Terrific article on Sen. Mike Lee!
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/...p-2020-1075490
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Terrific article on Sen. Mike Lee!
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/...p-2020-1075490
PAUL/LEE 2024Quote:
In 2016, Sen. Mike Lee made a last-ditch attempt at the Republican National Convention to derail Donald Trump from winning his party’s presidential nomination — shouting on the floor until the convention chair walked off the stage. Two-and-a-half years later, he’s ready to endorse Trump’s reelection campaign.
“Look, I had some concerns and I expressed those,” Lee said in an interview. “I’ve been pleased with the number of things he’s done, and he’s been very helpful to me on criminal justice reform. … I’ve talked to him a lot and talking to him helps me develop a relationship with him.”
“I quite like him,” Lee said, adding that he intends to endorse Trump’s presidential bid this time around.
The Utah Republican is thriving in the Trump era, which has upended the Republican Party and left many of Lee’s colleagues smarting over the president’s erratic style. But while hawkish Republicans seethed as the president pulled out of Syria and upended plans to avert a government shutdown, December has been a good month for the libertarian-leaning Lee, who backs Trump in both fights.
Lee played a key role in pushing the Trump-backed prison and sentencing overhaul in the face of resistance from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). He even kept his own whip count in a bid to pressure leadership before the bill was ultimately passed — something Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn derided as “kind of a side show.”
And despite McConnell’s opposition, Lee also forced to the floor a resolution to withdraw U.S. support for the Saudi-backed war in Yemen. The measure, co-sponsored with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), passed the Senate with bipartisan support.
“Those two issues,” Lee said, “are examples of what can happen with an idea when you cultivate it and nurture it over the course of many years.”
Meanwhile, Lee continues to strengthen ties with Trump, lunching with him and a handful of other conservative lawmakers at the White House amid a government shutdown that GOP leaders sought to avoid. “I’m a big believer in the need to bolster border security and I think he is right to place emphasis on that,” Lee said of Trump.
Next year, Lee plans to continue working with Ivanka Trump and Senate Republicans on a proposal that would allow new parents to use their Social Security benefits to take parental leave when a child is born and pay the money back later. He also sees an opportunity to block arms sales to Saudi Arabia, particularly with Democratic control of the House.
Lee describes his strategy as waiting for the right moment for an idea to succeed. The Yemen resolution gained momentum after the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the administration’s refusal to directly link Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Khashoggi’s killing.
“The stars aligned,” he said.
Lee was also a rare GOP voice applauding Trump’s move to pull U.S. troops out of Syria. Trump returned the favor, citing Lee approvingly in a tweet defending his Syria decision.
For someone so used to going it alone, Lee’s found a surprising ally in the White House.
“I had real concerns about him,” the senator said of the president, “and have been very pleased.”
More at: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/...p-2020-1075490
or
LEE/PAUL 2024
Not surprising, Mike has been lately given prominent seat at MAGA's foreign policy table. He was one of the very few senators (alongwith Obama era Syria intervention champion Ted Cruz, Iraq war hero Lindsey Graham and another non-AIPAC funded guy whose name escapes me right now) who was invited to join GOP-Jarvanka/Netanyahu wing's leadership to Israel for US embassy move honor that was probably a double honor for a Christian Ziuonist like him. A well rounded America-Firster, hopefully will have positive impact on MAGA's future Iraq presence, Iran sanctions, Syria war, Israel $38B foreign aid policies going forward.
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Take a long walk off a short pier:Quote:
Originally Posted by enhanced_deficit
Quote:
But while hawkish Republicans seethed as the president pulled out of Syria and upended plans to avert a government shutdown, December has been a good month for the libertarian-leaning Lee, who backs Trump in both fights.
Lee also forced to the floor a resolution to withdraw U.S. support for the Saudi-backed war in Yemen. The measure, co-sponsored with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), passed the Senate with bipartisan support.
