Ted Cruz Doubles Down in Mitch McConnell 'Attack'

 The United States Senate was open for a rare Sunday session in which Senator Ted Cruz continued his battle against the Republican establishment and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The Friday session revealed that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell lied to GOP Senators about legislation and blocked  GOP Senator's input into legislation by filling the amendment tree, among other things. The Friday session was covered in a previous blog.
Ted Cruz Accuses Mitch McConnell of Telling a 'Flat-out Lie'

First, from Politico:

Republican leaders delivered a smackdown of Sens. Ted Cruz and Mike Lee on the Senate floor Sunday — the latest in an increasingly testy rivalry marked by accusations of deceit and grandstanding. 

The showdown was triggered by an attempt by Cruz (R-Texas) and Lee (R-Utah) to employ arcane Senate procedures to take a tougher stand on Iran and to defund Planned Parenthood. Republican leaders led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) viewed the move as an affront to Senate rules and squelched the effort in dramatic fashion — an embarrassing setback for two of the chamber’s most conservative members.

First Cruz tried unsuccessfully to force the Senate to consider an amendment to a transportation bill stating that sanctions on Iran could not be lifted until the country recognizes Israel’s right to exist and frees four American hostages. But he was unable to rally enough senators to back his effort to get a roll call vote on the matter.
Then Lee tried to push through a vote on defunding Planned Parenthood. That, too, failed to muster enough support for a vote. On Monday, Lee is expected to try to repeal Obamacare with a simple majority vote of 51 senators, effectively circumventing the 60-vote requirement to break a filibuster after Democrats defeated an attempt to repeal the health care law on Sunday.

Now the Sunday Senate action as reported at TheHill.com
Cruz doubles down in McConnell attack

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) doubled-down Sunday in his attacks on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). 

Cruz on Friday accused McConnell of lying to him about whether he had agreed to allow Democrats a vote on extending the Export-Import Bank during negotiations earlier this summer on trade legislation.

On Sunday, he repeated the charge — which McConnell and his allies have criticized. 

“On Friday I gave an unusual speech, a speech unlike any I have given in this chamber. It was not a speech I was happy to give,” said Cruz, a Republican presidential candidate. “I described an explicit promise the majority leader had made to me and to all 53 Republican senators.” 

He said that McConnell made a promise “in front of every Republican senator” while “looking me in the eyes [that] there was no deal on the Export-Import Bank.” 

“We saw on Friday that promise was false," Cruz said. "That promise was made and that promise was broken.” 

Cruz said that McConnell took steps to “force a vote to reauthorize the Export-Import bank and they were directly contrary to the promises the majority leader made to all 53 Republicans.” 

“My saying so [on Friday] may be uncomfortable but it is a simple fact,” Cruz said.
He also responded to critics. 

Ted Cruz on the Senate Floor, Sunday July 26, 2015 

“I would note that it is entirely consistent with decorum and with the nature of this body traditionally as the world's greatest deliberative body, to speak the truth,” Cruz said. “Speaking the truth about actions is entirely consistent with civility.” 

Asked if he went to far during his Friday speech, Cruz instead blasted the press for not writing about whether or not McConnell lied about a deal. 

"I would note that on the discussion of my speech on Friday, there have been no stories written about whether in fact of Mitch McConnell told the truth," he said. "None of you have written the story about whether as to whether he told the truth or lied, the substantive story."

Senate Rs teamed up w/Senate Ds to revive an FDR New Deal corporate welfare program. And they expect conservative voters to trust our party?

— Justin Amash (@justinamash) July 26, 2015

Senator Ted Cruz Accuses Sen. Mitch McConnell of Telling a 'Flat-out Lie'

'Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) criticizes Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for filing an amendment to the highway funding bill to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank and preventing senators from offering additional amendments by filling the amendment tree. He calls Senator McConnell's actions "procedural abuse" and compares his tactics to those of now-Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) when he was majority leader.' (Caitlyn Hillyard) 

Excerpt from Politico
Ted Cruz Accuses Mitch McConnell of Telling a 'Flat-out Lie'
During his speech, the Texas senator also strongly rebuked the GOP Senate majority’s record this Congress

Ted Cruz took to the Senate floor Friday and charged that Mitch McConnell told a “lie,” escalating his campaign against GOP leaders and challenging the traditions of the usually decorous chamber. 

In a scathing floor speech, the Texas firebrand accused the Senate majority leader of breaking his word to him and the rest of the GOP conference over McConnell’s plans for the controversial Export-Import Bank, the country’s chief export credit agency. In Cruz’s telling, McConnell privately promised him and other Republicans that “there was no deal” with a handful of senators who were seeking to revive the bank in exchange for their votes to advance a major trade bill in May.

McConnell, he said, became “visibly angry” when Cruz challenged him on the matter during a meeting in May. 

