Common wisdom amongst those who live in the Beltway is that the fight to end Obamacare was not worth it, and those who stood up to the bullying of Obama and his cronies were political losers.
Senator Ted Cruz went home to Texas last weekend and made two separate stops to talk to the people at hastily arranged events.
Far from the images America saw in 2010 when Obamacare supporters desperately cancelled or limited attendance at events, Cruz stepped into the lion’s den of real public opinion in his home state of Texas and the result was not just standing ovations, but cheers that exceed a concert crowd demanding an encore from their favorite artist who has left his greatest hit unsung.
You can see the thirteen minute ovation yourself here. It is worth it to confirm what many of us know in our hearts – when you stand up and fight for what is right the people appreciate it.
Critics would argue that these cheers came from tea party types and don’t reflect the people at large. However, it is better for a leader to be loved by those who are informed, than to be barely tolerated by those who aren’t. Informing the currently uninformed electorate is much easier when you are standing on principle. In this case it is all the easier as the implementation of Obamacare has been a stunning disaster that the people are learning is going to hit them in the wallet with massive premium increases while costing many of them to lose their existing health care coverage. That is exactly the position Cruz, Senator Mike Lee and those who stood with them find themselves.
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Rick Manning (@rmanning957) is the Vice President of Public Policy and Communications for Americans for Limited Government.
57 comments
If Ted Cruz “won” anything, I guess that means I won the lottery. I mean, I bought a ticket, and even though they didn’t call even one of my numbers, the important part is that I tried, right?
Deeeeeeeeeluisions…
All I needed to see was Rick Manning’s name.
What he probably “won”, and was seeking to “win” was reelection. He satisfied the 1st priority of any politicians: getting elected. Ted Cruz did not give a policy speech. He gave a reelection campaign speech because politicians never really stop campainging.
I think, like Trikki and all the rest, he cares more about all that campaign money he can use to pretty much do whatever he likes with…like pay himself back after using his wife’s stash from Goldman Sachs to finance his campaign.
Exactly how much more money do I have in my pocket as a result of Cruz’s “victory”?
I’ve got $50 cause I correctly guessed how many days it would take for the Republicans to cave.
And Texans are, to this day, still celebrating the victory over Santa Ana at the Alamo…
Damn Skippy
Skippy? Better than Peter Pan…not as good as Jif.
If my memory serves me correctly, didn’t Santa Anna’s delay wiping out the Alamo give the Texans time to rally support to fight Santa Anna later and defeat him? The Alamo was but a skirmish but enabled the Texans to win against a larger and superior force.
Yep, more white people taking shit from the natives.
Hmm, the Mexican Army didn’t represent the natives. They represented the Mexicans who invaded Native land. Your comment should read: “Invaders taking shit from co-invaders.”
Mexicans were not Native to North America? Well, where did they come from then?
The Mexican government wasn’t synonymous with the Indians. Mexican infrastructure & borders were established by Spain. If we are going to get specific, the area around the Alamo was home to the Tonkawa and Coahuiltecan tribes- the actual natives of the area.
Son, PBS just ran a great series called The Latino Americans. Sounds like you could learn a few things.
About how ethnic Mexicans claimed the land of the natives as their own, and then fought the Texicans who claimed the previously claimed land? Yeah, I’ve seen the series you’re talking about.
I doubt if the subsequent battle of San Jacinto was on the defenders’ minds during the fracas.
Some additional information
“As the defenders saw it, the Alamo was the key to the defense of Texas, and they were ready to give their lives rather than surrender their position to General Santa Anna.”
From the web site;
http://www.thealamo.org/history/the-1836-battle/index.html
Cruz did a good thing, he’ll do more.
Correct
It wasn’t Cruz winning anything really, it was just a matter of showing once again how inept government is at most things.
Hell, according to the mysterious “core function” ideals of Sic Willie, they can’t even support a road system without graft & crony favoritism let alone with any efficiency.
Why should anyone be surprised that the government has allocated $300 million to the project, spent around 3 years and 2/3 of it already, and has virtually nothing to show for it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS4_AHBxgro
So Ted Cruz was cheered by a Texas mob of Tea Party types. Well, so what? This was Texas. Who cares? As General Phil Sheridan so aptly described the state:
“If I owned Hell and Texas, I would rent out Texas and live in Hell. “
And yet Texans produces the lion’s share of what few good employment numbers 0bama brags about in his pathetic recovery.
Correct. The Recession was nonexistent in Texas when the rest of the country faced the height of it. (I would know, I was there).
Then what the Hell are you doing in SC?
Spent my life up until high school here. Then spent a few years in Fort Worth. Call this a “return home.”
If those Texas jobs are so great, do you care to explain why Texas has the largest percentage of uninsured in the country?
Those employment numbers were probably only “good” because they counted the labor brought in by Mexican nationalists hopping over a non-existent fence.
Extreme conservatism will fail, just like extreme liberalism failed. Cruz and his stunt will cost the GOP dearly, and the GOP, being in denial always, will never see it coming or if it even hits.
