NEVER TOLERATE TYRANNY!....Conservative voices from the GRASSROOTS.

Am I wrong but didn't 1) Less spending and 2) Smaller government) used to be major political planks of the Republican Party?

What happened?

The leaders of the Republican Party in congress just voted WITH the democrats to do exactly opposite.

GOP leaders help Senate pass large increase in debt limit

Democrats see opening with fractured minority

By Stephen Dinan The Washington Times Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Congress approved a massive increase in the federal debt Wednesday, but only after Republican leaders linked arms and jumped together, helping Democrats pass a plan that will let President Obama borrow as much money as needed to cover federal obligations over the next 13 months.

The vote was about as dramatic as they get. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, held out for 40 minutes before casting the key vote to break his fellow Republicans’ filibuster. His top lieutenants then followed suit, clearing the way for a final vote to approve the debt ceiling increase.

The bill passed the House on Tuesday. It now goes to Mr. Obama, who is expected to sign it.

Democrats warned of disastrous consequences if the limit hadn’t been raised, saying the government would default on its obligations. Analysts said a failure would have been devastating for the stock market, which was closely watching the vote.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, said he hoped the fact that Republicans approved a debt increase would be a breakthrough for other issues.

“Congress should be striding from accomplishment to accomplishment, not staggering from crisis to crisis,” he said. “If we spent more time working together and less time running out the clock on procedural hurdles and Republican filibusters, we might actually get things done around here.”

But Republicans who opposed the debt limit increase said it marked a low point for Congress and for their party in particular, which could have blocked the increase if the party’s lawmakers held together.

“Let’s be clear about the motive behind this vote — there are too many members of Congress who think they can fool people and they will forget about it the next week,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican who led the attempted filibuster. “But sometimes, come November, the people remember.”

Indeed, in the minutes after the vote, conservative groups blasted out emails criticizing Republicans who enabled the debt increase, Mr. McConnell in particular.

The Kentucky Republican faces a challenge in a party primary this year from Matt Bevin, who said the vote showed the failure of Mr. McConnell’s leadership.

Three years ago, after Republicans won major spending cuts attached to the 2011 debt increase, Mr. McConnell said they set a strict standard.

But the latest debt increase comes with no strings attached — the first time that has happened since Republicans won control of the House in the 2010 elections.

The increase lasts until the middle of March 2015, and there is no set limit. Instead, the debt will rise by as much as is needed to cover obligations. Whatever the number is as of March 15, 2015, will become the new legal limit.

As of Monday, the federal debt was $17.259 trillion, where it has been frozen since last month when the previous limit was reached. Federal debt was $10.629 trillion when Mr. Obama took office.

The Treasury Department has said it would run out of maneuvering room on the debt by the end of this month.

Despite the drama Wednesday, the increase in the debt limit was much easier than previous votes — chiefly because Republicans surrendered early in hopes of attaching conditions.

The outcome was assured — the only question was which Republican would have to cast the politically perilous vote. During the hourlong process, Republicans gathered in small groups on the Senate floor to discuss the matter.

Senators said four Republicans were willing to join all 55 Democrats, but that left them one vote shy of the 60 needed to break the filibuster.

Ultimately, Mr. McConnell came to the well of the chamber and cast his vote as the crucial 60th supporter.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the second-ranking Republican, then switched to join Mr. McConnell in opposing the filibuster. He and other allies then went to try to persuade other Republicans to join them in a show of solidarity.

“All right, let’s go — come on down,” Sen. Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican who also switched from “no” to “yes,” told his colleagues.

But few followed. The final tally was 67-31. Minutes after breaking the filibuster, the debt increase was approved on a party-line 55-43 vote.

Mr. Corker criticized Mr. Cruz for forcing such a politically dangerous vote.

“Cloture is to end debate. There was no alternative offered. We knew the House could only pass a clean [debt increase], so why do you debate it any longer? It’s either a yes-or-no vote,” he said.

House Republican leaders passed the debt increase on a 221-201 vote that relied almost entirely on Democrats. Just 28 Republicans voted for it.

The GOP was fractured on the issue, and many were spooked after being blamed for the partial federal government shutdown in October. Democrats were united against any concessions, convinced that Republicans would be blamed for a breach of the debt ceiling.

