In Iowa, Ted Cruz Pretends Shutdown Was Positive Achievement

Of course Ted Cruz is going to make a run for the GOP presidential nomination. He’s already schmoozing in Iowa, pretending that shutting down the federal government got the “base” excited and was somehow a good thing:

Senator Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican who has left senior members of his party worried about the political fallout from the federal government shutdown, argued here Friday that the battle over the health care law would invigorate Republicans in next year’s elections.

“For everyone who talks about wanting to win elections in 2014 — particularly an off-year, nonpresidential year — nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing matters more than an energized and active and vocal grass-roots America,” Mr. Cruz told about 600 Iowa Republicans at a party fund-raising dinner.

The first-year senator, the face of the Congressional hard-liners who sought to link defunding the Affordable Care Act with financing the government, dismissed media attention on Republican infighting but said his party was not able to accomplish its goal during the budget fight because of internal divisions.

“We didn’t because a significant number of Senate Republicans chose not to unite and stand side by side with House Republicans,” said Mr. Cruz, drawing boos.

The senator, making his third Iowa trip this year, made no direct mention of running for president in the state that begins the nominating process, but repeatedly mentioned Charles E. Grassley, the state’s Republican senator, and said they had worked together on gun legislation earlier this year.

By: dave-dr-gonzo

David Hirsch, a.k.a. Dave "Doctor" Gonzo*, is a renegade record producer, video producer, writer, reformed corporate shill, and still-registered lobbyist for non-one-percenter performing artists and musicians. He lives in a heavily fortified compound in one of Manhattan's less trendy neighborhoods.

* Hirsch is the third person to use the pseudonym, a not-so-veiled tribute to journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson, with the permission of his predecessors Gene Gaudette of American Politics Journal (currently webmaster and chief bottlewasher at Liberaland) and Stephen Meese at Smashmouth Politics.