“Like St. Peter,” Cruz said, “he repeated it three times. He said, ‘The only thing I told the proponents of the Export-Import Bank is like any other senator in this body, they could offer any amendment they liked on an any amendable vehicle, but I gave them nothing.’”
That day in late May, Cruz said his staff informed him that McConnell was “lying” to him, but he said he believed the Senate GOP leader that “he wasn’t lying to us.”

But after McConnell took procedural steps Friday to move to a proposal to revive the Ex-Im bank, Cruz said on the Senate floor: “I cannot believe he would tell a flat-out lie.”

What we saw today was an absolute demonstration that not only what he told every Republican senator, but what he told the press over and over again was a simple lie,” said Cruz, a fierce opponent of the bank. “The majority and minority leader, arm-in-arm again, should not team up against the American taxpayers.”

The attack is unusual even for Cruz, who has made his battle with Senate Republicans a centerpiece of his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination. Senators tend to avoid directly calling out specific senators on the Senate floor — particularly from their own party and especially their own party leader. Senate rules say, “no senator in debate shall, directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to another senator or to other senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a senator.” 

Asked to comment, McConnell smiled and walked away. Sen. John Cornyn, a fellow Texas Republican and McConnell’s chief deputy, said he was reviewing Cruz’s remarks and would not comment further.

Read More at Politico: 

Democrats Threaten Nuclear Hypocrisy with Filibuster Rule Change in Senate

Dems vs. GOP: Leaders nuke it out in fight over voting rule change 

 By Ramsey Cox - 07/11/13 10:38 AM ET

Senate leaders exchanged fire on Thursday as Democrats headed behind closed doors to make a decision on whether to trigger the "nuclear option."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Thursday warned the "nuclear option" would be the "end of the Senate" and accused Democrats of creating a "phony crisis" to move through President Obama's nominees.

Changing Senate rules through a majority vote "would violate every protection of minority rights that have defined the United States Senate for as long as anyone can remember," McConnell said.

“This Pandora’s Box, once opened, will be utilized again and again by future majorities — and it will make the meaningful consensus-building that has served our nation so well a relic of the past," McConnell said on the Senate floor.

  
 Democrats in 2005 on the 'nuclear option'

But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Republicans have broken their promise, made earlier this year, to work with Democrats on Obama’s second-term Cabinet nominees. 

“Republicans have turned advise and consent into deny and obstruct,” Reid said. “This gridlock is not only bad for the Senate, it’s bad for the country.”
Reid said he planned to file cloture on some of Obama’s nominees later Thursday, setting up a final showdown next week. 

Liberal groups and labor unions are pushing Reid to change Senate rules on presidential appointments, arguing a limit on the use of the filibuster is needed to counter Republican obstruction.

Reid and McConnell spar.

Harry Reid- No nuclear option as long as he is the leader.

 
Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is the problem in the Senate.

Senate Republicans say the move would trigger a meltdown in relations and trample the rights of the minority.

The issue is coming to a head on Thursday at a meeting of Senate Democrats where they plan to make a decision about whether to "go nuclear."
Republicans on Thursday seemed to make an attempt to lower the temperature and dissuade Reid from changing the rules.

McConnell said Republicans would not prevent two of Obama’s nominations — Environmental Protection Agency nominee Gina McCarthy and Labor Department nominee Tom Perez — from moving forward.  

“Both of these highly controversial nominees already have enough votes to clear a 60-vote hurdle,” McConnell said.

And Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) suggested to Reid that the parties hold a joint caucus lunch next week to try and resolve their differences.

Read the rest at 'The Hill"
Dems vs. GOP: Leaders nuke it out in fight over voting rule change

Read more:
Harry Reid as Minority Leader Opposes filling the amendment tree 

Tyranny in the United States Senate

Reid to Sen. Republicans: Filibuster Deal in 36 hours or Face Nuclear Option

 

 After Democrat Harry Reid's Obstructionism and Bully Politics in Obama's first term,  he now seeks to change the filibuster rules to change the deliberative process of the U.S. Senate.  

The Hill Breaks this Story:

Reid to Senate Republicans: Filibuster deal in 36 hours or face nuclear option 
 By Alexander Bolton - 01/22/13 03:29 PM ET  @ The Hill 

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is giving Republican colleagues 36 hours to agree to a deal on filibuster reform or he will move forward with the nuclear option.

“I hope in the next 24, 36 hours we can get something we agree on. If not, we’re going to move forward on what I think needs to be done,” Reid told reporters.

Reid’s trump card in negotiations with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) is the threat he will change Senate rules with a simple majority vote, a tactic known as the nuclear option. This maneuver would allow Reid to change the Senate rules with a simple majority vote, something that has never been done, according to parliamentary experts.

Critics call it the nuclear option but proponents, such as Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) say it is more accurate to describe it as the “Constitutional option” because the Constitution empowers each chamber to set its own rules.

Reid predicted the Democratic caucus would support him in reforming the Senate’s filibuster rule unilaterally.

Obstructionist Harry Reid Plays Politics With Senate Bills & Filibuster

If he did so, he would likely implement a relatively modest change, such as eliminating the filibuster on motions to proceed to new business.

