Wall Street Journal Assails Ted Cruz in Scathing Editorial, Suggests He Is Motivated by Desire to Appear on Cable TV

The Wall Street Journal published a scathing editorial Tuesday attacking Republican Sen. Ted Cruz for his "implausible defunding gambit" against President Barack Obama's signature health care law, implying the Texas firebrand may be motivated by a lust for appearing on cable television.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has pledged to defund President Barack Obama's signature health care law. (AP/Charlie Neibergall)

The federal government is set to run out of money unless Congress acts quickly to pass a continuing resolution bill. House Republicans on Friday passed legislation that keeps the government running, but defunds President Barack Obama’s signature health care law.

If Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) reinserts the funding now that the bill has reached the Senate, which he most likely will, some Republicans, most notable Cruz, have threatened filibuster it.

"Messrs. Cruz and Lee have thus got their way, though it's far from clear what they can accomplish," the Journal editorial board wrote in their piece, entitled "The Cruz Campaign Against ObamaCare."

Click here to read more from TheBlaze Blog 

"The Lee-Cruz strategy, to the extent it's about more than fund-raising lists or getting face time on cable TV, seems to be that if the House holds 'firm' amid a shutdown, then the public will eventually blame Mr. Obama and the Democrats, who will then fold and defund ObamaCare," the editorial states. "Miracles happen, but it would rank as one for the ages if Mr. Obama agreed to defund his signature Presidential achievement."

On Monday, Reid lashed out at "radical" Senate Republicans who seek to defund Obamacare, saying he would not "bow to Tea Party anarchists."

“The simple fact remains — Obamacare is the law of the land and will remain the law of the land as long as Barack Obama is president of the United States and as long as I’m Senate majority leader,” he added.

Thus, according to the Journal editorial board, "The only real way to repeal the law is to win elections."

"But we've lost this debate, and Generals Cruz and Lee are in charge," they wrote.

"If they do succeed and defund ObamaCare, we'll gladly give them due credit. But if things don't go well, let's not hear any excuses about 'the surrender caucus' or claims that it would all have worked out if only everyone were as brave and principled as the generals up at HQ."

Reacting to the Journal's editorial, Amanda Carpenter exchanged this series of tweets with MSNBC's Joe Scarborough:

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/JoeNBC/status/382433697560936448"]

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/amandacarpenter/status/382435565469040641"]

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/JoeNBC/status/382437556924579840"]

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/amandacarpenter/status/382438150863204352"]

Follow Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) on Twitter

--

[related]