Ted Cruz gets hero's welcome from Texas GOP women

By San Antonio Express October 21, 2013 6:52 am

(File Photo)

SAN ANTONIO -- With roars of approval from hundreds of GOP women gathered in San Antonio, Sen. Ted Cruz defended his political tactics in Congress on Saturday and vowed to continue the uphill fight against the new federal health care law despite backlash even from fellow Republicans.

Dashing from city to Texas city to meet with constituents now that the federal budget crisis he's blamed for has subsided, Cruz drew a hero's welcome from the Texas Federation of Republican Women meeting at the Grand Hyatt. Acknowledging he's "reviled" by some in Washington, Cruz said it's a relief to be back where he's "appreciated."
"It is tremendously uplifting to be back home," he said. "I've got a job, and it's not to work for the party bosses in Washington, it's to work for 26 million Texans," he said.
Cruz, swept into office with tea party backing, conceded his 10 months in the Senate have been a wild ride.
"The election was less than a year ago, and it's been a whirlwind beyond what I expected," he said.
Insisting most Texans are behind him in opposing the Affordable Care Act known as Obamacare, Cruz said "our focus shouldn't be just on the partisan back-and-forth, it should be on fixing the problem."
He contends the new law harms businesses and families and stifles job growth. He chided fellow Republicans who didn't embrace his attempt to defund the program. Last week, Congress ended a 16-day partial government shutdown with temporary budget legislation that left the health care law intact.
"In this latest deal, what the U.S. Senate said is that the Senate would provide no relief for all of the suffering that Obamacare is causing," Cruz lamented in San Antonio -- echoing remarks he made earlier Saturday to the Texas Medical Association meeting in Austin.
Cruz said, "you don't win a fight when your own team is firing cannons at the people who are standing up and leading," referring to House Republicans.
The lack of support from other Senate Republicans, he said, is "what led directly to this lousy deal" to reopen the government.
While Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told the National Review that another government shutdown is off the table next year, Cruz was vague when asked about the prospects of another budget delay.
"There will be plenty of time to consider the particular tactical or strategic decisions," Cruz told reporters after his Austin speech. "What I can tell you is that the fight in my opinion needs to stay focused on stopping the disaster that is Obamacare, because people are hurting, and this deal ignored the American people."
Cruz repeatedly lambasted Senate Republicans who didn't stand with the House Republicans.
"The deal that was cut ... is a classic example of the Washington establishment selling the American people down the river," Cruz said.
Cruz resumes his version of a victory lap in Houston on Monday, when an event billed as a "tea party welcome home" is planned.
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