...but I would have ZERO problems voting for Beto. ZERO.

he’s the same as Edwards. That doesn’t seem reasonable or fair to me.

I am probably not going to support Beto in the primary if he runs. When I decide it will most likely be another candidate.

But I have a good opinion of his character and not fond of baseless character assasination.

I’ll vote for whoever is the nominee in the general. I always do.

What do you mean by squeaky clean and the Edwards reference?

But the stated implication that Beto might not be squeaky clean is unfair to him.

I agree with the part about not getting carried away by a dashing stage performance though. Which is not necessarily to to say that Beto doesn't have the substance to back it up.

Republicans spent more in the 2018 Senate race between Beto and Crud than on ANY Senate race in history.

If there was dirt that money could by, it’d be dug.

and those weren’t anywhere near the national topics they are today. Yeah I fell for him. There was no way of foreseeing what would happen with him.

Same rationale as Beto 2020...charisma vital to defeat an incumbent. I will always believe Edwards had a greater chance than Kerry or anyone else.

Last thing I am going to do is whimper away and pretend I should have known all about Edwards. As you stated, there was no way of foreseeing how it would play out with him.

If there are big picture reasons to identify someone, the worst possible course is to overreact to one example and throw away your criteria. That was the method of all the pathetic zig-zag types I knew in Las Vegas...inventing new ways to lose every day.

he spoke of the two America. I didn't think Edwards was particularly charismatic. He was a good looking guy which helps, but I never felt he connected with an audience like B Clinton, Barrack, Beto and Bernie can. I was interested in what Edwards was talking about.

don't get that vibe from Beto.

I never really liked Edwards, either. Something felt sleazy about him.

And while Beto isn’t my first choice today, I’m sure excited about his entrance into the race and learning more about him. I might be wrong, but he seems like a genuine person - what we see is what we get.

And man, I wish I had his energy!

I immediately tweeted my disapproval with her trying to connect Beto and Edwards.

...attraction to charismatic candidates. I don't know anything bad about Beto, but I'm waiting to see if some of the less attractive things (like the quote in my OP) are tips of icebergs or just normal human imperfections.

Does not compute.

I see a lot of dishonest smears of Beto from the David Sirota types. Sirota lied about opensecrets data and pretended donations from individual people were Corporate donations.

I don’t see myself necessarily supporting Beto in the primary, but the level of disingenuous bullshit about him on DU today made me decide to make a $27.00 donation to his campaign

They will get local tv attention. The party has to advertise local events and make sure that the right questions are asked. The born to it comment may be a Texas/Southern thing.

Cornyn is more popular than Ted Cruz and has the big donor mainstream GOP base locked up while Cruz aligns more with the Tea Party crowd.

Beto has a decent chance of being on the ticket in 2020 in either the Presidential or VP slot. I believe that he has the humility to accept the VP slot if it is offered to him and he has demonstrated that he is a team player working with Democrats and with Republicans when they can find common ground.

If he does not end up on the ticket, then he still maintains some political stature and he would be in a strong position to run against Greg Abbott for governor in 2022. Depending on the outcome of the 2020 and subsequent races he could be the lead candidate in the 2024 or 2028 presidential races and he would still be under 60 years old.

You point out many true statements in your post. Cornyn is a much more "main stream" conservative and is more popular in Texas. BUT, ...Look how close Beto came to beating Cruz and he did this in 2016, a non-presidential year where more white people vote. Beto peeled off a good chunk of that support from Cruz to come with 2 points of a win.

In a presidential year, more minorities and a younger electorate vote. Beto surely will pick up a lot of these voters and perhaps it will be enough to flip Texas and win a Senate seat for the Dems - the first since the 80s. If he did this he would almost automatically become a very strong candidate when he runs for POTUS. Plus he would get credit for turning TX blue.

I think had Beto run for Senate backed by the DNC and the presidential ticket, TX would be in play. All speculation I know, but who else today could put Texas in play and perhaps pick up the Senate seat. Perhaps a missed opportunity.

then it will improve the chances for Democrats down the ballot statewide. However, if he ran for Senate in 2020 and lost then it almost certainly ends his political career. There are other candidates that can run for Senate in 2020 such as Wendy Davis and Joaquin Castro that could win depending upon the strength of Beto's coattails.

The political calculus indicates more possibilities for favorable outcomes by entering the presidential race than the Senate race. That applies not only to Beto, but to Julian Castro too. I think that both of them assessed the situation which is why both are competing in the presidential primary instead.

