2013-09-25 The saga continues

ACH Study Groups

Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders

7659 Gingerblossom Drive

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com

www.ACHStudyGroups.com

September 25, 2013

This is a letter to our friends –

The saga continues

"Nothing so strongly impels a man to regard the interest of his constituents, as the certainty of returning to the general mass of the people, from whence he was taken, where he must participate in their burdens." George Mason, speech in the Virginia Ratifying Convention, 1788

The following paragraph will help folks understand the mechanics.

If it (cloture) passes, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., could easily add language to the bill (House CR) restoring funding for Obamacare, because he would need only 50 votes. Republicans have only 46 votes in the Senate, Democrats have 52 and there are two independents. Cruz wants to make sure the threshold to change the bill would be 60 votes.

My friends, I walked my first precinct in 1962. There have been several times since then that justified being “all-in”. This is one of them!

Everyone with a cause wants supporters to make calls and send letters. I believe most such efforts produce poor results. Many of them are little more than using the “cause” to raise money.

This, I believe, is one of those rare times when a tidal wave of public outcry will make a significant impact!

I suggest staying up to date via www.dontfundobamacare.com Watch the “whip list” at the bottom of that site. Use whatever you can find (local offices, e-mail, FB, Twitter, …) to pepper those Republican Senators with your request, “Oppose cloture”. Rebuke discouragement! Their phones have been jammed. Keep it up!

Bottom line – If cloture passes and there is no debate, with a 50 vote threshold – there will be a straight party vote and O’care goes back into the CR. THEN – every Republican senator will go home and say, “Sigh – I voted against funding O’care, but it passed anyway!”

The grassroots, lead by Cruz and Lee, are pulling the covers off of that and there will be those in every meeting that challenge their senators on that claim!

The cloture vote , likely Friday or Saturday, is the one that counts. Until that vote Republican Senators are free to stand up, or face our wrath. If you have a Democratic Senator your time is better spent, (my opinion), contacting those Republicans on the “whip list”.

Politicians rarely see the light until they feel the heat! If it gets hot enough, there could / will be a last minute GOP shift against cloture. I believe it takes 60 votes to block debate with cloture. Democrats don’t have enough votes alone.

Once debate is open, there can be Senate votes on exempting congress from O’care! All sorts of proposed amendments can put each Senator on record for one issue or another. They do not like that! Thus, there is even a possibility that they toss the hot potato (House version of CR) into Obama’s lap!

How would he be able to blame nasty Republicans for shutting down government when it would be Obama who vetoed the CR passed by a Democratic Senate?

2013-09-25 The saga continues Read More »