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Ted Cruz: 'Obama Is An Extraordinary Politician' With 'Profoundly Dangerous' Principles

Ted Cruz: Obama's Principles Are 'Profoundly Dangerous'
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Politics Editor, The Huffington Post

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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has opened up about his road to victory in 2012, crediting President Barack Obama as a model for how to get the job done.

In an interview with Time released on Thursday, Cruz lauded Obama as an "extraordinary politician" who he respects a great deal. He added that his 2012 campaign was modeled after two victories: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in 2010 and Obama in 2008.

"If you look at that 2008 Democratic primary, there was no more formidable, unstoppable candidate — other than an incumbent President — in modern times than Hillary Clinton," Cruz said. "And Barack Obama ran a guerrilla campaign that empowered the people. So for Christmas I gave a number of campaign staffers David Plouffe’s book, The Audacity to Win."

While following some campaign tactics from Obama, Cruz stressed to Time that he still does not see eye-to-eye with the president on policy.

"I think he is committed to his principles, which is rare in politics," Cruz said. "Now I also think, and please don’t leave this part out, that the principles he believes in are profoundly dangerous."

Despite headlining the Iowa Republican Party 2013 summer picnic, Cruz has dismissed speculation surrounding a 2016 presidential run. In a late July interview with ABC's "This Week" from the Hawkeye State, Cruz said he was there to participate in the "national debate" on America's direction.

"I’m not focused on the politics," Cruz told ABC. "I’ve been in the office all but seven months. The last office I was elected to was student council. So this has been a bit of a whirlwind.”

While Cruz has been mum on his political future, some conservatives have made it clear that he is their choice. Cruz cruised to victory in the Western Conservative Summit's 2016 straw poll, earning 45 percent of the 504 votes cast at the late July event.

Standing more than three years away from Election Day 2016, Cruz reiterated that his current focus was serving in the Senate.

“At this point, 100 percent of my focus is on the U.S. Senate," he told the Washington Times. "And the reason is simple: The Senate’s the battlefield.

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Before You Go

Sen. Ted Cruz
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) left, greets Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) after introducing her at the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md., Saturday, March 16, 2013. Diehard activists at the three-day conference are already picking favorites in what could be a crowded Republican presidential primary in 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (credit:AP)
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FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2013 file photo Armed Services committee member, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), questions former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), President Barack Obama's choice for defense secretary, during Hagel's confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Weeks into his job, Texas Republicans are cheering Cruz's indelicate debut and embracing him as one of their own. The insurgent Republican elected with the tea party's blessing and bankroll, has run afoul of GOP mainstays, and prompted Democrats to compare his style to McCarthyism. Also seen from left are Sen.s Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Mike Lee, R-Utah. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) (credit:AP)
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Ted Cruz, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) (credit:AP)
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaks to the media, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012, in Houston a day after defeating Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in a runoff. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (credit:AP)
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WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 13: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) holds a news conference to announce their plan to defund the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, at the U.S. Capitol March 13, 2013 in Washington, DC. Although Cruz and his fellow sponsors expect the legislation to fail, they believe it is an important survey of who supports health care reform. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Sen. Ted Cruz of (R-Texas) addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (credit:AP)
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) answers questions from the media at a voting precinct Tuesday, July 31, 2012, in Houston. Cruz faces Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in the Republican primary runoff election for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (credit:AP)
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Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) answers a question during an event held by the Austin Chamber of Commerce in Austin, Texas on Friday, April 5, 2013. Titled "A Conversation with Senator Ted Cruzon Business Issues," the event was held at the Four Seasons hotel and featured moderator John Holmes who asked Sen. Cruz questions from the audience. (AP Photo/Austin American-Statesman, Deborah Cannon) AUSTIN CHRONICLE OUT, COMMUNITY IMPACT OUT, MAGS OUT; NO SALES; INTERNET AND TV MUST CREDIT PHOTOGRAPHER AND STATESMAN.COM (credit:AP)
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaks to the Spring Branch Republican Club Monday, Nov. 5, 2012, in Houston. Cruz is running against Democrat Paul Sadler to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) (credit:AP)
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) arrives to speak at the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md., Saturday, March 16, 2013. Diehard activists at the three-day conference are already picking favorites in what could be a crowded Republican presidential primary in 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (credit:AP)
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WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 22: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) listens to testimony during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on April 22, 2013 in Washington, DC.The committee is hearing testimony on border security, economic opportunities and the Immigration Modernization Act. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) debates Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, not shown, at the King Street Patriots event hall, Monday, July 23, 2012, in Houston. The two Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate have repeatedly torn into each other during the third debate as early voting began across Texas. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Michael Paulsen) (credit:AP)
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WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 13: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) holds a news conference to announce their plan to defund the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, at the U.S. Capitol March 13, 2013 in Washington, DC. Although Cruz and his fellow sponsors expect the legislation to fail, they believe it is an important survey of who supports health care reform. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) waves as he arrives at a polling station to speak to media and voters in Dallas, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012. Cruz faces Democratic candidate Paul Sadler for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by fellow Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (credit:AP)
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Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Monday, April 1, 2013. Cruz, along with other Republican officials, announced that they believe that Medicaid is a broken system, and that expanding it under the Affordable Care Act is the wrong move for Texas. Shown, from left, are Governor Rick Perry, US Senator John Cornyn and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. (AP Photo/Austin American-Statesman, Deborah Cannon) (credit:AP)
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WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 22: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) talks with a reporter outside the Senate chamber on Capitol Hill March 22, 2013 in Washington, DC. The Senate voted on amendments to the budget resolution on Friday afternoon and into the evening. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), left, smiles as he listens to campaign chief consultant Jason Johnson go over election results as they come in Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012, in Houston. Cruz is running against Democrat Paul Sadler to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) (credit:AP)
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