Carville: 'Ted Cruz Is the Most Talented and Fearless Republican Politician I’ve Seen in 30 Years'

May 5th, 2013 12:39 PM

Democratic strategist and former Bill Clinton adviser James Carville said something about Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) on ABC's This Week Sunday that is guaranteed to raise eyebrows on both sides of the aisle.

"I think he is the most talented and fearless Republican politician I’ve seen in the last 30 years."

JAMES CARVILLE: I think he is the most talented and fearless Republican politician I’ve seen in the last 30 years. I further think that he’s going to run for president and he is going to create something. I’m not sitting here saying he’s going to win, and I think Senator DeMint is right. I’ve listened to excerpts of his speech in South Carolina. He touches every button, and this guy has no fear. He just keeps plowing ahead. And he is going to be something to watch.

And a lot of Republicans feel this way, George, and you hear this a lot: "If we only got someone who was articulate and was for what we were for, we would win elections. And we get these John McCains and these Mitt Romneys and these squishy guys that can’t do anything." Well, there’s one thing this guy is not - he ain’t squishy, not in the least.

As the conversation continued and others on the panel said that other conservatives such as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) will likely also run in 2016, Carville added:

CARVILLE: Ted Cruz is going to eat their lunch. That guy, I’m telling you, he will out debate. I am just saying, he is a talent. I’m not rooting. I’m really sincere here. We watch him, he does things, I mean when he started talking about William Travis in South Carolina and the Alamo, this is a guy, and you go, "This guy is something." Now I don’t agree with him. I think he’s out there. But I’m telling you, he’s more talented than all of these other guys.