Ted Cruz in 2016? While it may be a bit premature to make my official pick for president, Ted Cruz did something last week that definitely makes him my early favorite. Here’s what happened…
Mitch McConnell had just demonstrated, once again, how to get in touch with his inner Harry Reid by reintroducing legislation to renew one of Washington Cronyism’s favorite sources of taxpayer money, the Export-Import Bank, after promising Republicans that he wouldn’t.
This was followed by two additional episodes of “Reid-ism” when Mickey used his power as Senate Majority Leader to sabotage efforts by Conservatives to defund Planned Parenthood following the release of videos showing that they were selling body parts from aborted babies, and another effort to defund sanctuary cities.
It was after these events that Ted Cruz accused McConnell of being a liar from the Senate floor:
“I sat in my office, I told my staff, the majority leader looked me in the eye and looked 54 Republicans in the eye,” Cruz said. “I cannot believe he would tell a flat-out lie, and I voted on those assurances that he made to each and every one of us. What we just saw today was an absolute demonstration that not only what he told every Republican senator, but what he told the pres over and over and over again, was a simple lie.”
In addition, he went an additional step and accused both houses of Congress of not changing things for America “one iota” because both parties only worked to serve the Washington Cartel.
I’m tempted to say, “welcome to the party, Mr. Cruz!” After all, my website is replete with articles documenting Mitch McConnell as a lying liar telling lies. And my disdain for Republicans who say one thing to get elected then do another once they get into office was the genius behind the Gutless On Principles (G.O.P.) Hall of Shame.
But it’s significant that a man running for president, who needs the money and support of many in the party he represents in order to win, would demonstrate the courage and backbone to call out his party’s leadership, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly.
In an interview with Rush Limbaugh, Cruz stated that McConnell’s behavior was proof that career politicians are only interested in the power and money that comes from selling out the American people. But he also offered up some hope:
“We have seen before how to defeat the Washington cartel, when, in 1980, the Reagan revolution came from the American people. Remember, Reagan, a lot of people forget, he took on the Washington cartel. He primaried Gerald Ford. You want to tick off Republican leadership, come within an inch of defeating the incumbent Republican president. The Reagan revolution came from the grassroots.”
“The only way we can break this, the only way we can get leaders to actually stand for conservative principles is if there’s a grassroots tsunami. And I believe 2016 is gonna be an election like 1980, that we’re gonna win by painting in bold colors and not pale pastels.”
By the way, it looks like Cruz’s feelings are also those of conservatives across the country. The conservative activist group Citizens United is releasing a new poll of its membership, which surveyed some 4,000 activists across the country. Just two percent approve of the job Congress is doing. More than 90 percent want their Member of Congress to replace current House Speaker Rep. John Boehner (R-OH).
While the Republican-controlled Congress under the leadership of McConnell and Boehner has provided little to get excited about, the courage displayed by Ted Cruz gives me reason to have hope that we might get this thing fixed yet.
