Rand Paul just joined in on the filibuster

[Scout26]

Here's my understanding.

Cruz could only speak for 21 hours.  The Senate had long ago decided that they would adjourn at a certain time.  When they came back in session Cruz no longer had the floor.  A vote was taken on whether to move forward to debate the bill.

100-0

Cruz then began the real filibuster.   A vote for cloture (requires 60 votes) was taken.  Cruz, Paul, Lee lose the cloture vote 79-19, because the "Go-along-to-get-along" Stupid Party listens to the press and not the people.  They then vote along party lines to strip the "Defund Obamacare" language out, and then again vote 54-44 to pass the bill.  So 25 Republicans who could have and should have voted against cloture (to stop the bill) instead went along so as not to appear mean to the press, but then voted against the final bill so they can go home and say they "voted" against Obamacare.

It's those 25 R's (and the 54 D's) that sold us out.  Not Ted Cruz.   He knew Wednesday/Thursday that he didn't have the votes to keep the debate and filibuster going.
 

[Levant]

Refusing to vote for it would be a good start....even if they didn't vote at all.

Thank you.  Instead, the President got the message that the vote is 100 to 0.  He should have gotten a vote that it was 55 to 45.  I can't put it into words how much I disrespect all Republicans in the Senate - especially Rand, Cruz, Lee - who pretended to lead a fight against Obamacare, and my own two Oklahoma senators who have turned their back on us.

In fact, the Senate and the house have always wanted Obamacare - since Obamacare is nothing more than lining the pockets of insurance companies and reducing the risk in their insurance pools by requiring younger, healthy, people to join the pool and offset the expense of the old and infirm.  Any show to the contrary in the House or Senate is simply camera fodder.

Now all the talking heads and the Senate are saying to let Obamacare go into effect and let the worst happen and then they will clean it up.  Well,l we don't elect them to destroy the economy and pass new laws restricting more freedoms and giving more socialist welfare to faux capitalist corporations.  We elect them to prevent this stuff from happening in the first place.

If you remember, the Republicans could have killed Obamacare in the finance committee of the Senate.  In fact, the bill that went into that committee was completely different from what came out.  But the faux appeasers in the Republican party pretended that they opposed it but they wanted to let it out on the floor so there would be a public record of who voted for it.  What the truth is, and has always been, is that both parties have supported the Insurance Company Welfare Act and the Republicans only pretend to object but alway stop short of anything that would actually interfere.

[Scout26]

Thank you.  Instead, the President got the message that the vote is 100 to 0.  He should have gotten a vote that it was 55 to 45.  I can't put it into words how much I disrespect all Republicans in the Senate - especially Rand, Cruz, Lee - who pretended to lead a fight against Obamacare, and my own two Oklahoma senators who have turned their back on us.

IIRC, he didn't vote for the bill, he voted to move it to the floor.  It was only then that he could speak against it.  He did try to stop it (with Paul and Lee), however then the vote to end debate (eg, the filibuster) was taken he lost 71-19.

Had he not voted to move to the floor for debate, we would not be allowed to speak for or against it. 

But go ahead with your conspiracy theory.  Insurance companies hate Obamacare because they know that they will lose money.  Why do you think rates have gone up?  Because they now have to pay out at least 85% on claims (before, the industry average was 75-80%) to that's a big hit to their bottom line.   Think if you had to take a 5-10% pay cut.

Plus they actually expect to lose quite few customers.  Look at all the companies dumping their healthcare.  Lots of people will end up paying the tax/fine and not getting insurance, because it'll be "cheaper" in the short term.  Uncle Sugar will pick up their tab at the hospital because they paid the tax/fine. 

The entire thing will be an unmitigated disaster, and I predict a couple insurers will go out of the business and people will cheer that another big evil insurance company has gone out of business while they die waiting in long lines for .gov provided healthcare.

[makattak]

Lots of people will end up paying the tax/fine and not getting insurance, because it'll be "cheaper" in the short term.  Uncle Sugar will pick up their tab at the hospital because they paid the tax/fine. 

The entire thing will be an unmitigated disaster, and I predict a couple insurers will go out of the business and people will cheer that another big evil insurance company has gone out of business while they die waiting in long lines for .gov provided healthcare.

One quibble. It will also be cheaper in the long term since insurance cannot exclude pre-existing conditions. So, wait till you are actually sick to get insurance is a good long term plan, too.

[Scout26]

Thanks,  I forgot that part.  That's what will finally drive all the insurance companies under and then we'll all get "Free" government healthcare.

[AZRedhawk44]

Looks like Senate rejected the bill, and the House is now supposed to come up with a replacement.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/30/shutdown-showdown-senate-kills-house-spending-bill/

Let's go, shutdown!

[Balog]

If you don't understand the differrence between voting for cloture and voting for a bill maybe you shouldn't be offering up commentary.

[Scout26]

A pretty good diagram of how it went down.  Considering it's from the NYT it's actually shocking that they got it right.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/09/30/us/politics/the-back-and-forth-over-the-shutdown.html?_r=2&