Republicans said they agreed to the increase to avoid detracting from their message against Obamacare, which they believe will help them regain control of the Senate in November’s elections.

“Our focus really continues to be on Obamacare and other issues,” said Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican who initially supported the filibuster but switched his vote after Mr. McConnell voted. Mr. McCain called Mr. McConnell’s vote “a very courageous act,” given his tough re-election race.

Mr. McConnell didn’t issue any statement about his vote.

Afterward, the Senate wrapped up business and went on recess for 11 days.

"Republicans said they agreed to the increase to avoid detracting from their message against Obamacare,"

Tell me, how did that clean piece of legislation get to the senate in the first place??? Hmmmm?

Could it have anything to do with the spineless, turncoat, crybaby Republican "House-leader" (I use that term loosely here) John Boehner??? Hmmmm?

Screen_shot_2011-01-05_at_5.50.58_pm_width_600x

House approves 'clean' debt ceiling extension

Susan Davis, USA TODAY6:58 p.m. EST February 11, 2014

WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, bowed to political reality on Tuesday and allowed a vote on a debt ceiling increase with no conditions attached despite strong resistance from the GOP rank and file and outside conservative forces.

The 'clean' debt measure suspends the nation's borrowing limit through March 15, 2015, and relied heavily on Democratic support to get it passed. The bill was approved, 221-201, with 193 Democrats and 28 Republicans voting to pass it.

In the weeks leading up to the vote, House Republican leaders floated a number of conditions to link to the debt vote, but nothing could garner enough support to pass with GOP votes alone.

"When you don't have 218 votes, you have nothing," Boehner told reporters on Tuesday. The final proposal GOP leaders floated would have tied the debt increase to a repeal of a minor cut to cost-of-living adjustments to the pensions of current working-age military retirees.

The House still approved the pension cut repeal in a separate vote, 326-90, on Tuesday.

President Obama and congressional Democrats have been calling for the debt limit increase to include no other conditions. Raising the debt limit does not authorize new spending, but rather allows the federal government to pay for the obligations it has already approved, which Democrats have said is a basic responsibility of governing, likening it to paying your credit card bill on time.

Republicans have countered that it's irresponsible to continue spending without implementing greater fiscal restraint. The nation's debt stands at about $17.2 trillion.

However, after the partial government shutdown last October — which left the GOP politically bruised— Boehner and other GOP leaders pledged that Congress would not allow a debt default. Without any internal GOP consensus on how to proceed on the latest debt ceiling increase, Boehner had few options but to allow an up-or-down vote.

During Boehner's tenure as speaker, congressional Republicans have waged battles over the debt limit under an informal rule advocated by the Ohio Republican that any increase in the debt limit should be met by equal or greater spending cuts or other savings. Tuesday's vote abandoned that standard. "I am disappointed to say the least," Boehner said.

Outside conservative and Tea Party groups — long at odds with the party establishment — ratcheted up their rhetoric opposing Boehner. The Senate Conservatives Fund circulated an online petition calling for Boehner to be replaced, while Tea Party Patriots co-founder Jenny Beth Martin said, "It is time for him to go." Neither Boehner nor his office has responded to the opposition groups.

The speaker instead said the burden should be on Democrats to pass the debt limit hike because President Obama has refused to engage with the GOP over how to reduce the deficit. "(President Obama) is the one driving up the debt. Then the question (Republicans) are asking is, 'Well, why should I deal with his debt limit?' And so the fact is we'll let the Democrats put the votes up," he said.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., pushed back against Boehner's comments that Democrats were driving up the debt and should shoulder the burden to increase it. "I think it is pathetic that the speaker of the House of Representatives, the leader of his party, cannot get (the votes) for something he says is absolutely essential to do. That is a party that is rudderless and should be rejected by the American people."

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has said the government will hit its borrowing limit on Feb. 27. The Senate could act as early as Wednesday to approve the House-passed debt bill, but a vote could be delayed until after the Presidents Day week-long break.

The debt vote could be one of the last must-pass measures ahead of the midterm elections. Unless Congress approves all of its annual spending bill by Sept. 30, lawmakers will also need to pass a stopgap funding bill to keep the government running at the end of the fiscal year. Otherwise, there is little consensus within the divided Congress on other legislation to advance this year.