Posted on 09/25/2015 6:48:15 AM PDT by Isara
WASHINGTON — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz says the Republican leadership in Congress is guilty of “peremptory surrender” once again, criticizing House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for not going along with the plan favored by conservatives to defund Planned Parenthood.
“Republicans need to act like Republicans,” Cruz said Thursday afternoon to a group of reporters inside his Capitol Hill office. “Leadership needs to lead. Together, we need to actually honor the commitments to the men and women who elected us.”
Speaking at a long brown table in his conference room and sipping on a diet Dr. Pepper, Cruz, a Republican presidential candidate, argued Republicans need to fight for a bill that funds the government while gutting money for Planned Parenthood.
“You have one side — President Obama and the Democrats — who are relentless, committed to advancing their principles,” Cruz said. “Like the Terminator, they never stop, they never give up. And you have the other side, Republican leadership, who commences every discussion with a peremptory surrender.”
Democrats in the Senate would block legislation defunding Planned Parenthood. The White House says it would veto it. Republican leaders, like Boehner and McConnell, say they want to avoid a government shutdown like in 2013 after the debate over defunding Obamacare.
“The results are predictable,” Cruz said. “It starts with Republican leadership’s promise at the outset there will be no shutdowns. Now, that promise on its face sounds quite reasonable. The problem is when you have a radical in the White House who will exploit that promise.”
“What it means in effect is Republican leadership will support every single failed big government policy of President Obama,” he said.
Some Republicans, like New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, often point out that Republicans don’t have 67 votes to overcome Obama’s veto so the party shouldn’t commit to fighting for something that will lead to a shutdown. Cruz said Thursday, under that thinking, it really “makes no difference” that Republicans re-took control of Congress last year.
“Even though we have Republican majorities in both houses of Congress, under leadership’s view, that makes no difference,” he said. “Republicans will support every single failed policy of the Democrats. If that is the case, if that is how leadership approaches it, what difference does it make?”
He added: “Today, Harry Reid is the de-facto leader of the Senate. Nancy Pelosi is the de-facto leader of the House. Why? Because Republican leadership will advance nothing unless Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi agree with it. They have veto power.”
Cruz expressed frustration with how voters were led to believe during the 2010 and 2014 elections that things would change if more Republicans were elected.
“The American people were told if only we had a Republican House of Representatives, then things would be different,” Cruz said. “So millions of us rose up in 2010, and elected a Republican congress. Very little changed.”
“Then we were told the problem was the Senate…If only we get the Senate, retire Harry Reid, then things will be different,” he said. “So what happened in 2014? Millions of us rose up. We won an historic tidal wave. We won nine Senate seats. We retired Harry Reid with the biggest House majority since the 1920s. And what on earth has changed?”
Despite his criticism of the Republican leadership, Cruz was careful not to explicitly express support for removing Boehner and McConnell from their positions, as conservative grassroots activists would like.
“That is a question at the end of the day for the Republican conference,” he said. “At least to date, the Republican conference has been willing to accept leadership’s handing control of the agenda over to Democrats. I hope that changes.”
Is there ANY FReeper here who disagrees with Cruz on ANY point in this article?
How can a conservative disagree with ANYTHING Cruz says here?
Well... yeah, that... and also giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
Well, for some reason, he’s not catching on with conservative republicans, or that vote is too spread thin.
I love him.
I like Trumps if only because I think he’s the reason jeb is out.
And if he wins primary, i’ll vote for him.
Or if Cruz is still very low at voting time, I’ll vote Trump then too.
Who the he!! knows why/if he changed so many views in so few years, but he seems to love the country and right now, that’s alot.
Is it premature to credit Senator Cruz for Boehner’s resignation? Cruz has been the one pressing the issue.
Beside the implication implicit in the word ‘surrender’, no.
Well, sort of, though I’m one of Cruz’s biggest fans, and live in Central Texas, I would like to see him call for McConnells resignation now that Boehner has announced his retirement.
Heck, he called McConnell a liar on the Senate floor why not call for his resignation?
Good for Cruz for calling it like it is.
Proverbs 24:10-12 “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?”
Trump is nowhere near the best candidate out there. I'd put him somewhere in the middle of the pack. But he is probably the best candidate this country deserves.
I think the author meant preemptory. They surrender too soon. They don’t imperiously surrender.
He’s right.
The man has vocabulary, and he’s not afraid to use it.
“Some Republicans, like New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, often point out that Republicans don’t have 67 votes to overcome Obama’s veto so the party shouldn’t commit to fighting for something that will lead to a shutdown.”
Put it on Obama’s desk and make him veto it. Every time he threatens a veto, make him do it. Cruz is 100% right about preemeptive surrender.
Yes you got it. Ted should now call for McConnell to step down.
Trump is far and away the best candidate in many seasons. For nickels and dimes he is pummeling others who are spending tens of millions on failing campaigns.
All we really know is that he is making all the right moves. His positions on immigration, 2nd amendment, taxes and abortion are vigorously conservative. He takes no prisoners. He does not lie down when attacked. What’s not to like?
The writer confuses the words “peremptory” and “preemptory”.
“Peremptory” means insisting on immediate attention or obedience, especially in a brusquely imperious way.
“Preemptory” is the adjective derived from “pre-empt”, which means to be proactive to get to a desired state first before your opponent.
In this case, Cruz is accusing Republican leadership of surrendering in advance when they say they won’t shut down Govco over Planned Parenthood funding.
So the writer should have used “preemptory”.
Class dismissed.
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More at Conservative Review: https://www.conservativereview.com/2016-presidential-candidates
I have been disappointed but not surprised at Cruz's low numbers. He is an effective speaker and intelligent. I largely blame the media. People don't know much about him. During the debates, he was deliberately ignored. And then he gets tossed stupid/mocking questions like Kelly's about God.
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