Exactly Swordsmyth, ed is a reprehensible poster trying to smear a good man in Sen. Mike Lee
You must spread some reputation around before giving it to Warlord again.Quote:
Originally Posted by Warlord
Lee is only a whit behind Rand, he is the second best Senator we have:
https://www.thenewamerican.com/freedom-index
Sen. Mike Lee - 92%
Quote:
Originally Posted by Swordsmyth
S.Amdt. 871 to S.Amdt. 1003 to H.R. 2810: War Authorization Vote Date: September 13, 2017 Vote: NAY http://www.thenewamerican.com/images/1.jpg Good Vote. During consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 2810), Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) offered an amendment to repeal, six months after the bill’s enactment, the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF). Enacted in the wake of 9/11, the AUMF authorized the president to use military force against the terrorists involved, including those who aided and harbored them, and was used as the legal authority for U.S. military entry into Afghanistan. Paul’s amendment would also have ended, six months after the bill’s enactment, the 2002 AUMF for the invasion of Iraq to disarm Saddam Hussein of his reputed weapons of mass destruction.
The Senate agreed to a motion to table (kill) Paul’s amendment on September 13, 2017 by a vote of 61 to 36 (Roll Call 195). We have assigned pluses to the nays because the 2001 AUMF in particular has been used by presidents ever since as a blank check not only for continued U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan, but for new military interventions elsewhere, including Libya, Syria, and Yemen — despite the fact that constitutionally authorized power to declare war belongs to Congress, not the president. “This is your constitutional role,” Paul said on the Senate floor prior to the vote on his amendment. “Let’s let these [AUMFs] expire, and over the next six months, let’s debate whether we should be at war and where.”
Motion: Blocking U.S. Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia Vote Date: June 13, 2017 Vote: AYE http://www.thenewamerican.com/images/1.jpg Good Vote. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) introduced this bill (Senate Joint Resolution 42) to block the sale of "certain defense articles" to Saudi Arabia, including laser-guided weapons systems and fighter aircraft. Paul has opposed selling arms to Saudi Arabia because the regime oppresses its own people, is engaged militarily in the civil war in Yemen, and has supported ISIS. "Who in their right mind would give money, arms, or share our technology with a country that has been supporting ISIS?" Paul asked on the Senate floor.
The Senate did not vote directly on S. J. Res. 42 but on a motion to discharge the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (where the resolution was pending) from further consideration of the resolution so that it could be considered by the full Senate. The discharge motion, which was made by Paul, was rejected on June 13, 2017 by a vote of 47 to 53 (Roll Call 143). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the United States should not interject itself in foreign conflicts such as the civil war in Yemen (via arms sales to one of the combatants in that conflict -- Saudi Arabia), and should not take steps tantamount to going to war without a declaration of war by Congress.
On the Resolution of Ratification Treaty Doc. 114-12: Montenegro NATO Membership Vote Date: March 28, 2017 Vote: NAY http://www.thenewamerican.com/images/1.jpg Good Vote. This resolution of ratification (Treaty Document 114-12) would allow the Balkan country of Montenegro to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The NATO military alliance was created in 1949 for the stated purpose of countering the threat posed by the Soviet bloc. Under the North Atlantic Treaty establishing NATO, member nations "agree that an armed attack against one or more of them ... shall be considered an attack against them all." At first there were 12 countries in the alliance, but the number of member nations has more than doubled over the years to 28 - 29 with Montenegro's entry into NATO.
The Senate approved the treaty of ratification for admitting Montenegro into NATO by the very lopsided vote of 97 to 2 on March 28, 2017 (Roll Call 98; a two-thirds majority of those present and voting in the Senate is required to ratify a treaty). We have assigned pluses to the nays not only because the United States should stay clear of entangling alliances such as NATO but also because the NATO provision that obligates the United States to go to war if any member of NATO is attacked undermines the provision in the U.S. Constitution that assigns to Congress the power to declare war. Montenegro, which was part of communist Yugoslavia during the Cold War era, is now one of 28 countries the United States is obligated to defend under NATO.
On the Conference Report S. 2943: National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Vote Date: December 8, 2016 Vote: NAY http://www.thenewamerican.com/images/1.jpg Good Vote. This bill (S. 2943) authorizes $611.2 billion for military programs in fiscal year 2017, including $59.5 billion for foreign operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Among its many provisions, the massive bill creates a “Global Engagement Center” to counter “foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts.” Dubbed an Orwellian “Ministry of Truth” by critics including THE NEW AMERICAN, this new government propaganda center is authorized to “provide financial support” to (among others) “media content providers,” including “local independent media who are best placed to refute foreign disinformation and manipulation in their own communities.”
