House sends CR to the Senate without Obamacare funding

Stage One complete! On to the Senate...

TheHill: The House on Friday passed legislation that defunds ObamaCare but would keep the government running through mid-December. The legislation was approved on a party line 230-189 vote, with Rep. Scott Rigel (Va.) the only GOP no vote. Two Democrats voted for the measure, Reps. Jim Matheson (Utah) and Mike McIntyre (N.C.).

Passage of the bill sets up a showdown with the Senate, and moves the two sides closer to a possible government shutdown on Oct. 1. The ObamaCare language is expected to be stripped from the bill in the Senate, setting up a critical week of negotiations next week. House Republicans have cancelled a planned recess to return to Washington Wednesday, and their leaders have warned the House could be in next weekend.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) bowed to conservatives in deciding to include the healthcare language in the continuing resolution. Republicans in the House had rejected an earlier proposal from their leaders that would have funded the government without defunding ObamaCare.

And in anticipation of Dingy Harry stripping out the defund portion to hurriedly hand it back to the House, Sen. Ted Cruz has vowed to filibuster if need be...

CBSNews: Conservative Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Thursday he'll do "everything necessary and anything possible to defund Obamacare," including attempting to filibuster any government funding bill that does not defund the health care law.

In a press conference with conservative House and Senate members, Cruz promised to filibuster such a bill and use "anything else, any procedural means necessary" to stop it.

Cruz, Lee and other conservatives in the Senate are going to need House Republicans to stay strong when this resolution returns to them. So, keep up the calls, faxes, emails and even visits to keep the pressure on your congressional members! Tell them, 'fund the government, but DEFUND OBAMACARE!'

Related link: EXCLUSIVE: PALIN -- BOMBS AWAY ON OBAMACARE; CRUZ IS OVER THE TARGET

ADDENDUM I: Just to note...all these MSM sources go on to say something about fears of the GOP losing next year's midterms in this risky move. Let me tell you, the GOP will ABSOLUTELY lose their own constituency if they don't try! There's also talk of Democrats having the upper hand in a government shutdown...only if the GOP allows the Democrats to be the only ones in front of a camera & a mic...so don't let 'em! Every Republican within this effort to fund the government, while defunding Obamacare, should be out there more vigorously than their blowhard opposition to dissect the lies and articulate the truth!

ADDENDUM II: Seriously guys, how hard is it to counter this...or this...or even this, when the healthcare law's clearly more unpopular than ever?! Defund it, while funding the rest of government. Much simpler to explain than to get through to these knuckleheads on the Hill.