"Fix the train wreck. Stop the nightmare."

Last evening, I tuned into Senator Ted Cruz's quasi-filibuster (for some reason, it wasn't technically a filibuster, it just sounded and looked like one), and could not draw myself away.  As I write this, at 5:30 am, he's still speaking (he started at 2-something yesterday afternoon).  He sounds as if he just started!

Senator Cruz wasn't the only speaker.  He had some help from a few other Republicans, and some push-back from a few Democrats.  But as the night wore on, it was mostly Senator Cruz with a good bit of help from Senator Mike Lee.  They were eloquent, at times brilliant, and very engaging.  There were no teleprompters.  They definitely had a plan, but their words were extemporaneous, and they so beautifully expressed why America truly is exceptional.  Senator Lee gave an outstanding lecture on the Constitution (that I need to listen to again!) and most of all, they methodically, clearly - almost gently - explained how dangerous Obamacare is to all of us.  I heard Senator Lee say that he was a God-fearing man, and I believe, from their words and from their hearts, that indeed, they both are.

By no means boring, there were many light moments.  Senator Cruz read a Bible passage and "Green Eggs and Ham" to his daughters for their bedtime story.  He also read some words of wisdom from the Duck Dynasty family members.  There were some apparently silly questions and answers between the two Senators, but they had an extremely important point:

• What color is a purple finch?  "red"
• What animal was the Canary Islands named for?  "a dog"
• What is a camel-hair brush made out of?  "squirrel's hair"
• What color is an airplane's black box?  "orange"

The point?  Sometimes things aren't as they seem.

Those in Congress who supported Obamacare from the beginning avowed that the law did not include a tax.  There was a penalty, but not a tax.  President Obama said directly to the American people - Obamacare is NOT a tax.  Attorney General Eric Holder, defending the constitutionality of Obamacare before the Supreme Court, argued that it was a tax - and therefore, constitutional.

Smoke and mirrors.  Slight of hand.  Deceit.  Lies.

Now this is the one we need to pay attention to.  This is the one you need to tell everyone you know, about what is going on.  Because the Republicans (leadership and those who agree with them) are going to try to trick us again - but we have a heads up, and we don't have to fall for it.  This is complicated, and I don't completely understand it, but I'm going to put down the highlights as best I can:

• There will be a cloture vote which would break up the (quasi) filibuster
• A vote of 60 is necessary for that to pass
• There are 54 Democratic votes for cloture in the bag
• If 6 Republicans vote for cloture, it will pass

The Republicans that would vote for cloture will say it's because they support the bill (which gives the go-ahead on funding everything in the government EXCEPT Obamacare).  Hang with me, now...   Usually, a filibuster is done in order to delay a vote on a bill that you don't want to pass.  So why is Senator Cruz filibustering a bill that he wants to pass?  Because Majority Leader Harry Reid is up to dirty tricks. 

What Reid will try to do is get a cloture vote (with Republican help), strip the bill of the Obamacare portion (which will keep Obamacare funded and active), and refuse to let any other amendments be added.  Then, for some reason I don't yet get, they would only need a majority (51 votes) to pass the bill.  Obviously, the Democrats can do that without any help from the Republicans.

So, when Republicans vote for cloture, saying they're voting FOR the bill to defund Obamacare, they do so knowing that the Obamacare portion of the bill will be taken out by Reid, and the vote for the stripped bill will not need their votes, so they can vote against the stripped bill, but it will still pass because only 51 votes are needed then.

So, they're going to say I'm voting for defunding Obamacare, when they're really doing the opposite.  If they really want to defund Obamacare, they need to vote NO to cloture, until that vote has the assurance that they'll be able to debate and vote on amendments, or they'll vote on it as it is - defunding Obamacare.

Purple finch is really red.
Obamacare is not a tax, yet is a tax.
I'm voting for defunding, but not really.

Smoke and mirrors.  Slight of hand.  Deceit.  Lies.

Keeping all of that in mind, here's what Senator Mitch McConnell (Minority Leader) said yesterday:

"I think we'd all be hard-pressed to explain why we were opposed to a bill that we're in favor of," McConnell told reporters Tuesday. "And invoking cloture on a bill that defunds Obamacare ... strikes me as a no-brainer."

The Republican leadership is furious with Senator Cruz and the handful of Senators that agree with him.  They're not playing the political games that everyone is used to playing.  They're bypassing all of that mess, and going straight to the people - to us.  That's what the filibuster was for - so they could have TIME.  Time to speak and clearly communicate all that needed to be said.  And that's what they did.  And many, many people listened - all night long.  Now, it's up to us - the American people.  We have got to flood DC with our voices - through the phone, email, twitter, whatever way possible.  And it has to be big.  That's what Sen. Cruz said - the Democrats are so entrenched in this.  He said, "The only way to move the battleship of the state is to make it more politically risky to do the wrong thing than to do the right thing."   In other words, they'll have to have so much pressure from their constituents that they'll vote to keep their seats in the Senate - instead of voting to keep on the "party line". 

The majority of Americans do not want Obamacare.  The only way we can keep it from being imposed on us is to let our Senators (and Representatives) know it - in a very big way. 

Obamacare is an awful law:

• It will ruin our healthcare system - doctors are already retiring and advising young people not to go into medicine; it's going to require so much documentation and red tape from doctors, they're not sure they'll have time to treat patients the way they want to; it will be more expensive all around; we won't be able to keep our insurance or doctor or even the closest hospital necessarily  
• it will hurt our economy further (if not ruin that as well) - the ripples that will spread from this monstrosity are unknown, but unstoppable once the law goes into full effect 
• it further entrenches those on government assistance
• it puts the IRS in charge of the administration of our healthcare!
• it's not ready to be implemented and there are real security risks with our private information
• Obama has delayed the employer mandate, but not the employee's; IRS employees don't want it and are trying to get out of it; unions are the same; even Congress has gotten themselves out of it, but we have to live with it
• when it inevitably collapses, Obama will push towards a one party provider system - socialized healthcare.  Harry Reid stated as much in a televised interview. 
• Is there ANYTHING that the government has taken over that has worked out well?  Do we really want our healthcare in the hands of the IRS and federal government?

You won't hear any of this in the mainstream media.  I've already seen some headlines that I cannot believe.  They're the total opposite of the truth.  I'm sure the whole filibuster will be available on the internet. I encourage you to listen to some of it.  Don't just listen to the 5:00 news.  Listen to these men.

Senator Cruz's words were - "Fix the train wreck.  Stop the nightmare." He challenged the Democrats and other Republicans, to go against their leadership.  With a slight grin, he said, "It's survivable."

But they won't do it, unless they feel a lot of pressure from the people that vote for them.  Let's do this - for our country, for our kids, for the children yet to be born.

"(If) my people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 

2 Chronicles 7:14