Beto O’Rourke’s Commentary on NFL Player Protests Is Blowing Up the Internet

Short summary please.

tl;dr

Beautiful. I hope this great man stops on Cruz in November.

Intelligent commentary will only make the deplorables more indignant, but it will reach some on the fence folks, who may or not be decent.

Great answer. I watched the video and the guy asking the question was an idiot.

[quote]Short summary please.

Black Lives Matter.

Just take the national anthem out of sporting events. They're games and not military skirmishes.

Is there anything that can be taken out of context so I can be offended?

Fantastic answer. Thoughtful, articulate, and nuanced. Take the time to watch it. Small wonder that he is neck-and-neck with that dreadful cretin Ted Cruz.

We would be fortunate indeed to have him in the United States Senate.

Is Beto trying to attract Trump voters by dousing himself with self tanner?

Sigh, he's too smart and thoughtful for Texas. If he lived in MD or MA, he'd be a rock star. But no, the luckless bastard has to run against Senator Mouthboogers who appeals people's worst instincts and is an odious creep, even by republican standards. That's a thoughtful, well-spoken, generous answer from clearly an intelligent guy, so of course he'll lose the election.

And he just lost Texas. Too bad, I'd rather see him than Cruz

If I lived in Texas, I'd vote for him. As it is, I've donated.

I think R11 is spot on, unfortunately.

Any Texas DL’rs around to give a real sense of how this race is going? I’ve seen polls with Cruz up anywhere between 10 and 2 points; I’ve not seen one with Beto in the lead. He’s certainly been getting tons of press, but I wonder how it all plays in Texas?

He gave a great response- respectful to both sides- very articulate and he's got tons of charisma.

If Dems were smart, he'd be at the top of the list of nominees for President.

r5 O'Rourke didn't think the guy was an idiot or make him feel like one.

[quote] If he lived in MD or MA, he'd be a rock star.

If he lived in MA he'd be a Kennedy. When I watched the video of the speech I got goosebumps. He's got the political "it factor" in spades. More importantly he spoke intelligently and thoughtfully about the issue in a way that would allow many people who disagree with him not to walk away angry and insulted, unless they're just brain dead Deplorable zombies waving signs at a Trump rally.

I know nothing about Texas, but I hope this tape continues to set the internet on fire. I hope it inspires black voters the way Obama inspired them, and I hope the DNC has folks on the ground working hard checking voter rolls and watching for any Repug shenanigans to make sure the Texas equivalent of those black women who kept Moore out of the Senate in AL can help push Beto in for TX.

I assume he already had the black vote, so it's not clear what he's trying to accomplish.

Leadership R18 something the GOP no longer understands.

He's from El Paso, the largest Democratic hub in Texas and an oasis in a vast hell. He's well-loved and respected there. Hopefully, he'll have a good shot after yesterday's mess.

Also in Texas, the Democratic nominee for governor is Lupe Valdez, an out lesbian. She's up against the despicable incumbent, Greg Abbott.

R17- That's what I thought too- he's got the "it" factor. It's not enough to have just a good candidate- the Democrats have to have someone who has personal appeal.

For those who need it, here's my paraphrased recap in 4 sentences:

1. No, he doesn't think kneeling disrespects the flag nor those who serve(d) in the military

2. Non-violent protests and military service are two sides of the same coin when it comes to securing and protecting the rights that the US stands for

3. We are at a point in history where many unarmed black men, women, and children are being killed, sometimes by the police, and there often seems to be no justice. This is why people are protesting.

4. This is his opinion and if someone else disagrees it doesn't make either person less of a "real" American

[quote]Cruz responded to O’Rourke’s NFL protest comments during a campaign event in Corpus Christi. “When Beto O’Rourke says he can’t think of anything more American [than players taking a knee], well, I got to tell you, I can,” Cruz said on Saturday, according to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, citing how members of the military stationed across the nation regularly salute the flag and stand at attention when the anthem is played. Cruz’s comments have not gone viral.

I did watch the video, and he's a terrific, inspiring speaker. And he was very respectful to all points of view, and nothing he said should leave anyone listening to feel disrespected, although we know some people will still try.

