Cruz says Obamacare is 'absolutely destroying' the health care system. Cruz claims shutdown vindication

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz told conservative activists in a speech Thursday that his vigorous attempts to derail Obamacare — including leading the effort to shut down the government — were being vindicated in the wake of the health reform plan’s botched roll-out. He also offered encouragement to a group that faced fierce criticism following the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

“Boy, it’s amazing how things can change in a few weeks in Congress,” Cruz, a potential 2016 Republican presidential hopeful, said at a summit hosted by the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council. “Just a few weeks ago, people in Washington were saying, ‘Why on earth are you fighting so hard against Obamacare?’ Now, nobody’s saying that. Over and over again you run into people who say, ‘Now I understand what this is all about.’”


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The senator’s support for shutting down the government as part of a fight to defund the health care reform law drew deep ire from not only Democrats but also some fellow Republicans this fall. Cruz was blamed for diverting the public’s attention from Obamacare to the 16-day closure, which took a deep toll on the GOP in polls.

But once the government re-opened, attention shifted to the massive problems with the Healthcare.gov website and other aspects of the law’s rollout, and Cruz said the national conversation about Obamacare has changed dramatically.

He drew rounds of laughter when he referenced several of television host Jay Leno’s jokes about the health care law, changing tones to impersonate the TV host.

( Also on POLITICO: Cruz's dad rips RINOs, Obamacare)

In his wide-ranging, 30-minute speech, the senator also pushed back on a recent controversy concerning ALEC. The organization is tied to support for “stand your ground” laws, which give citizens a relatively broad right to use lethal force to defend themselves in situations where they feel their life is threatened. The shooting death of Martin, a 17-year-old African American in Florida, sparked national scrutiny of such laws.

Cruz slammed critics of ALEC, singling out Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, who was a vocal opponent of the group this summer.

“My advice to ALEC is very, very simple,” Cruz said. “Stand. Your. Ground.”

The tea party-favorite seemed to relish his status as a lightning rod during a high-energy, passionate speech that was often punctuated by applause. He struck a populist note as he named the “losers” in the Obama era, singling out several demographics that have been key supporters of Democrats along with small businesses that he said have suffered under “job-killing regulations” and new taxes.

“If you were flying a private jet five years ago, you’re still flying a private jet,” he said. The “losers,” Cruz continued, are “Young people, they’re Hispanics, they’re African Americans, they’re single moms.”

Cruz said the solutions to many of today’s policy problems lie in part with grassroots efforts.

“If you look at my brief and very quiet tenure in the Senate, on issue after issue, the American people rising up made a difference,” he said. He pointed to support for the drones-related filibuster by Sen. Rand Paul, a fellow Republican and potential presidential contender, as well as opposition to gun control measures and, of course, to Obamacare.

Cruz spent the bulk of his speech slamming the health care law, warning that there are many more “shoes to drop” beyond the troubled website.

“The website’s a disaster. It’s still a disaster. But eventually they’re going to get it right. I mean, it was a demonstration of manifest incompetence, but eventually they will get the website right,” he said, charging that “the media” is eager to write that story. “The problem with Obamacare was never the silly website.”

Instead, he said, the law is “absolutely destroying” the health care system. He predicted that, going forward, Americans will lose access to the doctors of their choice, see increases in their premiums, and that ultimately many will lose their insurance.

“The most reasonable, pragmatic, middle-of-the-road, common-sense thing to do is to acknowledge it’s not working and start over,” Cruz said.