The Senate passed the final version (conference report) of S. 2943 on December 8, 2016 by a vote of 92 to 7 (Roll Call 159). We have assigned pluses to the nays because the authorizations in this bill go way beyond providing for our national defense. Our foreign military interventions in the Middle East in particular have exacerbated terrorism and undermined U.S. security. The creation of the Orwellian “Global Engagement Center,” which was added to the NDAA without Congress being able to vote on it as a stand-alone bill, also falls outside the scope of legitimate national defense. Rather than agreeing to the version of NDAA they did, our lawmakers should have rejected it and passed instead a constitutionally sound version.
On the Motion to Table H.R. 2578: No-fly List Vote Date: June 23, 2016 Vote: AYE http://www.thenewamerican.com/images/1.jpg Good Vote. During consideration of the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill (H.R. 2578), Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) offered an amendment that would authorize the attorney general to deny the transfer of a firearm to an individual who appears on the "no fly list" or the "selectee list" and would require notification to law-enforcement officials if an individual who has appeared on the Terrorist Screening Database within the last five years has requested a firearm transfer.
The Senate did not vote directly on Collins' amendment but on a motion to table (kill) another motion to send H.R. 2578 back to committee with instructions to add Collins’ amendment to the bill. The motion to table was rejected on June 23, 2016 by a vote of 46 to 52 (Roll Call 109). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because restricting non-criminals from flying is a violation of the Fifth Amendment's guarantee of "due process of law," and linking firearm ownership to a federal no-fly list is a violation of the Second Amendment's protection of the right of the people to keep and bear arms. The federal no-fly list includes many people with no criminal record, and some people with identical or similar names to convicted criminals are erroneously placed on the list.
On the Cloture Motion S.Amdt. 4549 to S.Amdt. 4229 to S. 2943 (National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017): Overseas Domestic Programs Vote Date: June 9, 2016 Vote: NAY http://www.thenewamerican.com/images/1.jpg Good Vote. During consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 2943), Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.) introduced an amendment that would authorize an additional $18 billion in overseas contingency operations for domestic programs. Part of the $18 billion includes $1.1 billion to combat heroin and opioid addiction, $1.9 billion to implement an integrated campaign plan to counter ISIS, and $1.9 billion to treat the Zika virus and prevent Zika outbreaks.
The Senate did not vote directly on Reed’s amendment but on a motion to invoke cloture (and thus limit debate) so the amendment could come up for a vote. The motion to invoke cloture was rejected on June 9, 2016 by a vote of 43 to 55 (Roll Call 95). We have assigned pluses to the nays because funding overseas contingency operations for domestic programs is not “defense” spending and does not belong in the NDAA. The federal government has no constitutional authority to engage in such spending for operations in other countries, and using American taxpayer dollars in an attempt to fight drugs and disease is inappropriate.
Mike Lee is a top senator and one of Rand's greatest allies
I agree- and I've been criticized tons in the past for standing up for Lee on the forum.Quote:
Originally Posted by Warlord
That said, I think @enhanced_deficit is looking at many different points, politically, and is not a hater- just questioning lots of things, which is healthy.
He is obsessed with attacking Trump and Israel, he drags them into threads that they have no relevance to and he never gives Trump any credit for the good things he does.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ender
This is the second time I have seen him attack Lee but I have never seen him say anything good about him.
If he wants to criticize Lee for things Lee is wrong about that is fine but this thread where Lee and Trump are defying Israel about Syria and Lee is defying them about the Saudis is not the place for it.
Furthermore Trump may be only the least of all possible goods but Lee is the 2nd best Senator we have with a rating in excess of 90% and deserves a little respect along with any just criticism.
+repQuote:
Originally Posted by enhanced_deficit
And you're obsessed with gobbling his knob... so you see he brings balance, which is good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Swordsmyth
Quote:
Originally Posted by A Son of Liberty
+rep
No he doesn't.Quote:
He also sees an opportunity to block arms sales to Saudi Arabia, particularly with Democratic control of the House.
I dunno, not all are happy with the "winning" situation:
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/images/icons/icon4.png The Singularity of Civil War Is Near