Ted Cruz Reveals What he’d do if Elected President – And it’s Even Worse Than You Thought

With the midterm elections approaching, Texas senator Ted Cruz penned an editorial in USA Today this week detailing what he’d like a potential Republican-controlled Congress to prioritize in 2015. As you might expect, the list is full of Tea Party staples: repealing Obamacare, cutting taxes, and slashing funding for federal programs. What makes Cruz’s list of Congressional priorities interesting is that it essentially previews what a Cruz 2016 presidential campaign agenda might look like–and it’s not pretty.

As Ted Cruz’s multiple trips to Iowa have suggested, Texas’ junior senator is all-but-confirmed to be running for president in 2016. Though his latest editorial is seemingly a guide for the next Congress, it reads as a list of Cruz’s own personal ambitions. He even references what he believes a newly elected Republican president will do in 2017.

Cruz’s list hits all the talking points he’s perfected over the last two years he’s spent in the Senate running his pre-presidential campaign. He’s big on cutting taxes, arguing for a regressive flat tax to replace all existing taxes. Cruz also wants to abolish the IRS, instead wanting to make taxes “so simple that they could be filled out on a postcard.” If you’re worried about how the government will be able to fund programs that help millions of Americans under a Cruz tax system, don’t be–he also wants to slash government funding for everything, so there won’t be any programs left to fund.

A Cruz presidency would also leave the environment in total disrepair. Cruz’s big suggestion for revitalizing the job market is to get rid of all environmental regulations and open up more jobs in fossil fuel for everyone. He is in favor of building the Keystone XL pipeline, and wants to open up even more protected land for oil exploration. Additionally, Cruz is a proponent of fracking, which he calls “innovative energy technology,” and he wants to stop fracking from being “handcuffed by the federal government.” And of course, he also wants to get rid of regulations on coal production, too.

The item Cruz spends the most time on is, unsurprisingly, Obamacare by any means necessary. Cruz suggests that Congress should continue to waste time and money voting on bills to repeal the Affordable Care Act, because 40+ failed votes and millions of dollars spent apparently isn’t enough for him. Cruz even acknowledges that President Obama will likely veto all the ACA repeal bills, but argues that Republican electoral success in 2014 will leave Democrats feeling threatened enough to vote in favor of repealing Obamacare.

Cruz’s discussion of Obamacare is also where he hints most directly at what he’d do as president, writing, “In 2017, I believe a Republican president will repeal Obamacare in its entirety. It’s obvious that the Republican president Cruz is referring to is himself, and that his first priority will be leaving millions of Americans without healthcare.

For those who stand in the way of this extreme right-wing agenda, Cruz has strong words:

"We will either pass a serious agenda to address the real priorities of the American people — protecting our constitutional rights and pulling us back from the fiscal and economic cliff — or the Democrats will filibuster or veto these bills. And, if they do so, we will have transparency and accountability for the very next election."

"In other words, the GOP is ready to paint its opponents as unwilling to compromise or get things done. And that strategy should give Cruz a solid foundation for a presidential campaign."

Cruz’s strategy for his 2016 campaign is becoming apparent, and Democrats should take note. It’s clear that he’ll stop at nothing to achieve his presidential ambitions, embracing all kinds of extremism in his attempts to woo the Republican base. But whether that strategy will actually get him elected remains to be seen, and for everyone’s sake, let’s hope it doesn’t.

Ted Cruz NOW!

Here’s his recent USA Today op-ed:

From USA Today:

By all signs, Americans are preparing to send Washington a clear message in the 2014 elections.

The question is, will Washington listen?

Republicans — poised to take control of Congress — should set our sights on three big goals to make Americans feel confident in their futures once again: jumpstart the economy, safeguard constitutional liberties, and strengthen our national security.

Here are ten critical priorities for the 2015 Congress:

First, embrace a big pro-jobs, growth agenda. For six years, the Obama economy has been trapped in stagnation, hurting millions. A Republican Congress should immediately help Americans get more jobs by embracing America’s energy renaissance. This means passing legislation to make it easier to build energy infrastructure, such as the Keystone pipeline. But, we need an energy policy that’s bigger than Keystone. An effective energy plan would also protect innovative energy technology, such as hydraulic fracturing, from being handcuffed by the federal government. We can also open up land for exploration and ensure that American companies can export liquefied natural gas around the world. And, lastly, stop the EPA from implementing rules that will destroy coal jobs and drive up our electricity bills.