2020

Watch the magic.

Can you fucking imagine Trump trying to debate this tall, well-spoken hunk with BDF? Trump would probably bring up Beto's DUI, I assume rather than bringing up Stormy directly he'd respond that "People make mistakes and ask if Trump is the moral compass of the country".

Also, that coward Ted Cruz won't debate him. Beto wants to debate in English and Spanish, but RatFink is rusty with the Espanõl.

How refreshing to hear a politician make a thoughtful speech. He can actually speak in paragraphs - AND you can follow the narrative. No waffling, no name-calling, no lies. We aren’t used to this.

I've seen people compare him to Bobby Kennedy and he does have the same kind of vibe. I think he's definitely got Presidential appeal.

[quote]Any Texas DL’rs around to give a real sense of how this race is going? I’ve seen polls with Cruz up anywhere between 10 and 2 points; I’ve not seen one with Beto in the lead. He’s certainly been getting tons of press, but I wonder how it all plays in Texas?

Last I heard Cruz was still ahead by 4 points.

He better learn to speak more pithily.

Now I don't want Trump to be impeached...just to have the pleasure of seeing a Trump/Beto debate.

R20 clearly isn't a Texan if they think El Paso is an oasis of any kind.

You’re fucked up, R18. A politician doesn’t need to talk about black issues unless he needs black votes? Fuck you.

Good on him. Great response and shows he is thoughtful, compassionate and eloquent.

I don’t do hero worship anyway, but... did he have to bothsides? And seem like any other bland white guy to me. But you do you...

r35 I think he said what he said because there really are two sides, the "other" side being those who don't see (until it's been pointed out to them, as he did) that peaceful social protest has helped to make America a free country just as much as the protection provided by the military.

It would be hard for me to believe that the person who asked the question wasn't swayed by his passionate, convincing argument.

If you check his photos on social media, you'll see that Beto sweats a lot through his typically light-coloured shirts. Sexy.

LeBron James LOVES Beto.

Finally, people are seeing why Texans are so excited about Beto. He had me when somebody asked him why his eldest son is named Ulysses. He said The Odyssey is his favorite book and he and his wife didn't have the guts to call the kid Odysseus. Their daughter is called Molly because they're big James Joyce fans.

Ugh, he comes across as a mushy, I don't wanna offend anybody soy boy.

He's two steps from joining Lemon & Cooper on a CNN cry fest.

Such a smart guy. If he truly came up with that brilliant and eloquent answer off the top of his head, this guy is going places.

His answer was so well-scripted and brilliant, it made me wonder if the person asking the question was a plant. No matter, Beto's answer was beautiful, and, I admit, I cried a little, watching a politician answer a question with integrity and passion and intelligence. I miss that.

Reading a book?

Texan here. I'm telling you, I think Beto has a really good shot at unseating the Senator from Calgary. There's is an energy I feel buzzing under the surface. I see his signs and bumper stickers all over DFW, even in Republican strongholds like North Dallas and Collin County. I've yet to see one Cruz sign and only one Cruz bumper sticker. I don't know if it will be enough to counter the deep-seated brain-dead automatic-support of Republicans no matter how craven, dishonest, or ineffective they are. But I'm hoping against all hope that Beto will be our next Senator.

R42 Have seen hundreds of Beto yard signs and not a single Cruz sign. If people are voting for him, they're too embarrassed to let their neighbors know.

I've been to 2 Town Halls. He spends more time answering questions from audience members (and anybody can put their hand up, no filtering) than making his speech. He took answers from crazy teabaggers and equally crazy BernieBros. He is extraordinarily eloquent, a bit like Bill Clinton but without the folksiness. Barack Obama was highly scripted, and can talk on any subject. He is very, very well informed.

Only problem I see is Beto talks in long paragraphs and Cruz is nasty, insulting sound bytes - which of course appeal to idiots.

No smart politician goes out campaigning without preparing at least some rough talking points on topics that are bound to come up. Beto, in particular, does mostly town halls so of course he’s prepared to talk about a wide range of topics. That may make him sound less spontaneous to some, but that certainly doesn’t make him less passionate and convincing.