I kinda like the response because it does take a level of self confidence to even consider running for President and I appreciate that honesty much more than faux humility.

Many of our Democrats come to mind.

I don’t understand why OP wants to make this a negative. But I don’t understand a lot of what I read on DU, so ...

I don't see anything wrong with feeling as if someone's service was "meant for such a time as this".

I see nothing wrong with him saying he was born to be in it... I find it really silly to judge him on that.

Watching Beto this morning: He has the charisma. We shall see how the debates and primaries go, but I really feel he could beat Trump. That is my first qualification.

I'm a fan.

Those reasons seem pretty petty to me. Sorry if that offends you.

Remember who is the president today..

Whoever the DEM candidate is at the END is who we all need to vote for.

Dont sweat that they fart or burp sometimes.

None of that “I’m holding my nose” bullshit or whatever

I give what money I can, talk them up to friends and on message boards, and knock doors and GOTV.

like Sen. Harris has?

seems to be more style than substance.

Does anyone have an overview of his policy positions?

I didn’t pay much attention to the race either, but from what I did gather he seems like a liberal Democrat.

I do remember his fiery defense of Colin Kaepernick‘s protest went viral on YouTube.


FWIW, I’d recommend avoiding articles by David Sirota and similar opEd writers, as Sirota falsely misrepresented Open Secrets data to make it appear Beto was “in the pocket of big oil”. Sirota misrepresented individual donanations as Corporate donations. Those were individual people in Texas who donated their own damn money.

but you haven't read up on his positions?

never walk away with a sense of where he stands on many national issues.

I don't appreciate your snark.

Beto's positions on five national issues?

If you are unclear on a candidate, don’t expect us to convince you of our opinion.

jftr - I see that all the commentators on MSNBC are having the same problem today.

There is not another candidate running or thinking about running in the Democratic primary who has this problem.




Done

Threatened by Beto?

Beto and Biden will be running in the same lane.

I’m done now. We don’t agree.
Have a good day.

I don't understand the reference to Edwards.

He just seems to be too much thinking he is too, too cool. The skateboarding, the tooth cleaning...nah.

those things make him look less like a President, and more like a so-called reality show star. We already tried that, and the results have been disastrous.

is meh at best.

We need a tough fighter who can dodge the constant knives being thrown at him and will hit back hard.
Unfortunately charisma isn't going to count for much.

He not only responded to Ted Cruz, but he lobbed attacks effectively. Although I despise Ted Cruz, there is no doubt even among Democrats that he is a strong debater.

While I'm distracted with Beto's hand gestures, I don't have any doubts that he is capable of meeting the demands of the job. I saw his potential when he started appearing on the evening news shows back in 2014.

Link to tweet

and John Edwards was featured in a similar pose on a magazine cover way back when?

So much for substantive discussion.

It is baseless innuendo and smears, and it is slimy as hell.

What the fuck is wrong with DU?

I doubt you really want to associate yourself with such nonsense.

We discuss policy here.

Not “oh look this proven scumbag Edwards was on a magazine cover in a similar pose, that means Beto is a scumbag too!1!”

That tweet is irrational, idiotic, slimy as hell, and highly fucked up. It is like something you’d see on the Sean Hannity show.

It just points out a similar pose, author and photographer. I really liked John Edwards back in the day.

I said upthread I was an Edwards supporter as well. Huge mistake.

I am relaxed, just not a fan of baseless smears, propaganda, and innuendo.

For your tweeter to insinuate Beto is ‘the same’ as Edwards over a magazine cover pose is dumb and slimy as fuck

Come up with something concrete if you believe Beto is ‘the same’ as Edwards, and then DU will have a good discussion about it.

DU is fact based, at least I hope it still is.

I have never thought of Edwards when listening to Beto. Then again, I thought Edwards was a snake oil salesman from day one.

As for the other quote, it is what it is. There is no doubt in my mind that he has crossed the line from confidence to arrogance. I don't find the manner in which he does it to be that off-putting. I don't think others will either.

to undo and heal the mess trump has created? It's a big deal. There are so many broken pieces trump has left behind already. Just wondering who is truly capable of cleaning up the disgusting and completely dangerous trump legacy.

I think Beto is talented and is no doubt ernest but it is so important that we elect the person who can take on the extreme national and international challenges trump has created.

This is true of any candidate, not just Beto. And, even though he seems to be younger than the others, that doesn't necessarily mean anything other than he is younger.

