Texas Senator and man known to speak in the third-person to his wife - Ted Cruz - just yesterday told CNN's Candy Crowley that he thinks President Obama may potentially sign a bill defunding Obamacare if he were presented with one. Once again, no, this information did not come courtesy of The Onion. The back-and-forth went as follows:
CRUZ: "What I agree with is I think now is the single best time to stop Obamacare, because there's bipartisan agreement that it's not working. The wheels are coming off. And because defunding it, if it doesn't happen now, it's likely never to happen."
CROWLEY: "The president is never going to sign a bill that defunds Obamacare."
CRUZ: "You know, you may be convinced to that."
CROWLEY: "You're not convinced to that?"
CRUZ: "I am not at all."
CROWLEY: "This is his signature. This is what they consider his signature achievement, so far, of his administration in its fifth year."
CRUZ: "Here's what I think should happen. The House of Representatives should pass a continuing resolution that funds the federal government in its entirety, every aspect of the federal government, except Obamacare, and it should explicitly prohibit any funding for Obamacare mandatory or discretionary. And I filed legislative language in the Senate to do that.
Now, the next stage, we know how this play goes forward. President Obama and Harry Reid will scream and holler that the mean nasty Republicans are threatening to shut down the government. And at that point, Republicans have to do something we haven't done in a long time. Stand up and win the argument.
We have to stand up and say, no, we want to keep the government open. We have voted to keep the government open, to fund the government. Why is President Obama threatening to shut the government down, to force Obamacare down the throats - the throats of the American people?"
I'm not sure what Cruz is smoking, but whatever it is, I definitely want no part of it. In Cruz's mind, he can actually see the following headline taking place at some point - "President Obama Defunds Obamacare!" Right... I have a feeling Rick Santorum endorsing tea-bagging is more likely than that.
I also love the rationale Cruz uses at the tail-end of this back-and-forth with Candy Crowley. Here's how it appears Cruz would see the hypothetical discussion with a reporter playing out:
Cruz: "We have voted to not shut down the government, so long as President Obama agrees to defund Obamacare."
Reporter Lorraine Dipschitz: "So you're threatening to shut down the government unless the president defunds what is seen as his signature achievement?"
Cruz: "No, this is on the president. We've voted to keep the government open. It's now on him whether or not the government shuts down."
Dipschitz: "...but without Obamacare..."
Cruz: "That's correct."
Dipschitz: "So, either the government shuts down or millions of people go without healthcare..."
Cruz: "Look - Obamacare isn't working. We've got bipartisan agreement on that."
Dipschitz: "But the law hasn't been fully implemented yet..."
Cruz: "Doesn't matter - we know it won't work."
Dipschitz: "How?"
Cruz: "We just do..."
Dipschitz: "So, you have bipartisan agreement that a bill which has yet to be fully implemented isn't working? How many Democratic members of Congress agree with you on this matter?"
Cruz: "I really shouldn't name any names."
Dipschitz: "Do you have any?"
Cruz: "But of course"
Dipschitz: "...and they are?"
Cruz: "Look - names aren't important here. What is important is that we keep the government open and defund Obamacare."
Dipschitz: "You do realize President Obama won the two previous elections, right?"
Cruz: "Yeah, so?"
Dipschitz: "...and that the Supreme Court ruled the healthcare law was Constitutional..."
Cruz: "What does all this have to do with anything?"
Dipschitz: "You're threatening to shut down the federal government unless President Obama, who won each of the past two presidential elections, defunds his signature healthcare law, which was ruled as Constitutional by the Supreme Court - is that correct?"
Cruz: "Yes, I suppose it is"
Dipschitz: "Yet, you still claim that if the government shuts down, it's all on President Obama - is that correct?"
Cruz: "Absolutely"
Dipschitz: "Mr. Cruz, do you seriously believe that the Republican Party, who lost seats in both the House and the Senate last year, as well as the presidential election, should have the power to strip healthcare from millions of people? With this logic, would it be okay for the GOP to strip gun rights from millions of people?"
Cruz: "That's different! Being able to own a gun is a God-given right!"
Dipschitz: "...and possessing adequate healthcare coverage isn't? So, it's a God-given right to purchase a gun, which could harm one's health, yet it's not a God-given right to be able to pay for the harm done with healthcare?"
Cruz: "Uh... Uh... Uh... I'll say it again - we need to defund Obamacare!"