Smart AND hot. Great combo.

If everybody turned out, Texas would be deep blue. But they don't. I think ORourke is smart in running to the left to jazz up those who don't vote. Go Beto!

[quote]Also, that coward Ted Cruz won't debate him. Beto wants to debate in English and Spanish, but RatFink is rusty with the Espanõl.

Where did you get the idea that Cruz won't debate? Has his plan for a series of five debates gone off the rails? Of course, Cruz won't do it in Spanish. If he does manage passable Spanish, it might serve to alienate his "speak American" base.

I hope all of O'Rourke's whirlwind campaigning is accompanied by an intense voter registration effort among Latinos. They traditionally don't vote, but hopefully the Orange Turd's reign has lit a fire under them. I was so disappointed in 2016 when, after a massive national campaign to register Latinos, their vote was swamped by the deplorable racism and hatred incited by Trump.

I heard Cruz floated the idea of holding the debates on Friday nights. Of course, the chickenshit would love that. Friday nights in the fall in Texas are reserved for high school football games. So there would be like seven people in the whole state available to attend/watch Beto hand Cruz' ass to him.

I kind of want Cruz to win just so Trump has to say something nice to him.

R49 eat shit and die

Wow, r50 go suck a dick.

I forgot about the Friday Night Lights Texas football thing. Maybe Beto can request that debates be tied into football events. Debates first in high school gyms, attend games afterwards. Beto would thrive in the social atmosphere that surrounds games and Eduardo would be so awkward and out of place despite wearing his cowboy boots.

r52 Beto should absolutely troll him about that. I'd like to see what excuse the Pride of Calgary will come up with then.

Cruz dictated the terms in his version of debates. Only 100 people in the audience and has to be at least 50% his supporters. Also, they have to sit at desks on stage. Why? Because Beto is 6'5" and Cruz is 5'9".

This is an impressive response and it will change some minds, but not enough for him to win in Texas.

Howard Dean ‏Verified account @GovHowardDean Aug 22

This guy so outclasses Ted Cruz. If Texas votes Cruz back in over Beto, they get what they deserve. O Rourke is what an American political leader should be. Our country is in deep trouble because there are not enough people like this in DC

Ted Cruz ‏Verified account @tedcruz 8 hours ago US Senate candidate, TX

Ted Cruz Retweeted Kevin Bacon

Most Texans stand for the flag, but Hollywood liberals are so excited that Beto is siding with NFL players protesting the national anthem that Kevin Bacon just retweeted it. That means all of us us can now win Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon!

Cruz is getting ripped to pieces for that on twitter. He's obsessed with Hollywood. He wants so much to hang around with all the stars!

So, worst case, Beto doesn't win in November. How would he keep his political momentum going? He'd have to leave Texas I guess, and win something somewhere else, which could take years. Or maybe it's an appointment by a Democratic president in 2021?

[R23], Thanks for including this in your post:

[quote]Cruz responded to O’Rourke’s NFL protest comments during a campaign event in Corpus Christi. “When Beto O’Rourke says he can’t think of anything more American [than players taking a knee], well, I got to tell you, I can,” Cruz said on Saturday, according to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, citing how members of the military stationed across the nation regularly salute the flag and stand at attention when the anthem is played. Cruz’s comments have not gone viral.

Cruz is a dumbass. Members of the military follow orders, and there are rules/protocols regarding saluting and/or standing at attention for the anthem, among other “events” (fond childhood memories of walking on base with my dad and having to stop when he stopped while reveille or retreat was playing). Civilians, or out-of-uniform military personnel, can do whatever they want while the anthem is playing, including sit, stand, or buy beer and Dodger dogs. Again, Cruz is a dumbass.

[R29] Notably, 3 months out and Cruz is now ONLY ahead by 4 points.

r57 Jeez. A long way for Cruz to go for a lame joke.

r59 Jason Kander backtracked and is now running for mayor of Kansas City. But he has gained national recognition for his work on Let America Vote. It's not a bad strategy. After all, he and Beto are young. They have time.

Perhaps Beto could be the VP on the Democratic ticket? Or is he too inexperienced for that?

[R32], [R20] I am proud to have grown up in one of these blue dots!

