During a speech at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans on Saturday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) stated his belief that the 17-day shutdown of the federal government last year will be a positive for the Republican Party this November in the midterm elections. Per Cruz, the GOP will regain control of the Senate and maintain their majority in the House all because of Cruz’s ‘leadership’ during the shutdown. The Senator also thinks that Obamacare will be the main issue in the midterm elections and that the shutdown made Americans aware of the ‘problems’ with the health care law.
To nobody’s surprise, Cruz painted himself as a hero and visionary who forged a new path for his fellow conservatives to go down. He also claimed that other Republicans, especially the older, more ‘traditional’ ones, are basking in the glory that Cruz created.
“They’re reaping the fruits of the battle, which is perfectly fine. But we need to take a moment to acknowledge the lesson of the battle.”
Cruz also likened himself to a general who won a battle (the shutdown, apparently, was a win for the GOP) but still has yet to win the war.
“Any wartime general will tell you that not every war is won in a single battle.”
Cruz appears to be suffering from delusions of grandeur. Of course, that isn’t anything new for the Tea Party huckster. However, it takes some big brass ones to claim that a government shutdown, which was extremely unpopular with Americans and blamed almost solely on the Republican Party, is going to be a positive factor for the GOP come November. It also is amazing to see Cruz position himself as some kind of hero for the ages whose grand vision will light the way for his party and America as a whole.
It should be pointed out to Cruz that the Republican takeover of the Senate is far from a sure thing. Republicans need to flip six Democratic seats without losing any of their own. It seems all but certain that the Democrats will lose their seats in South Dakota and West Virginia, two deep red states where the Democratic incumbents are retiring. However, outside of those two, other Democratic seats in purple or red states aren’t necessarily easy wins for Republicans. On top of that, the Republicans have to worry about holding on to two of their own seats in reliably conservative states. Democrat Michelle Nunn has been leading in the polls in Georgia to take over for the retiring republican Saxby Chambliss. Also, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is in a virtual tie in the polls with upstart Democratic candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes.
It is possible that that the GOP can gain control of the Senate this November. It is also likely that they’ll maintain control of the House. But I highly doubt that shutting down the government will be the reason. And I definitely know that it won’t be because Americans see Cruz as some kind of inspiring figure.
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