Watch Ted Cruz unleashed: 'Washington cartel' conspires against Americans
Garth Kant
WASHINGTON – In a major and fiery speech on what is wrong with Washington, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas blasted leaders of both parties as corrupted by crony capitalism.
“Washington conspires against the American people on a daily basis,” charged the senator, saying it operated just like OPEC and every other cartel.
“Freedom is very scary to politicians in Washington because they’re all about power and control,” maintained the Texan during an address at the Heritage Foundation, just down the block from his Senate office.
“Big government benefits big business and small government benefits small businesses and the little guy,” said Cruz, while adding one would never hear that on the evening news because of all the powerful interests bent on maintaining the status quo.
That’s why, he maintained, Washington lawmakers had installed a system of centralized planning he likened to the Soviet Union, where “politicians picked the winners and losers” in the business world, “And the losers are the American people.”
“It’s the same as taxation without representation,” reflected Cruz, because “our representatives aren’t representing us, they represent giant corporations and lobbyists.”
And he didn’t spare Republicans from blame. In fact, he especially blamed his own party’s brass, wondering, “Why is it our leaders always side with Democrats and big business and throw overboard the conservatives who elected them?”
“When the most vulnerable are hurting, Washington jumps into action, but Washington is looking for solutions for Washington,” not ordinary Americans, claimed Cruz.
The political class will hurt Americans in order to help big business, he bluntly stated.
Cruz pointed to the 2008 bailout as an example, helping a few big banks, large corporations and unions survive at the expense of hundreds of thousands of small business jobs and the closing of hundreds of regional banks.
“Sadly, the American worker is never deemed too big to fail,” he lamented.
He also warned, “It’s important to realize those were not unintended consequences” and that the bailout was designed by Washington to favor the big guy over the little guy.
Cruz wisecracked, when Washington politicians claim to help the little guy “either they are lying or they are really bad at what they do.”
When asked, how could voters be sure Cruz, who is running for president, was not part of the problem, he responded that there was nothing he could say that would be convincing.
The proof was in his actions not his words, he stated.
“There are some Republicans who say gosh, if someone’s been vilified, we can’t nominate them for anything because they’re all beaten up and bloodied,” Cruz said. “That’s the lie of the Washington cartel. That means the only people we ever nominate are people who never take on the Washington cartel. And you know what, if you’ve never taken on the Washington cartel you’re not going to magically start once you take office.”
Cruz said standing up to Washington on the behalf of the people has not made him many friends in his own party. He cited the example of opposing GOP leadership’s plan to let the Democrats raise the debt ceiling, yet again, without putting up a fight.
“Nothing else has generated more hatred, animosity and vitriol at me.”
Cruz described how, behind the scenes, his Senate colleagues “screamed and yelled at me.”
He said they hollered at him, “Why are you trying to throw us under the bus?”
“It’s not me, its leadership,” that put you under the bus, he said he replied, telling his colleagues he was just asking them to “do what they had told voters they would do.”
“Speaking truth is deemed the rudest and most unacceptable act of all” in Washington, said Cruz.
“In times like this, speaking the truth is a radical act,” he added.
But, the Texan said he was optimistic, because the Obama era reminds him so much of the Carter era, and that was followed by the Reagan revolution.
And that revolution came from the people because “Washington hated Reagan.”
So, how did he stymie crony capitalism?
“He changed the rules.”
Reagan didn’t rally Washington, he rallied the people.
“That’s how to break the cartel, change the rules,” offered Cruz.
“Nothing focuses the minds of elected politicians like the prospect they may lose and have to get an honest job.”
Washington “despised” Reagan said the senator, until they saw the power of the people he brought with them, “and they didn’t want to mess with that.”
The senator’s bottom line for fixing Washington?
“Making the price greater for doing the wrong thing than doing the right thing.”
Follow Garth Kant@DCgarth
Article printed from WND: http://www.wnd.com
URL to article: http://www.wnd.com/2015/06/ted-cruz-unleashed-washington-cartel-conspires-against-americans/