Democratic Rep Not Sure Why Ted Cruz Went To Mandela Service

TOM KLUDT/TPM

If you're wondering why Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) accompanied a largely Democratic delegation to South Africa for Nelson Mandela's memorial service last week, you aren't alone. The Democrats weren't quite sure what to make of it either.

Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) said Monday that while Cruz was cordial on board the flight to South Africa, she and others were "curious" about what motivated the tea party senator to join the delegation.
"I think that he was on the spot because there were many members who were curious, you know, about why he would want to take this pilgrimage," Moore said on MSNBC. "This was a solemn — it was hard trip, 40 hours and turning right around. And even the senator had to come right back and vote at 1 a.m."
Moore pointed out that the delegation was comprised mostly of Democrats, including some lawmakers who were active in the anti-apartheid movement.
"And so there was a lot of curiosity about [Cruz]," she said.
 Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), who was also in the delegation, said last week that Cruz "got an earful" from his Democratic counterparts on the flight.

Wisconsin Dem slams passage of House ‘Obamacare’ repeal bill

By Kay Steiger/Raw Story

House Republicans voted to repeal what they dub “Obamacare” in a 244-185 vote on Wednesday, even after the Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act last month.

“Same crap, different day,” Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) told Raw Story. “They’ve always been against Social Security, against Medicare, Medicaid. This is just a different day in their history of not wanting to expand the social contract for anybody other than those people who are endowed. … The success of the Affordable Care Act will reduce profits to their constituencies.”

“When you repeal health care, the disproportionate effect is going to fall on women,” she said. “You can talk about intentions if you want, but the effect is going to harm women.”

“Misogyny reigns, as usual,” she said. “Of course it will benefit women more than men. Women are twice as likely to be dependents on their husbands, simply because many of us are still employed in the pink collar sector, where there is no health care available.”

“The ability to be independent of a man is always going to be a threat in our society,” she said. “Because of our reproductive capacity, there’s an awful lot of care that I’ve fought for; making mammograms mandatory, making contraception mandatory.”

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) told Raw Story and other bloggers, “This is a very personal experience for me as a breast cancer survivor.”

“Worrying about whether you’re going to be able to get all of the treatment is a real issue,” she said.

The legislation, which marks House Republicans’ 31st effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, has little chance of being taken up in the Senate.