... but Beto has my attention.

Booker has faded, IMO, and Beto is my second choice, atm.

Biden could change everything, but honestly, I have moved beyond Biden. But if Biden maintains a lead, I could enthusiastically support him with with either Harris or O'Rourke in the Veep slot.

Lol.

And Beto is probably not going to be my primary choice. However, not a fan of baseless slimy smears and innuendo aimed at Democrats.

yup

He basically was on a campaign stump throwing out a bevy of platitudes until one caught on. Two Americas. Hardly original.

Which means at the moment, Beto O'Rourke is perceived as a threat. But then, he could always flame out.

Who knows?

I thought the Vanity Fair profile made an astute observation: all the positives on O'Rourke could be turned into negatives depending on how O'Rourke runs his campaign. He'll need to convince voters that he's more than style and energy, that he has real substance.

Whatever happens, O'Rourke has already added an edge of excitement. And that's a good thing for the Democratic Party. A very good thing.

I like Beto. He is my second choice because like Biden...he can win. I really doubt any of the others can beat Trump.

I love Beto and Kamala both. Will be a tough call for me come primary day.

His voting record did not match his campaign stump speech. In addition, watching CSPAN coverage in addition to the cable stations, I saw that he said the EXACT same thing, exact same inflections, same gestures in at least two speeches. That and the fact that his positions did not seem compatible with the right leaning Democrat who voted for the bankruptcy bill.

To me, he seemed to be the media favorite. They spoke of his charm, charisma, and good looks -- which are NOT what I look for in a nominee! I favored Kerry and my second favorite was Dean. Both of them had far more substance behind them.

With Beto, I am still in the wait and see position. His announcement this morning was very very good. Time will tell if this is the scripted John Edwards type phenomenon or a candidate, like Obama, who is speaking from his heart. One sign will be whether - like Obama - he gets the endorsement of people who are leaders on issues I care for.

If that happens, he will be one I might choose, but he would join a list of at least three. There is much time.

Funny too, how the Revolution™ here is pouring forth out of every crevice and from under the stove and fridge.

that put a red flag for me. I vowed I will not ever support any candidate who does not support Medicare For All fully. Access means shit. Our problem is profit making insurance companies providing no service other than writing a check. Let them offer adjunct services but they should never be the middleman in a healthcare system.

Like right now I have "access" to a top of the line Tesla and a mansion on the hill!

But it's not doing me any good.

They knew all about John Edwards all along

Let me have the under on that, for every cent on the planet. It wouldn't exactly be gambling

He fooled me.

I'm certain that it would have been flushed out last year when he ran for Senate. Ted Cruz and the GOP in Texas have no qualms about playing dirty.

I want my DUers to be "fairly" accurate when comparing our current candidates to historic figures. Put up evidence to support the innuendo, please.

.... my post was a statement about my own vulnerabilities to charisma and my effort to guard against it. I'm not suggesting O'Rourke is having an affair, or anything else earth shaking, just that he may not be a knight in shining armor. That quote did give me pause.

Carnival Cruz and the Texas GOP vetted Beto. Beto has a DWI, was in a punk band and wore really ugly pants. I love the vetting by fox news

Link to tweet

or screwing anyone in a hotel

Link to tweet

Last edited Mon Mar 18, 2019, 06:56 AM - Edit history (1)

I like Beto, I think he or Biden can win. That is the most imp thing we need to worry about now. I was leaning Beto and have donated but it will be Biden in the end maybe.

and people liken him to Obama, but that doesn't sound like something Obama would say. Obama's words are measured, it would take him all day to complete a thought.

I saw BETO up close in Texas before the media even bothered to notice. He's the real deal... Connects with, understands, and moves people to our agenda.

Is this just a personal, gut reaction or do you have some sort of objective criteria for this conclusion?

The question is whether you can keep those qualities under control well enough to act in the public interest instead of your own. Ambition doesn't bother me; I assume they all have a ton of it. I haven't seen anything about Beto that suggests to me that he's running only to satisfy that ambition.

Cruz would have dug it up and thrown it all over the state of Texas

That we need to compare him to some scandal right here onDU.

I have never seen a U.S. District Representative as a viable candidate for president. NOBODY from Texas, unless you tele-time-ported Governor Richards, could gain Texas in the general or be relevant as a VP like LBJ was.

No Castros, no Beto, no appointees.

Link to tweet

I am more enthused then ever on Beto!