Dipschitz: "Following this conversation, I think we should increase funding for education..."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/25/ted-cruz-obamacare-veto_n_3813228.html
http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2013/08/25/sen-cruz-to-candy-crowley-on-defunding-obamacare-we-do-not-have-the-votes-right-now/
CRUZ: "What I agree with is I think now is the single best time to stop Obamacare, because there's bipartisan agreement that it's not working. The wheels are coming off. And because defunding it, if it doesn't happen now, it's likely never to happen."
CROWLEY: "The president is never going to sign a bill that defunds Obamacare."
CRUZ: "You know, you may be convinced to that."
CROWLEY: "You're not convinced to that?"
CRUZ: "I am not at all."
CROWLEY: "This is his signature. This is what they consider his signature achievement, so far, of his administration in its fifth year."
CRUZ: "Here's what I think should happen. The House of Representatives should pass a continuing resolution that funds the federal government in its entirety, every aspect of the federal government, except Obamacare, and it should explicitly prohibit any funding for Obamacare mandatory or discretionary. And I filed legislative language in the Senate to do that.
Now, the next stage, we know how this play goes forward. President Obama and Harry Reid will scream and holler that the mean nasty Republicans are threatening to shut down the government. And at that point, Republicans have to do something we haven't done in a long time. Stand up and win the argument.
We have to stand up and say, no, we want to keep the government open. We have voted to keep the government open, to fund the government. Why is President Obama threatening to shut the government down, to force Obamacare down the throats - the throats of the American people?"
I'm not sure what Cruz is smoking, but whatever it is, I definitely want no part of it. In Cruz's mind, he can actually see the following headline taking place at some point - "President Obama Defunds Obamacare!" Right... I have a feeling Rick Santorum endorsing tea-bagging is more likely than that.
I also love the rationale Cruz uses at the tail-end of this back-and-forth with Candy Crowley. Here's how it appears Cruz would see the hypothetical discussion with a reporter playing out:
Cruz: "We have voted to not shut down the government, so long as President Obama agrees to defund Obamacare."
Reporter Lorraine Dipschitz: "So you're threatening to shut down the government unless the president defunds what is seen as his signature achievement?"
Cruz: "No, this is on the president. We've voted to keep the government open. It's now on him whether or not the government shuts down."
Dipschitz: "...but without Obamacare..."
Cruz: "That's correct."
Dipschitz: "So, either the government shuts down or millions of people go without healthcare..."
Cruz: "Look - Obamacare isn't working. We've got bipartisan agreement on that."
Dipschitz: "But the law hasn't been fully implemented yet..."
Cruz: "Doesn't matter - we know it won't work."
Dipschitz: "How?"
Cruz: "We just do..."
Dipschitz: "So, you have bipartisan agreement that a bill which has yet to be fully implemented isn't working? How many Democratic members of Congress agree with you on this matter?"
Cruz: "I really shouldn't name any names."
Dipschitz: "Do you have any?"
Cruz: "But of course"
Dipschitz: "...and they are?"
Cruz: "Look - names aren't important here. What is important is that we keep the government open and defund Obamacare."
Dipschitz: "You do realize President Obama won the two previous elections, right?"
Cruz: "Yeah, so?"
Dipschitz: "...and that the Supreme Court ruled the healthcare law was Constitutional..."
Cruz: "What does all this have to do with anything?"
Dipschitz: "You're threatening to shut down the federal government unless President Obama, who won each of the past two presidential elections, defunds his signature healthcare law, which was ruled as Constitutional by the Supreme Court - is that correct?"
Cruz: "Yes, I suppose it is"
Dipschitz: "Yet, you still claim that if the government shuts down, it's all on President Obama - is that correct?"
Cruz: "Absolutely"
Dipschitz: "Mr. Cruz, do you seriously believe that the Republican Party, who lost seats in both the House and the Senate last year, as well as the presidential election, should have the power to strip healthcare from millions of people? With this logic, would it be okay for the GOP to strip gun rights from millions of people?"
Cruz: "That's different! Being able to own a gun is a God-given right!"
Dipschitz: "...and possessing adequate healthcare coverage isn't? So, it's a God-given right to purchase a gun, which could harm one's health, yet it's not a God-given right to be able to pay for the harm done with healthcare?"
Cruz: "Uh... Uh... Uh... I'll say it again - we need to defund Obamacare!"
Dipschitz: "Following this conversation, I think we should increase funding for education..."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/25/ted-cruz-obamacare-veto_n_3813228.html
http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2013/08/25/sen-cruz-to-candy-crowley-on-defunding-obamacare-we-do-not-have-the-votes-right-now/
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