But to House Republicans who support defunding, Cruz’s admission sounded like a surrender before the fight. “I don’t know how you could say, right now, that there are not the votes for it [in the Senate],” Tennessee GOP Rep. Phil Roe told Drucker. “I don’t understand that.” Other lawmakers expressed deep disappointment in conversations reported by Drucker. “Gee, thanks for the support,” said Florida Rep. Trey Radel.

The unhappiness is understandable. But perhaps those Republicans now angry at Cruz should have listened to him more carefully all along. In his speeches promoting the defunding campaign, Cruz, a Harvard-educated lawyer, chose his words closely, not claiming that defunders had the votes to prevail but instead suggesting that they might somehow spur a popular uprising against Obamacare in which an enraged populace would pressure reluctant lawmakers to change their positions — and then vote to defund.

Cruz’s rhetorical strategy was on full display during a late August trip to New Hampshire, home to the nation’s first president primary of the 2016 race. In an appearance at a state GOP fundraiser, Cruz repeatedly said the Obamacare fight could not be won in Washington DC. “The only way we’re going to succeed in defunding Obamacare is if it comes from the American people,” he said. “This is not a strategy of trying to convince Washington, DC. It’s a strategy of empowering the American people.”