Second, pursue all means possible to repeal Obamacare. There is a reason Obamacare has miserable 37% approval ratings: it has caused millions to lose their jobs, be forced into part-time work, lose their health insurance, lose their doctors, and pay skyrocketing premiums. It simply isn’t working. We should pass repeal legislation (forcing an Obama veto), and then pass bill after bill to mitigate the harms of Obamacare. Prevent people from having their healthcare plans cancelled, prohibit insurance company bailouts, eliminate the provisions forcing people into part-time work, and repeal the individual mandate.

Perhaps, President Obama vetoes every one. But each has powerful appeal with the electorate who are hurting under this law, and Democratic senators may not be quite so eager to join their 2014 colleagues in losing their jobs over Obama’s refusal to listen to the people.

In 2017, I believe a Republican president will repeal Obamacare in its entirety. In the interim, we should pass positive healthcare reform to start over, allowing the purchase of insurance across state lines, expanding health savings accounts, and making health insurance, personal, portable, and affordable.

Third, secure the border and stop illegal amnesty. Today, we’re facing a humanitarian crisis of 90,000 unaccompanied children at the border, along with growing national security threats. We should welcome and celebrate legal immigrants who follow the rules, and at the same time honor the will of the people and prevent any more illegal amnesty.

Fourth, hold government accountable and rein in judicial activism. We need real oversight of the administration’s lawlessness and abuse of power. The IRS’s illegal targeting of citizen groups, the wanton violation of religious liberty and privacy rights, the lawless implementation of Obamacare, the EPA’s assault on manufacturing jobs and war on coal, and the debacle of Benghazi — all should be the subject of careful, sober Senate hearings.

And the Senate should stop confirming activist judges who will impose their own policy preferences, such as striking down state marriage laws. We must uphold the Constitution.

Fifth, stop the culture of corruption. Crony capitalists are standing in the way of commonsense reforms, whether it’s abolishing the Export-Import Bank or keeping the Internet tax-free forever and unconstrained by job-killing regulations. We can stop the Washington corruption, in part, by reining in corporate welfare, imposing a lifetime ban on members of Congress becoming lobbyists, and fighting to pass a constitutional amendment to require term limits for Congress.

Sixth, pass fundamental tax reform, making taxes flatter, simpler, and fairer. Moving towards a simple flat tax would treat all Americans more fairly and end the massive time and costs wasted in dealing with the IRS; we should let taxes become so simple that they could be filled out on a postcard. Ultimately, with a Republican president, we should abolish the IRS and end its abuse of power and violation of Americans’ constitutional rights.

Seventh, audit the Federal Reserve. Americans are seeing near-zero interest rates on their savings accounts while median incomes are falling, and millions of people are facing higher gas prices, food prices, electricity prices, health insurance prices. Enough is enough, the Federal Reserve needs to open its books — Americans deserve a sound and stable dollar.

Eighth, pass a strong balanced budget amendment. We should pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution to stop out-of-control spending by Congress and the president. More than $17 trillion in national debt shows how badly we need structural reforms to stop bankrupting our kids and grandkids.

Ninth, repeal Common Core, so that local curriculum is not mandated by Washington bureaucrats. We should also do all we can to expand educational choices for parents and children and allow every child access to a quality education, regardless of race, class, or zip code.

Tenth, deal seriously with the twin threats of ISIL and a nuclear Iran, including passing legislation that strips American citizens who join ISIL of their U.S. passports so they cannot return home and wage jihad against innocent men and women. We must rebuild our military, protect our nation, and restore America’s leadership in the world.

We should lead boldly. No Washington games. We will either pass a serious agenda to address the real priorities of the American people — protecting our constitutional rights and pulling us back from the fiscal and economic cliff — or the Democrats will filibuster or veto these bills. And, if they do so, we will have transparency and accountability for the very next election.

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