The Patriot Post® · Cruz Explains His Speech

Speaking to talk radio host Rush Limbaugh yesterday, Ted Cruz offered further explanation for his overnight speech Tuesday into Wednesday:

“I think in many ways the central issue that we were trying to focus on in the filibuster was not the continuing resolution. It wasn’t even ObamaCare, as horrific as it is for the economy. The central issue, I think, is the long-standing problem we have had with Washington not listening to the American people with Democrats and Republicans. It’s a lot of folks who’ve been in office way too long, who stopped listening to their constituents – and as a result, we see lots of theater, lots of empty symbolic votes and very little willingness to actually stand up and fight on behalf of the American people.

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 I think what Mike [Lee] and I are doing, I don’t view as a terribly big deal. We’re trying to actually stand for the principles that every Republican in the Senate says he or she believes in. We’re trying to actually listen to the American people, and we’re trying to tell the truth. Part of why – you know, people ask, why does Congress have, you know, 10, 12, 15% approval rating? It’s because for years Congress has ignored the will of the American people.

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Much of what the Senate does is engage in show votes that are designed to look one way to the voters and, in fact, be like World Wrestling Federation, entirely fixed. So what’s gonna happen next is on Friday or Saturday we’re gonna have a vote on what’s called cloture on the bill. That is the vote that matters. It takes 60 votes to grant cloture. What cloture is is cutting off debate, saying there should be no more debate. And the reason that matters is if Harry Reid gets 60 votes to cut off debate to get cloture on the bill, he will then file one amendment, he said only one amendment, that guts the House continuing resolution, and that fully funds ObamaCare. And so any Republican in my view who votes for cloture, who votes with Harry Reid, who votes with the Democrats to cut off debate and give Harry Reid the ability to fund ObamaCare fully on a 51-vote partisan vote of only Democrats, is voting to fund ObamaCare.

Now, a number of Republicans are going to maintain that, no, no, no, no, no, their vote to cut off debate is in support of the House bill. And … that’s simply not the case. It’s a show vote. Now, if Harry Reid gets 60 votes, every Republican then will vote against his amendment to fund ObamaCare, and so all 46 Republicans want to go home to their districts say, ‘Gosh, I voted to defund ObamaCare, and, marvel of marvels, we lost,’ which to be honest is the outcome that I think more than a few of them affirmatively desire. And part of what’s so problematic with Washington is how many Republicans want a show vote to pretend to their constituents they’re fighting for what they say they’re fighting for, rather than actually fighting for it and actually winning.”