Ted Cruz Is Still Defending The Government Shutdown

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during The Family Leadership Summit, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014, in Ames, Iowa. The calendar says Iowa's presidential caucuses are more than a year away. But it's never too early for p... U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during The Family Leadership Summit, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014, in Ames, Iowa. The calendar says Iowa's presidential caucuses are more than a year away. But it's never too early for potential GOP presidential candidates in 2016 to court social conservatives in the early-voting state. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Sen. Ted Cruz isn’t sorry for the government shutdown. On the contrary, he’s proud of his role in that fight, and he’s fundraising off it.

One year after persuading party leaders to tie government funding to a bill that defunded Obamacare, the Texas Republican is still defending the battle he waged, even as many GOP leaders would rather forget it.

“A year ago today, we began an effort to #MakeDCListen. I went to the Senate floor to warn of the tremendous harms Obamacare would cause and urge Congress to do something about it. You went to Facebook, to Twitter, or even to your neighbors to speak the truth,” he wrote in a fundraising email sent Wednesday, and passed along by a source.

“As a result of that fight, millions of Americans rose up and demanded we stop the disaster that is Obamacare. Together, we elevated the national debate. And now, the misguided healthcare law is more unpopular than ever.”

Cruz’s letter doesn’t mention that the fight led to a shutdown, or that Republicans took a hit in the polls while ultimately failing to extract concessions on Obamacare or other issues.

The letter ends by asking for a contribution to the Ted Cruz Victory Committee in order to “retire Majority Leader Harry Reid” in the November midterm elections.

Latest DC
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: