Mark Levin explained tonight that Harry Reid is giving cover to the French Republicans in the Senate in order to strip out the Obamacare defunding from the CR. The thing is it makes everything backwards in the Senate.
The plan is that once Republicans and Democrats vote to allow discussion on the House Bill, which already defunds Obamacare, Reid will then propose an amendment that strips out that Obamacare defunding. The problem is the amendment cannot be filibustered, but will require only a simple majority to pass. Reid will not approve any rules that allow for filibustering amendments even though he has done it in the past.
So in order to stop Reid from stripping out the defunding mechanism, the House bill must be filibustered from the outset so that it cannot get to the amendment stage. But it will look like Republicans are filibustering the very bill they actually support and want to pass. That’s the trick that makes this process backwards.
So knowing all of that, what did McConnell do today? He said he would vote to allow discussion on the bill because he supports the bill, knowing full well the Senate will kill the Obamacare defunding with a simple majority. And Levin says other Republicans are lining up behind McConnell’s position.
Mitch The Magnificent has every right to say to Cruz and Lee, "You said you didn't need me aboard for the take-off, so now you boys figure out how to land this thing by yourselves."