NBC "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" - Transcript

Interview

Begin Transcript (Provided by Senator Cruz's office.)

Jay: My next guest has been in office less than a year, and he's already seen as one of the most polarizing figures in Washington. One thing you can't deny is the impact he's had as a freshman Senator. Please welcome, from the great state of Texas, Senator Ted Cruz.

Jay: I've been reading a lot about you lately, and they describe you as "aggressive, arrogant and abrasive." Accurate?

Cruz: Well, I don't know that you can believe everything you read.

Jay: All right. Any one of those? Can you believe any one of those?

Cruz: You know, what I'm trying to do is do my job. And occasionally people don't like it.

Jay: Well, what three adjectives would you use to describe you?

Cruz: Oh, I don't know. Amazed to be where I am.

Jay: Okay.

Cruz: Amazed to have the chance to serve.

Jay: Okay.

Cruz: You know, I mean, look. I come at it from the perspective someone who -- I'm the son of an immigrant. My dad fled oppression in Cuba and came here. And I think we're facing just huge challenges in this country. And to have the chance to try to stand up and fight to try to make a difference, try to help turn this country around, I feel incredibly privileged.

Jay: Well, let me ask something. I know you're a man of principle. You have your principles. Does that prevent compromise, when you're so set on what you do?

Cruz: No, of course not. Of course not. Look, my view on compromise is actually exactly the same as what Ronald Reagan said. Reagan said, "what do you do if they offer you half a loaf?" Answer, "you take it, and then you come back for more."

Jay: I don't think Ronald Reagan could get in the tea party today.

Cruz: You know, I don't think that's right at all.

Jay: No?

Cruz: If you look at what Reagan did. Reagan led a grassroots revolution. I think where we are today is an awful lot like the late 1970s, where we had economic stagnation. We had people hurting because the government policies under Jimmy Carter -- they weren't working. Remember, Reagan challenged an incumbent Republican President in 1976 in a primary. And there was a grassroots revolution where he said, "listen, this isn't working. Let's get back to free market principles. Back to the Constitution. Because economic growth -- people want jobs. They want opportunity, and what we're doing isn't working." That same thing's true right now, Jay.

Jay: Well, congressional approval is at, what, 12%?

Cruz: I'm amazed it's that high.

Jay: Are you amazed it's that high? I mean, Americans are sick of this brinksmanship, don't you think?

Cruz: Look, I think Americans are deeply frustrated.

Jay: Yeah.

Cruz: That Washington is broken. And I think it's a bipartisan problem.

Jay: Uh-huh.

Cruz: I mean, I think the biggest divide we have is not between the Republicans and Democrats. It is between entrenched politicians in both parties in Washington and the American people.

Jay: Well, sure but -- well, would you be -- would you be an entrenched politician? You seem pretty set in your ways. It's this, this, this or I shut down the government.

Cruz: Well look, what I'm entrenched about is fighting for 26 million Texans. I mean, I've spent -- in the ten months I've been in office, we've done over 75 events all over the state. And I try to go back and listen to Texans. And wherever you go in the state, what you hear from Texans -- they say, "our top priority is bringing back jobs and economic growth."

Jay: Uh-huh.

Cruz: And so my focus every day, my number-one priority in office is bringing back jobs and economic growth. What we're doing right now isn't working. And you've got too many career politicians in Washington that want to just keep going down this road of more and more spending and taxes and regulation. And you know, Jay, the people that are getting hurt are young people. They're Hispanic. They're African-Americans. They're single moms. They're people who are struggling.

Jay: But, I get that. But I mean, if all this effort is in jobs, why so much in social issues that have nothing to do with jobs?

Cruz: Look, my focus has been jobs, economic growth and, in particular, Obamacare. Obamacare is the biggest jobs killer in this country. And you know, it's interesting.

Jay: Let me ask you something. Let me ask you something. If I was a strategist for your side and I didn't think Obamacare was going to work, I would have sat back and said, "you know something, let's not shut down the government. Let's see what happens." See, I think instead of -- a lot of people do not like the government shutdown. I mean, when Newt Gingrich was here, well he said "this is a game." Well, it's not a game. People lose their jobs. But, if they had just not shut it down, what's happening with Obamacare would still have happened. And rather than having people vilify you for shutting down the government, it might have been seen in a different light. Do you think?

Cruz: Listen, Jay, I'm one of the many people who was not a fan of shutting down the government. Throughout this whole thing, I said.

Jay: You looked like a big fan from where I was standing.

Cruz: Well, look, I understand.

Jay: I must say, by golly, reading that dr. Seuss thing?

Cruz: Look, I said throughout we shouldn't shut down the government.

Jay: Uh-huh.

Cruz: And the reason we had a government shutdown is President Obama the Democrats said, "we will not negotiate, and we will not compromise." You know, it's striking now.

Jay: But here's my thing. You don't negotiate or compromise because A) John Roberts -- Republican, pretty much -- said this is the law. Obamacare is the law of the land. Let's move on. Isn't that true?

Cruz: The Supreme Court upheld the constitutional challenge. But it isn't working. 3.5 million people across this country have gotten cancelation notices.

Jay: I know, but social security took seven years before anybody got the first check. Roosevelt said, we're gonna put social security -- it was seven years before anybody got anything. And I watched -- you know, the thing that I really dislike -- whether you like Obamacare -- I don't like that each side takes such glee in the other person's failure. Because the people -- you know, I watch Republicans do this when the Democrats fail and vice-versa. I think that's what people really hate.

