Watch Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz debate ObamaCare in 90 seconds
In the alternate universe of Earth 2, where Democrats went with the outsider in 2016 and Republicans picked their staunch, conservative partisan, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) would have held three presidential debates last fall. In this reality, they met up for a CNN town hall debate on Tuesday night and argued about the Affordable Care Act. They did not, of course, agree on much.
"Should Congress move swiftly to repeal ObamaCare? Absolutely," Cruz said. Sanders said that "Republicans are now in a panic" because Americans know repealing the law without replacing it would be a disaster, politically and for working families. Cruz advocated giving people greater choice and fewer guarantees, and businesses fewer mandates, while Sanders said he favors a single-payer system that treats health care as a basic right. They agreed to dislike big pharmaceutical companies, but not on what to do about it, and according to CNN's postmortem, Sanders had his facts straight more than Cruz. Here's the debate in 90 seconds.
In reality, Republicans control the White House and both houses of Congress. They may not be panicking, as Sanders says, but they also don't seem to be coalescing around a plan to replace ObamaCare. "To be honest, there's not any real discussion taking place right now," Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) told reporters on Tuesday. "At the retreat, which y'all unfortunately were able to listen to every word of... we had breakout sessions where it was just the Senate talking about it, and you would have heard more of the same." Any plan will have its cost, he added. "I don't see a scenario where people are pushing to insure less people. You gotta have money to pay for that."
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.
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
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Can the UK avoid the Trump tariff bombshell?
Today's Big Question President says UK is 'way out of line' but it may still escape worst of US trade levies
By The Week UK Published
-
Beyoncé's record-breaking night at the Grammys
Talking Point Long-denied Album of the Year win rights a 'historic sense of grievance'
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: February 3, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US Steel
Speed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battle
Speed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rally
Speed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Enron mystery: 'sick joke' or serious revival?
Speed Read 23 years after its bankruptcy filing, the Texas energy firm has announced its resurrection
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US charges Indian tycoon with bribery, fraud
Speed Read Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by US prosecutors for his role in a $265 million scheme to secure solar energy deals
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published