Reid said talks with McConnell are not close to a resolution.

“We’re making progress. Not done yet, we got a long way to go,” he told reporters while walking into the Senate chamber.

A senator briefed on the talks said it appears McConnell will have trouble rounding up enough Republican votes to support any deal he forges with Reid. Changing the rules under regular order requires 67 votes. Reforming Senate procedures through a standing order would need 60 votes.

A Democratic aide said McConnell could have difficulty mustering 12 Republicans to vote to change the standing rules under regular order.

Reid to Senate Republicans: Filibuster deal in 36 hours or face nuclear option

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid- Reigns on the Parade

The finger-pointing will increase as the Senate and House ends the session and head home to campaign. Barack Obama will be the first president in history to not have a budget during his ENTIRE TERM in Office. The Democrats and Harry Reid hide behind the Continuing Budget Resolutions and the Budget Act as fulfilling that requirement. Harry Reid's own parliamentarian ruled that he must pass a budget this year. He declined.
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The Senate Majority Leader has made changes in debate and amending legislation since taking over as Senate Majority in 2006. The blocking of the Republicans from the democratic process and the ability to represent their voters can be best explained in Harry Reid's own words. Earlier in the same year (2006) when he the was the Minority Whip he said this on "filling the amendment tree".

Senate Congressional Record Feb 28,2006 Read Harry Reid's Quote on the Senate Procedure called "filling the amendment tree"

Of course even a good bill can be improved. That is why we have an amendment process in the Senate. The junior Senator from Wisconsin has tried to offer a small number of relevant amendments that I believe would make this bill even better. I am disappointed
that he has been denied that opportunity by a procedural maneuver known as ‘‘filling the amendment tree.’’ This is a very bad practice. It runs against the basic nature of the Senate. The hallmark of the Senate is free speech and open debate. Rule XXII establishes a process for cutting off debate and amendments, but rule XXII should rarely be invoked before any
amendments have been offered. There is no reason to truncate Senate debate
on this important bill in this unusual fashion. I will vote against cloture to register my objection to this flawed process.

Data as of 05/28/2012 article

According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), Majority Leader Reid has employed this tactic a record 59 times. He has used it to block minority input into legislation 50 percent more often than the past five Majority Leaders combined. The minority’s only option under these circumstances is to oppose ending debate on legislation (known as “invoking cloture”) in order to convince the majority to allow it to offer amendments to the legislation and thereby represent the interests of their constituents.  (data as of 05/28/2012 post)

 The False Narrative of Republican Filibusters

Republicans have been accused of abusing the filibuster to thwart Democratic legislation. This claim is based on the incorrect equation of filibusters with the number of cloture petitions filed or the number of cloture votes taken. In short, a cloture petition does not a filibuster make. A filibuster, however, happens when an attempt to end debate fails. Successfully ending debate is the opposite of a filibuster.
It only takes a quick glance at the count of cloture votes, however, to realize that Republicans are not obstructing with the filibuster. In fact, the percentage of cloture petitions withdrawn or vitiated has increased to 43 percent this Congress.
This is significantly higher than the average for the previous four decades, and the highest for any Congress in 25 years. Additionally, the percentage of cloture votes passing – that is, invoking cloture – is also rising. The 53 percent success rate for passing cloture votes in the 112th Congress is the highest in the last 40 years. These figure show that any increased incidence in cloture filings is due to the Majority’s impulsiveness—its preference for filing cloture first and asking the Minority to work with it later—rather than an unwillingness of Senate Republicans to work with Senate Democrats. (data 05/28/2012) Senate Democrats Choose Dysfunction OVER Solutions

The Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the left now use the Republican's cloture and filibuster votes to push the 'obstructionist Republican' MEME and the 'one term president' Mitch McConnell MEME. 

 Mitch McConnell and the Republican 'conspiracy' to not work with Obama


Harry Reid - Party before Country

The media and Democrat party have gone to great lengths to conceal their party and leaders responsibility as the causes of the housing crisis and recession. morphing into the saviors from poverty and the recession they caused.  MEMES and outright lies from the administration and their media know no bounds. How about this media matters headline.   Despite Being Warned, Right-Wing Media Buy Into The "BS" Claims About Obama's Spending Record

 Laughable and patently false, the leftists NEVER question their Cliff Clavinoids dispensed from the propaganda machine. Information nuggets of pedantics, semantics and strawman arguments.  Compare the media matters propaganda to this headline.  President Obama: The Biggest Government Spender In World History 

The only thing this last four years can prove is Obama Is ‘Greatest Hoax Ever Perpetrated On The American People’   and the media and Democrat Party want it to continue. Harry Reid's future plans for the Senate and the Filibuster raise many concerns on both sides of the spectrum. Legislation was supposed to be deliberative, not a steamroller.  Fake Filibuster Outrage From Left 

 Other Harry Reid Blogs:
 The Crooked Chauvinist Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

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