Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican, is pushing back against critics who say he won’t compromise, joking that he’d strike a deal with Martians if the terms were agreeable.
“I said from day one I’m happy to compromise with anybody — Republican, Democrat, independent, libertarian,” he said in an interview with CBN News’ David Brody. “I’ve joked, I’ll compromise with Martians — if they’re willing to shrink the size and power of the federal government, if they’re willing to turn around the debt that is bankrupting our kids and grandkids, [if] they’re willing to defend our constitutional liberties and expand liberty.
“But what I’m not willing to do is be complicit in making the problem worse,” he continued.
The 2016 presidential candidate said from the day he was elected as senator, his attitude on compromise is the same as President Reagan’s.
“Reagan said what do you do if they offer you half a loaf? Answer — you take it. And then you come back for more,” Mr. Cruz said in the interview, which was posted on The Daily Signal website.
He said, for example, that a flat tax is where he’d like to end up, but he’d be willing to agree to tax reform that simplifies the code and lowers rates.
“Declare victory, improve the status quo, and then come back and keep working towards a flat tax,” he said. “I’ll take half a loaf in a heartbeat. Here’s what Washington gets wrong: they far too often compromise going backwards. They compromise in a way that makes things worse.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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