Wall Street Journal Editor Paul Gigot blew the lid off the Republicans’ Obamacare bluff by saying on Fox News that even Ted Cruz and Jim DeMint are privately admitting that Republicans can’t defund the ACA.
Video via Media Matters:
While discussing what the Republicans are hoping to accomplish by tying Obamacare to funding the government, Gigot said, “I’ve talked to these people privately. They don’t think going to. Even Ted Cruz and Jim Demint and these guys, they say well, we’re not going to be able to defund Obamacare.” Daniel Henninger of the WSJ added that Cruz’s goal was to launch a grassroots uprising against Obamacare, just like what happened with the threat of military strikes in Syria.
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Cruz and Rand Paul tried to stage a big tea party rally in DC to defund Obamacare,10efund-obamacare-rally-attracts-dozens-medicare-elderly-people.html”> but their event drew hundreds, not the thousands that they expected. It had become apparent that Cruz’s efforts have been a total failure, and that is why he is trying so hard to cut and run from his own campaign to defund Obamacare.
Once again, the Republican base has been scammed by their own elected officials. Republicans know that they can’t defund Obamacare. This is all a scheme to raise money, and get Republican voters fired up for the 2014 election. Cruz was also hoping to become the leader of a popular rebellion that would carry him to the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. Expect lots of tough talk about defunding Obamacare from Ted Cruz, but it’s all bulls**t, and he knows it.
The country is facing the prospect of a potential government shutdown, because Republicans want to fire up their base, and/or run for president in 2016. Gigot’s comments are more evidence that Republicans know that they are going to ultimately lose any fight over defunding Obamacare and shutting down the government.
Americans should be outraged by this pointless circus, and should give House Republicans a one way ticket to the unemployment line on Election Day 2014.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
