While some in the Republican establishment suggest Sen. Ted Cruz would be a more acceptable presidential nominee than Donald Trump, former House Speaker John Boehner strongly disagrees.
“Lucifer in the flesh,” is how Boehner describes Cruz. “I have Democrat friends and Republican friends. I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life.”
That, my friends, is a former party leader blowing off some steam.
Cruz developed a toxic relationship with most of his congressional colleagues in 2013 after he helped lead the effort to shut down the federal government. The results turned into a public relations nightmare for Republicans.
“Maybe he gives Lucifer a bad name by comparing him to Ted Cruz,” said Republican Rep. Peter King. “What John Boehner was most concerned about was Ted Cruz perpetrated a fraud and a hoax when he brought about the shutdown of the government on some kind of a vague promise that he was gonna be able to take Obamacare out of the budget or to end Obamacare.”
Boehner said he would not vote for Cruz if he were the nominee, but he said he was “texting buddies” with Donald Trump and he would support him in November.
He also suggested his party has veered too far to the right. “Well you know I’m a big fan of Ronald Reagan,” said Boehner. “But I love all these knuckleheads talking about the party of Reagan. He would be the most moderate Republican elected today.”
Cruz fired back at Boehner saying he had never worked with him, and that all of their conversations amounted to less than 50 minutes.