:41 yesterday afternoon, Senator Ted Cruz took to the Senate floor to filibuster the funding of the president’s signature piece of legislation, the Affordable Care Act.  In fact he is still speaking as we write this.  The good senator has vowed to continue speaking “until I can no longer stand.”
That statement is a lie.  As a point of record, the junior senator from Texas has made several fictional statements during his time at the podium.  In fact this whole production is a lie.
You see this is not even a filibuster.  It is not a filibuster because Senator Cruz and Senate Leader reached a “pre-filibuster” agreement that Cruz would stop speaking no later than noon today to allow the senate to continue its business.  So in fact Senator Cruz will continue with his faux filibuster “until I can no longer stand” or until 12:00 noon whichever comes first.
And what exactly is the good senator faux filibustering.  He wants to delay a senate vote on the House continuing resolution that does NOT include any funding for Obamacare.
For those of you just entering the theater, allow us to summarize.  Senator Ted Cruz is engaging in a fake filibuster to delay a senate vote on a continuing resolution passed by his Republican House colleagues that gives him everything he is fake filibustering for.
Cruz has been pillared by virtually every member of his own party for participating in this charade.  They don’t have the votes in the senate to defund Obamacare and they know it.  They want to move on to battles that they can actually win.  But Cruz will not be deterred.
So why is Cruz doing this?
He is doing it to appease the Tea Party folks back home that sent him to Washington to do this very thing…stop Obama and the government.  He wants to be able to say that he and he alone stood up to the advances of big government.  He firmly believes that these tactics will stand him in good stead when the 2016 elections come around.  One thing is clear.  Ted Cruz is not about country or party.  Ted Cruz is all about Ted Cruz.
Now we respect the good senator’s right to speak in opposition to the president’s health care initiative.  But we do not believe that he has the right to lie about it in the process.  Here are just of Ted’s erroneous remarks:
(Obamacare) “Allows the IRS to decide whether your grandmother lives or dies.”  False!  There is nothing in the law that supports that statement.
(Obamacare) “Allows the government to decide if you get that kidney transplant that you so desperately need.”  False!  There is nothing in the law that supports that statement.
“Health care costs are skyrocketing under Obamacare.  False!  Health care costs have increased by 4% each of the last three years…the lowest increase in the past 50 years.
“Obamacare isn’t working.”  False!  Obamacare has yet to be fully implemented.  In fact it will be at least 3-5 years before we will know whether or not the law is working as intended.
 Cruz compared the funding of Obamacare to Neville Chamberlain’s acquiescence to the Nazi’s taking over Europe.  Crazy!
The republicans are blowing an opportunity here.  For the first time in his presidency, Obama’s approval ratings are upside down in the polls.  The Republicans could use this weakness to further their cause on immigration, taxes, spending and a whole host of very important matters.  Yet they all Ted Cruz to dive their clown car into yet another ditch.
Cruz took time during his faux filibuster to read his young children a couple of bedtime stories. 
Reading Dr. Seuss to his children may make Cruz a good father. 
But he is one lousy senator.
Simply put…faux filibusters and green eggs and ham do not make for constructive government.   


          
 

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