U.S. Edition
Updated 10/22/2013 at 1:48pm
(CNN) – Sen. Ted Cruz was greeted by a screaming crowd of supporters and cheers of "Thank you Ted!" and "Welcome Home!" Monday night in Texas.
The freshman senator said he was happy to be back home in Houston, and wasn't afraid to be honest about his feelings on Washington.
"It is terrific to be back in America," said Cruz as supporters waved homemade signs promoting "#MakeDCListen," a hashtag that was a prominent part of Cruz's 21-hour speech on the Senate floor in late September.
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In the opinion of many on Capitol Hill, Democrats and Republicans, that speech was the kick-off of an irresponsible and destructive campaign to defund Obamacare at the risk of all else.
With the White House and Congress unable to settle their budgetary differences, the federal government was partially shut down for more than two weeks, and came very close to running out of money to pay its bills.
Cruz's colleagues in the Senate didn't stay quiet. "It was a fool's errand to start with. It was never going to succeed," Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."
On CBS's "Face the Nation," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said, "Shutting down the government, in my view, is not conservative policy."
Back in Texas, Cruz was quick to admit that he had made some enemies when he told the crowd a story about his two young daughters.
Catherine had announced at a family outing that she wanted to grow up to work in the Senate "like daddy." However, Cruz's other daughter, Caroline, immediately dismissed that as "boring." She also pointed out the fact that "by then daddy will be dead anyways."
Cruz went on to say, "I kind of wondered if Caroline had been talking to Republican leadership in Washington, if she knew something I didn't know."
If this isn't evidence enough that Cruz isn't too concerned with the "voices in Washington," when asked whether he was hoping to repair his relationships with Republican leaders, Cruz laughed. "I don't work for the party bosses in Washington. I work for 26 million Texans." Ted Cruz won't rule out another shutdown, aide tells CNN
Cruz had some fun with the problems plaguing HealthCare.gov as well, saying, "the Nigerian e-mail scammers" had been hired to run the site.
The senator also had some harsh words, laying the blame for "a lousy deal" squarely at the feet of the Senate Republicans who didn't "unite with House Republicans."
The deal that ended the shutdown and raised the debt ceiling was passed with 87 House Republicans joining 197 Democrats to vote 'Yea' and 144 Republicans voting 'Nay.'
"We didn't ultimately win this battle," said Cruz. "But listen, no one in this room started this fight thinking it would be easy. We all knew that if we took on the Washington establishment the establishment would fight back."
Cruz assured the crowd that the past two months had seen enormous progress and that if they "follow the model" of grass-roots campaigns and citizen engagement they would "change the debate" in Washington.
Movements such as the constituent support of Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul's filibuster on drones, and the backlash against gun control legislation after the shooting in Newtown, Cruz said, were evidence of effective campaigns Democrats and the White House were forced to listen to.
Cruz said the message of the rally was clear: Texans and the American people don't want Obamacare and they're fed up with Congress.
But for all his talk of blowing off the party bosses, Cruz acknowledged that success for the Republicans lay with a unified message.
"I'm hopeful, with a little bit of time and reflection, that Senate Republicans will decide to come together again," Cruz said.
"I would love to see Republican unity, to see all of us stand together against this train wreck that is Obamacare and with the American people."
I though he was Cuban.
Everytime I see a picture of this guy I swear I can see his nose growing longer and longer with each lie he tells.He is a dead ringer for Pinocchio!!
Ted Cruz is the Michael Myers speaker for the people.
We can say all we want about how crazy tis man is and about Republicans, but they seem to have the grass roots to have control of the House and to get DC to back down on some issues. Democrats can take a page from them and speak up to our leaders!
I am pleased to read so many negative comments about teddy the lunatic. Ted cruze has single handily destroyed the republicain party for a very long time, Thanks Ted for 18years of demarcates
"""Texas, in 2018 you better send this guy packing or you will be a joke of a state""" Answer : He was running against one of Perry's cronies (the lieutenant governor) and people already Knew what Perry's cronies is all about......They Just "took a chance" that this guy would be conservative, but Not Like Perry, or his ilk..... A lot of Voters didn't even bother to Vote. WHY ? because it was like Voting for the lesser of the 2 evils, and add to the fact that they didn't know That Much about Cruz, at the time.......Believe me, they won't make that mistake again.....
I have figured out Ted Cruz's big problem–he thinks Texas is like the rest of the U.S. Big mistake! No one else wants to live in crazy, conservative, creationist, racist, Texas–nor do we want the country led by people from there. Take Rick Perry and create a newly-independent Lone Star Republic, and good riddance!
Is there still a rusty screeching noise. Who's listening?????
The support for this guy makes me sick to my stomach. Almost as much as the thought of Ted Cruz himself.
Too bad the headline doesn't read: "Ted Cruz Blasts Himself in the Head"
I love all of the clowns that predict doom and gloom – and keep telling the Republican Party what is best for them...as if a Democrat cares. Texas will re-elect him.
This dude knows how to win friends and influence people.
The most insane senator ever lived in USA... He needs to pay 24 billion dollars damage for the shutdown and send him to prison. I am from Texas. He got money from Koch Brothers and other millionaires. Due to outside money he won the election, otherwise we would have seen a moderate republican into senate.
Ted Cruz is a true American. He went to Washington to do what the vast majority of people in Texas sent him there to do. Stop this Obamacare boondoggle and to reign in the government spending before it bankrupts us all. You liberals need to think about this, if this country runs out of money, how are you going to live without your welfare, food stamps and forever lasting unemployment checks? God bless Ted Cruz for standing up for what the American people want,.honesty and balancing the out of control budget..
Texas Latinos despise Mr. Cruz – They periodically picket his office chanting:
"TEXAS HAS A CURSE !!!... HIS NAME IS TED CRUZ !!!"
For someone who claims to be trying to save the Americans money, he sure doesn't seem to mind wasting it. Funny thing is, his he tells his supporters he not ripping them off, but protecting their money, and they believe him.
Why is this idiot still talking and why is CNN still giving him a platform. Enough already!
This guy MUST be Sarah Palins' brother. I wonder if he can see Russia from Houston. Another example of how the only good thing to come out of Texas is a side of beef.
Can we just kick Texas out (and add Puerto Rico in)...
That should solve a lot of problems...
Crazy Ted, at it again.
God help us if he represents all off texas
Such a proud moment for Texas, when their inbred boy declares war on the Party who must ultimately back him. Is this guy really that dumb???
The leaders in both parties are only interested in maintaining power and not what's best for America. They will always turn against one of their own if they don't tow the party line.
I was born and raised in Texas and would not even consider living anywhere else if it were not for the state of politics. The current representatives and senators are a joke unless you voted for them. I hope an prey the governor doesn't run for president again because the state doesn't need to be embarrassed more than it has been by T. Cruz.
I have a part-time job and during the recent government shutdown this topic came up quite often and so many people were disgusted by the behavior or our elected representatives. These people don't deserve to call themselves "Texans".
Ted and the tea poopers will break away from the GOP or the GOP will break away from poopers. An eighty person minority trying to govern by a "my way or the highway" mentality is dangerous. Our representative form of government REQUIRES compromise, which tea poopers see as a weakness. Independents, Democrats, and Republican can govern, while the poopers celebrate undermining the American people and America's credibility.