Ted Cruz fantasizes that Democrats might help him repeal 'every single word' of ObamaCare


Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) failed miserably last year in his attempt to stop ObamaCare by forcing a government shutdown. And Republican lawmakers have voted 50 times now, all to no avail, to repeal the law. But now, Cruz claims the GOP could still totally repeal the law — while President Obama is in office, no less — via a wildly fantastical scenario in which Democrats have a sudden change of heart and turn on the president.
Here's what Cruz told Jonathan Karl Sunday on ABC's This Week:
If there's one thing that unifies politicians of both parties, you know, their top priority is preserving their own hide. And if enough Congressional Democrats realize they either stand with ObamaCare and lose, or they listen to the American people and have a chance at staying in office, that's the one scenario we could do it in 2015. If not, we'll do it in 2017. […] Washington isn't listening to those people. That's how we win elections and that's also how we repeal ObamaCare.
An incredulous Karl asked Cruz if he really believed Congress could overturn the whole law while Obama was president, to which Cruz replied, "Every single word."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Cruz is either delusional or willfully obfuscating the truth on the matter. Poll after poll has shown that while voters don't particularly like ObamaCare, they don't support repealing it either. And Democratic lawmakers have shown no indication they would ever get behind the GOP's repeal efforts; just a few months ago, they locked arms amid the government shutdown and forced the GOP to back down.
Moreover, Cruz is being a little hypocritical in saying repeal is still even an option at this point. In pushing for the self-serving government shutdown last year, he repeatedly warned that the law could not be stopped after January 1. Of course, Cruz has strong financial and personal-branding incentives to beat the repeal drum, so don't expect him to move on any time soon.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
-
Music Reviews: Coco Jones and Viagra Boys
Feature "Why Not More?" and "Viagr Aboys"
-
Visa wants to let AI make credit card purchases for you
The Explainer The program will allow you to set a budget and let AI learn from your shopping preferences
-
Carney and Trump come face-to-face as bilateral tensions mount
IN THE SPOTLIGHT For his first sit-down with an unpredictable frenemy, the Canadian prime minister elected on a wave of anti-Trump sentiment tried for an awkward detente
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
-
Measles outbreak spreads, as does RFK Jr.'s influence
Speed Read The outbreak centered in Texas has grown to at least three states and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting unproven treatments
-
RFK Jr. offers alternative remedies as measles spreads
Speed Read Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes unsupported claims about containing the spread as vaccine skepticism grows
-
Texas outbreak brings 1st US measles death since 2015
Speed read The outbreak is concentrated in a 'close-knit, undervaccinated' Mennonite community in rural Gaines County
-
Mystery illness spreading in Congo rapidly kills dozens
Speed Read The World Health Organization said 53 people have died in an outbreak that originated in a village where three children ate a bat carcass
-
Ozempic can curb alcohol cravings, study finds
Speed read Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may also be helpful in limiting alcohol consumption
-
New form of H5N1 bird flu found in US dairy cows
Speed Read This new form of bird flu is different from the version that spread through herds in the last year