Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, gave an impassioned stump speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference today, presenting himself as the true Reagan-like conservative to look at in 2016.
“How do we bring back the miracle that is America?” he asked a mobbed ballroom at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center. “We reassemble the Reagan coalition.” In 1980 Ronald Reagan appealed to the traditional GOP base, labor and Democrats to win and serve two terms.
And then Cruz, without naming a single possible GOP competitor by name, painted himself as the outsider who could claim the mantle of being the most conservative. He became famous after his 21 hour Senate floor speech that contributed to a 2013 partial government shut-down and has made constant moves to upend GOP compromises in Congress.
He said, “2016 looks like it’s going to be a crowded race.” Cruz is exploring a presidential campaign although he has not yet made an announcement.
“How do we differentiate? . . .In a campaign, every candidate say I’m the most conservative candidate that ever lived.”
Quoting Scripture - “You shall know them by their fruit.” - Cruz said, “Demand action, not talk.” He listed a litany of issues that he has been identified with - Obamacare, the nation’s debt, President Obama’s executive actions on immigration, support for gun ownership, Israel and Iran -- and after each one said people need to ask the same thing: “When have you stood up and fought?”
“Talk is cheap,”said Cruz. “If you’re really a conservative, you will have been in the trenches, you will be bearing the scars.”
And alluding to his frequent run-ins with Senate GOP leadership, he said, “If you had a candidate who stood against Democrats, that’s great. When have you been willing to stand against Republicans?”
“I am convinced 2016 is going to be an election very much like 1980,” he said.
After his 20 minute speech, Cruz was asked by Fox News host Sean Hannity a series of questions, including the status of de-funding the president’s executive actions on immigration. “Unfortunately, the Republican leadership is cutting a deal with Harry Reid and Senate Democrats,” Cruz said. The Senate GOP is prepared to vote on a clean bill for funding the Dept. of Homeland Security without any restrictions on the immigration actions.
Cruz made clear that he is the last Republican in the Senate that will be accommodating.
“What I’m trying to do more than anything else is to bring a disruptive act to politics,” he said.