Same here, R64! And while I live in a mostly blue state now, I eagerly await the day that my home state of Texas goes blue in statewide races. Would love to have the chance to vote for Beto for Senate this year, but I'm excited to vote in November against the Republican incumbent in the Congressional district where I currently live.

In the meantime, I've donated to Beto's campaign and continue to watch the encouraging developments in this race.

R65 check out the crowds Beto is pulling in in traditionally rightwing places. It is simply astonishing. While I don't suppose all the people who show up in his Town Halls will vote for him, surely the majority who go to the trouble to get packed in like sardines into these venues will.

Funny thing about the NFL comments: Beto made these about a week ago. Cruz and his minions picked up on Beto's comments to trash him with them and Now This looked into it and edited a portion into a video which has gone viral. Cruz cut off his nose to spite his face. All his well-paid consultants appear to be idiots.

Cruz is only 5’9”?? Wow! I remember him from those endless Republican Primary Debates, and in my memory he was tall - or at least looked it on stage.

Beto is 6’5” you say? One can easily imagine him being proportional all over at that height.

[R65] Texas was still a blue state and California a red state when I left the former to attend college in the latter. I did not move back after graduation, but most of my (anti-deplorable) family still live there and my connection remains strong. I would love to see Beto succeed in his Senate bid, and I donated to his campaign as well (I also bought a Beto 2018 t-shirt a little while back, although it is likely only good for "inspiring" visiting Texans since I didn't get it from the campaign website). Fingers crossed that he and the other Democratic challengers prevail.

What's in South Texas that makes it blue?

^ The moon, Rose.

I really like him. He is the most promising candidate I have seen in a long time. Would be wonderful if he was elected Senator. But he needs some experience. Give him a little time.

smart and sniffable!

OP drama queen thread title should've told you "nothing to see here."

A bag of nothing.

R63- Fortunately Trump has lowered the bar on how experienced a politician needs to be. I say he should strike while the iron is hot and go for the 2020 nomination.

Mexican-Americans, r69. If you could get them out to vote, Texas would be true blue. Accepted wisdom is that since the PRI dominated Mexico for so long, Mexicans didn't see much point in voting. When they immigrated to Texas, they brought that voter apathy with them. I'm an Anglo Houstonian, so don't take that as insider knowledge. It's just something I've heard for years.

[quote]Accepted wisdom is that since the PRI dominated Mexico for so long, Mexicans didn't see much point in voting. When they immigrated to Texas, they brought that voter apathy with them.

This makes a great deal of sense. El Partido Revolucionario Institucional has had a stranglehold on the populace for nearly a century.. One would always hear about vote buying that consisted only of giving a family enough tortillas and/or other staples to last them for a week or so. AND busing them to supportive rallies with the promise of a day off work and toil for a box lunch. Does this sound familiar?

Vote buying and enforcement among the poorest and hungriest is their greatest shame. Of course, it carries over when descendants see similar insanity on the northern side of the border that is just as institutionalized and played out on a much larger corporate scale in the U.S. People feel lucky to eat better and be able to send money south to their families so they feel unsafe if they rock the vote. Opposition in Mexico could result in retribution to particular communities in the form of assassinations of key community leaders and people who supported or were just bystanders.

Love that Vicente Fox has taken to retweeting Beto calling him Amigo Beto.

[R69], [R75], [R76] Under "Analysis" on the linked Wikipedia page -- titled "United States presidential election in Texas, 2016"

