Senate Republicans Willfully and Knowingly Lie to Their Constituents

Last night, having noted the list of Republicans in the Senate who voted to fund Obamacare in yesterday’s Morning Briefing, I went through a series of emails from readers.
Readers from Texas, Kentucky, Utah, South Dakota, and Georgia all had the same story. They’d called the offices of Senators Chambliss, Cornyn, Hatch, Thune, McConnell, and Isakson to object to those senators funding Obamacare. They were all told by these Senate offices that these Senators had voted to defund Obamacare or, in the case of Senator Cornyn’s office, that there had been no vote on defunding Obamacare.
These Senators and their staffs are lying. They voted to fund Obamacare. More troubling, they know they did it.
Yesterday, on the floor of the Senate, Mitch McConnell again said, “Obamacare is a colossal mistake for our country. . . . We need to start all over. This bill needs to be repealed and it needs to be replaced. . . . And anyone who thinks we’ve given up this fight is dead wrong.”
It’s similar to what he said at CPAC. I am sure he will keep on saying it.
But, Senator McConnell and a sizable portion of the Republican Conference voted to fund Obamacare and now they are lying about doing so.
Here’s how they are doing it.
The continuing resolution they voted for funds Obamacare.
Senator Ted Cruz offered an amendment to defund Obamacare. All of the Republicans in the Senate voted for that amendment, but that amendment failed.
So that gets us back to the continuing resolution, which funds Obamacare. Senator McConnell voted for it. By voting for the continuing resolution he was voting to fund Obamacare. Same with these others. In fact, a majority of the Republican Senate Conference voted against the continuing resolution in part because it funds Obamacare. But the following Senators voted to pass the continuing resolution even though it still funds Obamacare.

• Alexander (R-TN)
• Barrasso (R-WY)
• Blunt (R-MO)
• Boozman (R-AR)
• Chambliss (R-GA)
• Coats (R-IN)
• Cochran (R-MS)
• Collins (R-ME)
• Corker (R-TN)
• Cornyn (R-TX)
• Hatch (R-UT)
• Hoeven (R-ND)
• Isakson (R-GA)
• Johanns (R-NE)
• McConnell (R-KY)
• Murkowski (R-AK)
• Sessions (R-AL)
• Shelby (R-AL)
• Thune (R-SD)
• Wicker (R-MS)

If any one of those senators tells you they did not vote to fund Obamacare or, in fact, voted against funding Obamacare, they are being mendacious. They may have voted for Ted Cruz’s amendment, but after it failed, they still knowingly and willingly voted to fund Obamacare. And now they are lying to their constituents who call them out on it.
Many of these same Senators are also supporting separate legislation to foist a massive tax increase on the American people.

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)