In which we finally learn what it takes to get Ted Cruz to STFU for a minute

Presented without comment:

Senator Ted Cruz is often asked about doing away with President Obama’s health care law. He is less rarely pressed by voters on what will replace it.

But at a middle school cafeteria here, a man, Mike Valde, presented him with a tragic tale. His brother-in-law Mark was a barber — “a small-business man,” he said. He had never had a paid vacation day. He received health insurance at last because of the Affordable Care Act. He began to feel sick and went to a doctor.

“He had never been to a doctor for years,” Mr. Valde, 63, of Coralville, Iowa, said. “Multiple tumors behind his heart, his liver, his pancreas. And they said, ‘We’re sorry, sir, there’s nothing we can do for you.’ ”

The room was silent.

“Mark never had health care until Obamacare,” Mr. Valde continued. “What are you going to replace it with?”

Mr. Cruz expressed condolences and pivoted quickly to a well-worn answer assailing the health care law.

...Mr. Valde...pressed on.

“My question is, what are you going to replace it with?” he said.

[Cruz] went on to describe elements of his plan, which includes an effort to allow people to purchase insurance across state lines.

(OK, one quick comment: The ACA already allows carriers to sell insurance across state lines. For all the hype about this by the GOP, it appears that they're not interested).

“Your brother-in-law couldn’t afford it,” Mr. Cruz said.

“Right,” Mr. Valde said. “But he could afford it — he finally got it under Obama.”

“He would have gotten it earlier, if he could have afforded it earlier,” Mr. Cruz said. “But because of government regulations he couldn’t.”

Moments later, Mr. Cruz wrapped up and Mr. Valde sat down.