Ted Cruz and the American Team

Senator Ted Cruz took to the floor of the US Senate yesterday just shortly after 2:30pm ET. His primary goals were to highlight the failures of ObamaCare, reading examples from real people all over America and talk about the importance of removing the funding for Obamacare. Senator Cruz spoke about the effect Obamacare on the American Dream — and that people scared of standing up for their beliefs should remember how much more difficult things can be if they don’t. 

 

It’s fundamentally destructive to the human spirit not to be able to work, and to stand on your own feet. I will say, standing here after 14 hours, standing on your own feet, there is sometimes some pain, sometimes some fatigue that is involved. But you know what? There is far more pain involved in rolling over. Far more pain in hiding in the shadows, far more pain in not standing for principle, not standing for the good, not standing for integrity. That’s what it means to be an American. We do hard things.

To all the Republicans who say, “Oh, fighting this fight is going to be really hard.” I sure hope you didn’t run for the Senate because you wanted something easy to do. I sure hope you didn’t run for the Senate because you wanted to avoid hard challenges.

To all the Democrats who say, “You know, couldn’t buck the party leadership. It would make the White House mad. It would make the party leadership mad.I would make our leadership in hte Senate mad. We’ve got to be united! Team! Team! Team!”

We’re not a team. We represent the people. You know the team each of us is on? The American team. The team where we have an obligation to the men and women who sent us here. And let me be clear: to ALL the men and women who sent us here. I have an obligation not just to Republicans in the state of Texas, not just to those who voted for me in the state of Texas,

I’ve got to tell you I was very pleased, there were a lot of voters in the state of Texas who voted for President Obama and voted for me. Now, if you listen to the Washington conventional wisdom that would be impossible. I was pleased to get a number of Texas who did that. But you know what, even the ones who voted against me, and disagree with everything I’m doing, I still have an obligation to represent them and to use my best judgment to try to listen to them and fight for them.

And I can tell you this, I’m convinced that that every one of 26 million Texans will be better, will have a better future and a better life in an environment where economic growth comes back, where small businesses are thriving, where they’re creating jobs, not shrinking, where there’s opportunity, where they’re not forcing people into part time work, where there are full-time opportunities, where there’s more people like my dad who are teenage immigrants who can’t speak English who can get that first job washing dishes, because it lets them get that second job, and the third job, and the fourth job.

I believe in the American Dream with all of my heart and might. That’s what’s being jeopardized by Obamacare is the American Dream. And that is a travesty that ought to outrage and horrify every member of the US Senate.

For everyone on the Republican side who says, “This is hard. We might be blamed. There might be some political blame. Let’s let it all collapse.” And boy, I’ve heard Republicans say that, especially the pundits. Gosh, they got on TV. I tell you, one of the best ways to get on TV is just advise,”Run away” from any battle that matters. They put you on TV a lot if that’s your advice.

And what they say is this: “If Republicans stand up and fight this fight, the President and Harry Reid might force a shutdown, and Republicans might get blamed, and gosh that could hurt us politically. And beyond that,” this is the really clever Republicans, “Obamacare is such a train wreck, such a nightmare, if we just sit quietly, if we just sit silent,” James Hoffa said he couldn’t sit silent any more, but Republicans are urged sit silent, “Let Obamacare collapse on its own weight.” Never mind that Harry Reid says when it collapses of its own weight it will lead to single payer socialized health care. Why? Because it will destroy the health insurance market. Never mind that. We’re told that if we do nothing it will collapse of its own weight, and everyone will blame the Democrats.

Let me be very clear: Who cares? Who cares? If everyone will blame the Democrats, then consider me the one trying to actively save the Democrats from that blame. I will gladly celebrate any Democrat brave enough to stand up and say, “Listen, I used to think Obamcare was a good idea, I supported it, and I’m persuaded by the facts. I’m persuaded by my constituents. This thing isn’t working. People are hurting.

I believe that section sums up the Cruz filibuster, and his political philosophy, quite well. The freedom to choose how you will pay for your medical care or the freedom to risk your savings on a business venture . The way out of poverty and the way to wealth is through work, and Obamacare makes our choices and denies us the way out.

As Senator Cruz reiterated several times throughout his 22 hour speech,

ObamaCare is hurting the most vulnerable in our society.

The members of Congress who choose not to stand with Cruz in this valiant effort are siding with the elites, the well connected and the privileged class. Don’t forget who they are.