[quote]While he continued the Republican 10-cycle winning streak in Texas, (35) Trump's winning margin was down from Mitt Romney's 16% in 2012 to 8.99%, a 7.01% drop, making 2016 the closest Democrats had come to winning Texas since 1996 (though the Democrats also received a smaller percentage of the vote in Texas in this election than in the 2008 presidential election). The surge in Democratic votes can partly be attributed to a growing population of Hispanics/Latinos, as well as the growth of cities and their respective suburbs in the Texas Triangle region, which swung more Democratic compared to 2012.(36) These were Clinton's main sources of votes. [bold]She swept the Rio Grande region counties, such as El Paso, Webb, Hidalgo and Cameron as they have sizable Hispanic populations.(37)[bold] Clinton also took the highly liberal and fast growing Travis County (Austin), as well as the urban and minority-heavy counties of Bexar (San Antonio), Dallas, and Harris County (Houston), where she turned the historically thin vote margins of previous cycles in the latter into a 12-point lead.(38) Clinton also won suburban Fort Bend County for the first time since Texas native Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, which was attributed to the county's large immigrant population and negative perception of Trump by female Republican voters.(39) Trump on the other hand narrowly flipped Jefferson County in East Texas, becoming the first Republican since Richard Nixon in 1972 to win the county.(40) Places that had large numbers of young voters in the state were a stronghold for Clinton as well.(41)

So, yes, it likely is a growing Latino/Hispanic population feeling more comfortable about voting.

^^ Oops, seems I failed to turn off Bold type! LOL. It was supposed to highlight Clinton sweeping the Rio Grande region.

The Valley is predominantly Mexican American who vote Democratic. The issue is that Mexican-Americans don't turn out in high numbers.

[quote]To be clear, Hispanic adults participate in elections at lower rates than their white and black counterparts overall, which makes them an easy target for voter mobilization efforts. But when it comes to convincing Hispanic voters to play a bigger role in elections, it doesn’t help that they’re already starting from behind.

more at link

That name though...sounds like a contestant on the Price is Right.

r60 not entirely true. I worked as a civilian at a navy base in a very red state, the admiral was born and raised in a blue state. During swearing in, we were told the protocol by the admiral (forgot what the official rank/title of the chief of the base is) military members are to stop, face the flag (or direction of the music if you cannot see the flag), and salute.

Civilians are to do the same thing except salute.

If you are driving, you are to pull to safety and stop. You do not need to get out of the car.

Most of the civilians, especially those not within immediate vicinity of the flag, often go on with their business and largely ignore the "order".

I have observed however, that when the ranking officials are out and about, the civilians follow-suit because they WILL hear about it if they are "caught" not following. It's not entirely a job demerit so not sure what the repercussions are of it, but I suspect no one wants to find out.

So yes, military members are following orders when they do the stand and salute...

Which is why, although I understand the reason for the protest, I also see why many are against it...

Just as players who kneel aren't necessarily disrespecting the flag, people who don't like them doing so aren't necessarily racist either.

Colin K. is an idiot for starting this protest, and the rest who have followed suit are no more than SJW sheeps who are following his idiotic lead.

Another Lone Star state expat chiming in who was born and raised in El Paso. I am proud of what Beto has accomplished. His parents worshipped the Kennedys and brought Beto up to as well, hence his being named Robert Francis, like their hero. We once had a brief conversation about how much we both loved RFK. However, I worry what happens to morale in Texas when Beto doesn't win. I think he should've run for office in neighboring New Mexico, where his Santa Fe rumored billionaire father in law could've easily helped Beto win a governorship. It's been done before. Susana Martinez was born and raised a Democrat in El Paso, then became a Republican governor of New Mexico. The Senate seat in NM would be just as easy for Beto, but I do like their current Dem senator who is also attractive and intelligent. Beto is the real deal, I just have little to no faith in the apathetic non-voters of my home state.

[quote]I think he should've run for office in neighboring New Mexico, where his Santa Fe rumored billionaire father in law could've easily helped Beto win a governorship.

New Mexico has never been a state that produced anyone but Bill Richardson and please let it loose about the billionaire in law that no one but you seems to know about.

Let your cunty politics ride.

Not being cunty, there is nothing wrong with having a (maybe) billionaire father in law and it's public information, not a big secret. Beto's father in law, Bill Sanders, is a real estate mogul who sold his REIT to GE for a rumored 2 billion. If there was any dirt there, I'd think a lowlife like Cruz would've already dug it up, but instead he rattles on about nicknames and Hollywood so Beto is clean, as far as I know. Bill Richardson was a pervy goofball, wasn't he a regular on the Epstein sex planes? I like Martin Heimrich, NM's young-ish Democrat senator. He always comes across very well in the intelligence committees I've seen.

