Cruz lays out optimistic vision for his administration

by Bradford Richardson - 01/30/16 2:24 PM ET

With just two days until the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses, Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz on Saturday offered a vision of what a Cruz presidency would look like.

Speaking to a crowd in Ames, Iowa, he Texas senator rattled off a number of policy positions, including his plans to repeal Obamacare, curtail the administrative state and rebuild the military.

{mosads}“I will go to Congress and we will repeal every world of Obamacare,” Cruz said. “We’ll adopt common-sense healthcare reform that makes health insurance personal, portable and affordable, and keeps government from getting in between us and our doctors.”

On Day One of his presidency, Cruz pledged to rescind all of the executive orders issued by President Obama and open a Department of Justice investigation into Planned Parenthood.

He also said he would move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem to signify recognition and support of the Jewish state.

Despite what has become a heated nominating contest, Cruz made almost no mention of his Republican primary rivals.

He did, however, note the strangeness of the election.

“It’s been an entertaining year,” he said. “Next cycle I’m told Lady Gaga is gonna run.”

While conveying a sense of urgency about the direction the country is headed, Cruz managed to stay optimistic throughout the speech. He predicted that an “awakening” in America is underway.

“All of us are here today because our country is crisis,” he said. “Because we’re bankrupting our kids and grandkids, because our constitutional rights are under assault each and every day, and because America is receding from leadership in the world.

“And yet I’m here today with a word of hope and encouragement and exhortation,” he added. “All across this country, all across Iowa, and all across this nation, people are waking up. There is an awakening that is sweeping this land. And so I want everyone to look forward to January 2017.”

Tags Iowa Ted Cruz