Cruz: Fire Sebelius Over ObamaCare

McCain thinks it's been a 'fiasco,' Pelosi sees room for improvement
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 20, 2013 1:02 PM CDT
Cruz: Fire Sebelius Over ObamaCare
In this July 24, 2013 file photo, Sen. Ted Cruz speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Ted Cruz is less than impressed with ObamaCare's bumpy rollout, and would like Kathleen Sebelius' head to roll as a result, Politico reports. "Absolutely, she should resign. Why? Because the program she has implemented, ObamaCare, is a disaster. It’s not working, it’s hurting people all across the country." He acknowledged that some "Republican grey beards in Washington" want to let ObamaCare "collapse" and "hope we benefit politically," but laced that line of thinking as a "terrible, cynical approach." John McCain joined in, calling for congressional hearings to "find out who's responsible for this fiasco," but stopped short of calling for Sebelius' resignation. His solution? "Send Air Force One out to Silicon Valley, load it up with some smart people, bring them back to Washington and fix this problem." Elsewhere on your Sunday dial:

  • Nancy Pelosi on ObamaCare: "As far as the Affordable Care Act as I call it, the fact is that, yes, what has happened is unacceptable in terms of the glitches. They were overwhelmed. There is much that needs to be done to correct the situation. This has to be fixed, but what doesn't have to be fixed is the fact that tens of millions more people will have access to affordable quality health care."
  • And Jeb Bush: "ObamaCare, flawed to its core, doesn't work. It might actually be a politically, a better approach to see the massive dysfunction. And I think Republicans need to show a little self-restraint and let this happen a little more organically. I think the best way to repeal ObamaCare is to have an alternative; we never hear the alternative. We could do this in a much lower cost with improved quality based on our principles, free market principles."
  • Mitch McConnell on the shutdown: "Shutting down the government, in my view, is not conservative policy. I don't think a two-week paid vacation for federal employees is conservative policy. A number of us were saying back in July that this strategy could not—and would not—work, and of course it didn't. So there will not be another government shutdown. You can count on that."
  • Lindsey Graham on the House GOP: "To my House Republican colleagues: Work with John Boehner. He's a good man. If we do all this, we won't shut the government down again."
(More Sunday morning talk shows stories.)

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