Cruz: Listen.

Jay: Look, let's take a break. More with the Senator, when we come back. Right after this.

----Break----

Jay: Welcome. Welcome back. Talking to Senator Ted Cruz. Hey, you're a smart guy. Why do you think the Republicans lost the last two elections?

Cruz: Well, I think we did a lousy job of making the argument. Margaret Thatcher famously said, "first you win the argument, then you win the vote."

Jay: Right.

Cruz: And listen, I think it's a question of what works. The economic policies of the last five years. You know, in the last four years, our economy has grown on average 0.9%.

Jay: Okay.

Cruz: A year. It's not working. And.

Jay: A little growth.

Cruz: But you know.

Jay: Not a lot of growth. A little growth.

Cruz: That's the problem. A little growth -- the people who get hurt, it's not the millionaires and billionaires. The top 1% have a higher share of our income that at any time since 1928. The people who get hurt are those who are struggling. I think of it from the perspective of my dad. 55 years ago, my dad came from Cuba. He'd been imprisoned. He'd been tortured. And he was washing dishes. He made 50 cents an hour. Those are the people that are getting hurt. It's the immigrants. It's the young people. Economists are calling this generation of young people a lost generation because they're coming out without jobs, without growth, and we've got to get back to an environment.

Jay: And of course, huge debt, but, I mean, I see something, when I started this job, the Forbes 400 was millionaires, I think 360 millionaires, 40 billionaires. Now it's all billionaires.

Cruz: Yep, yep.

Jay: So somebody's getting rich.

Cruz: And the rich do great with big government.

Jay: They always do great.

Cruz: Big business does great with big government. The people who get hammered are the small businesses. When I traveled in Texas, I hear from people all over the place. Who are just -- number one, they're scared they're losing their health care. I can't tell you how many people across Texas say, "I'm losing my health care. I'm trying to take care of my kids. They've got -- we've got real challenges."

Jay: But doesn't the state of Texas -- they don't want Obamacare there.

Cruz: We don't want Obamacare because it's taking away their health care. What we want

Jay: 25% of the state doesn't have health care anyway. Obamacare would help them, wouldn't it?

Cruz: Well, it wouldn't, number one, because it's taking away a lot of people's health insurance. Number two, because it's killing jobs. Look, I'm a big believer in health care reform. I think we ought to reform health care so that it's personal, it's portable, it's affordable. We ought to empower patients rather than government bureaucrats getting between you and your doctor.

Jay: Okay. You're a likely candidate. Let me ask you about social issues. To me, Republicans should be about defense and money, everything else is do whatever the hell you want pretty much. Why all the focus -- for example, gay marriage, you're against it?

Cruz: I support marriage between one man and one woman. But I also think it's a question for the states. Some states have made decisions one way on gay marriage. Some states made the decisions the other way. That's the great thing about our Constitution. Different states can make decisions depending on the values of their citizens.

Jay: All right. Now your dad's been in the news lately -- he was talking against gays. Is that fair game?

Cruz: Look, my father is a pastor. He's a man of deep integrity. And you know, some folks have decided to try to go after him because they want to take some shots at me.

Jay: Politics is a very dirty game.

Cruz: They say it ain't beanbag -- you know, I think the critics are better off attacking me. I mean, my dad has been my hero my whole life. And he is someone who -- when I was a kid, my father said to me all the time, "when we lost our freedom in Cuba, I had a place to flee to."

Jay: Right.

Cruz: "If we lose it here, where do we go?"

Jay: Let me ask about gun control. Why is increased or better background checks not a good thing? You voted against this. Why is that -- why is keeping the mentally unstable, those type of people -- not saying you can't have guns, you just have to pass a background check. Why is that bad?

Cruz: Look, I support background checks. In fact, when we had the battle over gun control, I was very proud to work with Senator Chuck Grassley on the law enforcement alternative. There are two different philosophies. Do you target violent criminals, or do you try to take away the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens?

Jay: Well, no, you always target violent criminals, obviously, but the fact that a complete psychopath can go to a gun show and buy half a dozen guns -- and now, hasn't your new bill made it easier to go across state lines with guns?

Cruz: You know, you say you always target violent criminals. But in 2010, over 48,000 felons and fugitives tried to illegally buy guns. The Obama Justice Department prosecuted only 44 of them. 44 out of 48,000. I think that's completely unacceptable.

Jay: How many did the Bush Administration do? Is that just -- just law enforcement, or that.

Cruz: Under President Bush, prosecution of gun crimes was 30% higher than it is under President Obama. They're not targeting bad guys. And so the law enforcement alternative we introduced was to create a task force -- I think those 48,000 -- if you're a felon, you're a fugitive, you're trying to illegally buy a gun, I think we ought to come down on you like a ton of bricks.

Jay: Now what do you think? Are we going to have -- we gonna have another shutdown in February? Are we going to do this again?

Cruz: Look, I certainly hope not.

Jay: Have you stockpiled some books to read for this one?

Cruz: You know, I have to tell you, in ten months I've been in office, my daughters, Caroline and Catherine, they're 5 and 3. Nothing I've done in the Senate has impressed Caroline at all. She is tough. Except the only moment is when I read "Green Eggs and Ham." When I got home, Caroline looked at me and said, "Okay, dad. That was kind of cool."

Jay: All right. very good, Senator, thank you very much.

Cruz: Thank you.

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