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/362263/500000-californians-lose-health-policies-wesley-j-smith
http://thehill.com/video/sunday-shows/330803-sebelius-the-laughingstock-of-america-says-gop-sen-
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/330795-republican-sebelius-to-testify-before-shes-out-the-door
http://nypost.com/2013/10/27/obamacare-website-might-have-to-be-rebuilt/
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/27/21196129-more-healthcaregov-woes-website-loses-connectivity?lite
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2013/10/28/this_morning_report_policy_cancellations_premium_increases_add_to_obamacare_frustration.html
This website is more relevant to Ted Cruz:
http://www.zippythepinhead.com/
He speaks for the silent majority in this country, you’ve probably heard of them: they pay their taxes, go to work everyday, don’t get arrested, don’t want anything for free from the government and keep wondering why no one seems to represent them.
Silent, my butt. They squawk as loud as any disaffected group. A huge percentage of Tea Party geezers get both Social Security and Medicare.
Nobody represents them?
I got news for you: The clowns in govt. don’t represent anybody but the 1%.
Sonny, one of these days, if you live long enough, you will be one of those geezers that paid into Social Security and Medicare your entire working life. Now wipe your nose, you’ve got snot on it.
Sonny? I am 64 and I have been receiving Social Security for two years now. 100% in favor of the program and this is not a late life conversion like that which Ayn Rand experienced. I have always regarded FDR as one of the most important and successful Presidents.
I voted for Obama the first go-round because, like many leftists, I saw him being presented as the second coming of FDR. Turns out he was anything but that and is more of an institutionalist than an insurrectionist. I even posted an anti-Obama article on my blog…
http://2big2fall.wordpress.com/2013/06/16/obama-cookbook/
The point that I was trying to make was a rebuttal to majorboob’s comment about the silent majority not wanting anything from govt. They may claim that but most of them receive some form of govt. largesse which they don’t appreciate as such. Thus the famous “Keep Your Government Hands Off My Medicare” sign at one Tea Party rally.
“on my blog”…so you’re nothing but an old geezer out trolling for hits.
Lets face it Obama has been one miserable failure, except at making speeches. He talks one game and does another, or in some cases has no clue there’s a game going on except the golf one he’s engaged in. His big accomplishment has been Obamacare which was rammed through with a partisan majority, and signed before anybody even read it. It will turn out to be just another bloated inefficient boondoggle government program that will suck the economic life out of the middle class. Our standing in the world has shrunk to new lows where our friends cant trust us because of spying, and our enemies laugh at our continuing rudderless direction. I know in the end it’s Bush’s fault O.K. we all got the memo, but at some point a leader has to step up and take some blame. By the time he’s through he’ll allow all illegals in so you can gain complete control of the electorate and lead us to fiscal ruin, good luck with all of that but hey,,,,,at least the illegals will all have free cell phones and Health Insurance.
HEY! That’s MR. TROLL to you!
I’ve still got you by a few years…Sonny.
Sonny? You make a bunch of stupid assertions about my personal situation and my beliefs regarding SS based on nothing more than supposition and, when I shoot you down, you do not apologize or so much as recognize your error. Then, like most right wingers, you take a different tack and start with the name calling. Typical. I didn’t expect much more from you.
Sad thing is there won’t be any social security or medicare by the time you get there. All that’ll be left will be another hollow slogan “Hope for Change”.
see reply above…
the party is now a farm team for fox news pundits. this boob will get his contract from roger ailes after he spends 2016 wasting our time.
Either that or he will take a job touring grocery stores promoting Count Chocula. Damn I wish we could post pics. I could do some seriously funny shit with Cruz’s image on a cereal box.
Baby, you got the Ted Cruz Blues.
You musta walked a mile or two
In his Harvard wing-tip shoes
Somewhere in reckless Texas–
Where the “all hat-no cattle”
Crowd, famously feckless,
And snakes as well, are known to prattle.
Anywhere you walk near Houston,
Or Dallas for that matter,
You’ll smell crap; so put your Carolina boots on.
There you’ll see people use their paws
Like castanets to flatter
A Cuban-Canadian narcissist with applause.
I read a comment on another side that said Ted Cruz looks like a cheesy vampire from a 60’s era cartoon.
Another photoshop opportunity Z-Tac!
Yes, I will try to get on that ASAP. Timing is bad, however, because I have a turkey in the oven and my kids and 8 month old grandson are in town. Weeeeee…..
And yet that doesn’t disprove a single argument that he raised.
Strong resemblance, not only to Joe McCarthy, but ‘Grandpa’ of The Musters…who was a vampire.
Good stuff! I will incorporate your ideas in a photoshop piece. Thanks for the suggestions…
The only thing Cruz proved was that he knows how to wear a Depends……and that cost the taxpayers $24 billion.
Hopefully he won a one way trip back to the nation of his birth.
I don’t believe ya’ll are going to be able to Big Lie/revisionist history this one except among the 25 +/- % who view Cruz favorably.
But, keep trying. You just discredit yourselves more and more.
Hold the “ALT” key down and hit the 2 4 1 keys = ±
Cruz revealed what pathological liars Democrats are…the end justifies the means…Machiavellian to the core…
Obama PROMISED Obamacare would lower medical costs..
Obama PROMISED I could keep my insurance and my doctor…
Is Obama a LIAR?
I guess everyone “won” if you ask the right person. The south “won” too.