There is a myth in politics that elections are won and lost in the middle. The premise is that "independent" voters support tenets of both major political parties and candidates must craft their message to attract a majority of these "moderates." Despite the fact that nearly twice as many Americans self-identify as conservative as compared to liberal, conservatives are often referred to as "extremists," or worse.

President Obama: "I am accused of a lot of things but I don't think I am stupid enough to go around saying this is gonna be like shopping on Amazon or Travelocity a week before the website opens if I thought that it wasn't gonna work." What if companies competed to sell health insurance on functioning websites like Amazon or Travelocity?

Thanks to the high-profile efforts of Senators Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and others, including the House majority, there is a stark contrast between the two major parties regarding Obamacare. One party is all-in for it, the other is indelibly etched in the public mind totally opposing it. Republicans would be foolish to change that, but even as Obamacare implodes, that's just what some are calling on them to do.  

Senator Ted Cruz may be an outcast in Washington DC, and a thorn in the side of the Republican National Committee as well as GOP leadership, but at home he is a hero. This week citizens have been hosting rallies to welcome Senator Cruz back to the Lonestar state to publically applaud and thank him for his courageous stand against Obamacare and big government bureaucrats in both parties.

Did House Republicans thank him? Not exactly. In a conference call with bloggers earlier today, House Republican Conference members Sean Duffy, Tom Reed and Rodney Davis 'acknowledged defeat' in the effort to defund Obamacare instead setting their sights on an effort to delay the implementation of Obamacare, an effort championed by House Republican Conference chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rogers.

In a follow-up conference call earlier today, Senator Ted Cruz reminded bloggers and reporters that the fight to defund Obamacare has always been a multistage process. Stage one began in July and August, energizing and mobilizing the grassroots conservative base. Stage two happened when the House of Representatives passed an amendment to the continuing resolution funding the government but defunding Obamacare. Stage three requires uniting senate Republicans before beginning to pick off red state Democrats.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, along with Senator Mike Lee, has been one of the chief warriors out on the frontlines of this battle to defund Obamacare. He appeared on Fox News Sunday today, but was under attack before he even made it on camera... by his own party nonetheless. Fox host Chris Wallace said he received opposition research from top Republicans to use against Ted Cruz.

Frequently Asked Questions about Defunding ObamaCare

Republicans are beginning to coalesce around School Choice with Senators Rand Paul and Lamar Alexander’s amendment.  Senator Ted Cruz of Texas began with a rallying cry in his key-note address at CPAC declaring “education is too important for it to be controlled by bureaucrats in Washington, taking choices away from parents and kids…We need to champion school choice – the civil rights issue of the next generation.”  Not only is Senator Ted Cruz correct about school choice being the civil rights issue of the next generation, but it is the civil rights issue of this generation.

“Every Republican officeholder and candidate in the country should have two words tattooed on their hands; growth and opportunity.”