Jeb Bush, Son Divided Over Ted Cruz And Obamacare

"Tactically it was a mistake to focus on something that couldn't be achieved."

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Former Republican Governor of Florida Jeb Bush and his son are at odds over Ted Cruz and Obamacare. The younger Bush, George P. Bush, who is a candidate for Texas land commissioner, had supported efforts by Ted Cruz to defund Obamacare in the fight to fund the government. The elder Bush has criticized Cruz's tactics.

"I agree with this effort to defund it, or keep Texas out of the program unless we can modify it to a Texas-specific solution," George P. Bush said, according to the Dallas Morning News.

On ABC's This Week Jeb Bush attacked the efforts and tactics by Cruz and tea party Republicans to defund the law.

"I think there was some ground lost from the political point of view," Bush said to ABC's Jon Karl. "Tactically it was a mistake to focus on something that couldn't be achieved. That's what that was, it was tactics. In fact, I would argue that allowing Obamacare to be implemented, two things would happen."

The former Florida governor added that Republicans thinking the debt ceiling did not need to be raised made the United States look "untrustworthy" overseas.

"Well, you have to pay your obligations," Bush said. "I do a lot of traveling overseas and when we have these spikes of political conversations that are not grounded in reality, the rest of the world looks at us as untrustworthy. That has implications not just for us, slowdown of economic activity, it has implications in the world because people have to count on the United States."

In an interview with the New York Times during the shutdown, Jeb Bush also called the Republican tactics "embarrassing."

"It's embarrassing to see this play out as it has. And I respect, there's deep — deeply held views on this. But you've got to pay your debts."

An email to the governor asking him about his and his son's differing views was not returned.

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