Some things are worth fighting for. Ted Cruz believes that defunding Obamacare is one of those things, and he is willing to use every means available to make that happen.
Some people say his 21-hour talkathon on the Senate floor was tantamount to tilting at windmills. I say he accomplished his purpose. He not only put that issue front and center, but he exposed the leaders of his party as weak-kneed scaredy cats.
If you go into a fight, you have to be willing to get your nose bloodied to win. Has Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell ever put up his dukes? He is too busy playing footsie with Democrat Leader Harry Reid to fight for anything.
Make no mistake: McConnell has the power to make Reid agree to allow a clean up-or-down vote on the Continuing Resolution passed by the House that would fund the government sans Obamacare by getting 41 Republicans to back a filibuster. However, the lily-livered McConnell and his lieutenant, John Cornyn, are working with Reid to strip the bill of that requirement.
The battle over Obamacare can be won in the House of Representatives. Our Founding Fathers wisely put the House in charge of the nation's checkbook. According to the Constitution, all spending bills must originate there, and nothing can be spent unless the House says it can be spent.
The president can kick, scream, threaten and pitch a temper tantrum if he wants to, but it will do no good as long as the House stands firm.
Unfortunately, that is unlikely to happen with pretty boy John Boehner at the helm. Forget the bloody nose. Boehner isn't willing to get his hair mussed. In his brief tenure as speaker of the House he has raised the white flag of surrender again and again before the battle has begun.
If the truth be known, the House never would have passed the bill now before the Senate if it hadn't been for Cruz and his small band of courageous colleagues. In typical Boehner fashion, the white flag has already been raised. He is busy floating alternatives indicating that he is not serious about defunding Obamacare and never has been.
How many times has Boehner kicked the can down the road in the battle over the debt ceiling? The can is trashed! As a result, the next generation has been trashed, and many in this generation are on life support.
The ghost of Newt Gingrich and the 1996 government shutdown have scared Boehner to death. Although Gingrich led Republicans to victory in 1994, he was a failed leader without a plan when he went into battle with Bill Clinton. Boehner needs to get a grip on his courage and stop playing the part of the cowardly lion.
Ted Cruz is trying to wake up America, and if you are smart you will join him and make life miserable for your representatives in Congress until they see the light or you vote them out of office at the next opportunity. This is not about being a Democrat or Republican. This is about saving America!
Defunding Obamacare and keeping a lid on the debt ceiling are important steps toward that end. Those who tell you that Obamcare is a fait accompli are lying. Those who tell you that we can't cut huge chunks of government spending without causing irreparable harm to those who can't help themselves are lying. If you are willing to believe them, there is no hope for this country.
Boehner and McConnell do not care what happens to your sons and daughters. They only care about appearances and keeping their cushy jobs in Congress. They are willing to try to fool you again and again until there is no escape from our mountain of debt, until the dollar is trash and this country goes down the tubes. They both have primary challengers in the 2014 election, and, no matter where you live, for the good of the party, you need to support them. If their colleagues in the House and Senate won't vote them out of their leadership positions, then you need to remove them.
Republicans can win this battle and gain the support of the public with a cogent, consistent message that is undeniable:
- Obamacare is unfair and unworkable;
- this bill funds the government;
- if President Obama chooses to shut down the government over this issue, that is his choice, not ours.
The polls show that the American people are opposed to Obamacare. We also oppose a government shutdown.
The message to these lily-livered leaders must be this: Let the battle begin!
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