He’s lovely. Articulate, passionate and (authentically) patriotic. It’s not impossible that Texas will do the right thing. They have more big-city dwellers than you think.

But...how big dat dick?

Cruz is leading by 4 points.

R88 not bad for Texas. Hopefully Cruz goes Trump-style nuclear on SM and sheds some points.

R82, sweetie, Colin was advised about this protest by military vets. Lots of military people support Colin.

I’d like to give Beto a blowjob to thank him.

Damn, how high is his IQ? That's an amazing response.

Obama-level intelligence + more of a fighting spirit... Very nice combo.

BDF.

Gets sweaty and doesn't give a shit.

Stud.

Martin Heinrich of NM is seriously hot. He and Beto should tag team in a commercial. In t-shirts. And tighty whities. Wet.

Hubba Hubba!

❤️💛💚💙💜

❤️💛💚💙💜

❤️💛💚💙💜

They're going to attack him for being called Rob at Columbia (absurd) and for a DWI from his youth. Just a heads-up.

Donate to his campaign, you cheap bitches! Defeating Cruz will be a huge milestone!

[quote]They're going to attack him for being called Rob at Columbia (absurd)

One does not want to be called Rob at Columbia?

Is his name not "Robert"?

Okay. Let's get this hashed and rehashed old-as-white-shit shit over with. Yes, he got arrested a long time ago. Everyone in Texas knows.

So what? He's a saint compared to Cruz and his checkered past. NEXT!

^ Story.

Yeah but the supposed issue is that he didn't go by Beto while in college. It's dumb.

He was a long-shot in the Congressional race. In the end, through pure moxie, Beto handed the incumbent his ass.

He WILL do this again. Watch.

Beto is a family nickname. I certainly didn't use my family nickname when I attended Columbia. It's a non-issue.

Isn’t Beto a nickname for Alberto?

[R82] I’m thinking you might not have read my entire post and, since you included several partially described protocols in yours, didn’t bother with the link I provided, which describes how both military (Air Force, in this case) and civilian personnel are to behave *while on base* when reveille, retreat, or the anthem is played. And where in this thread did anyone say that those who don’t like the players taking a knee are racist?

Beto began his response by stating reasonable people can have opposing opinions on the issue of kneeling at a game in peaceful protest without one side being more or less American than the other. Cruz, dumbass that he is, attempted to push back on Beto by declaring that he thinks members of the military are more American than players who take a knee because they salute the flag and stand at attention for the anthem.

One point I was trying to make is that military personnel follow orders/adhere to protocols when and where it is expected, but even they are not obligated to do so when out of uniform at an event where a flag is flown and the anthem played. In fact, up until about 10 years ago, they were not allowed to salute the flag under any circumstances *unless* they were in uniform (the Navy/Marines may still require this).

My other point is that stadiums and arenas are full of spectators, staff, and others, who are technically showing “disrespect” by ignoring flag etiquette as they stand in line waiting for food and/or drink (or an open urinal/stall), remain in their seats and continue their conversation or Candy Crush game, or any number of other activities that don’t include standing, removing your hat, and placing your right hand over your heart as you face the flag, or direction of the music, from the first note of the anthem to the last.

As for your concluding statement:

[quote]“Colin K. is an idiot for starting this protest, and the rest who have followed suit are no more than SJW sheeps [oh, dear] who are following his idiotic lead.”

Why the name-calling? I am not a fan of Colin K.’s, but it certainly isn’t because he took a knee to call attention to what is an important issue and inspired others to do the same. In fact, I’ve grown to dislike him less as a result of his efforts to try to bring about change.

Ellen wants to meet Beto.

Beto loves the “fuck”!

I hope Beto wins this November just to give the Orange Nazi additional paroxysms of rage throughout football season.

Imagine no more Lying Ted.

[quote] The Valley is predominantly Mexican American who vote Democratic. The issue is that Mexican-Americans don't turn out in high numbers.

Then those of you who are politically active in TX need to take a page from Obama's playbook. Inner city African Americans suffer from voter apathy too. If you ever go a polling place in the "hood" for an off-year, low stakes election you can hear crickets. Even for races that are important, such as state legislators, the polls can be woefully empty. When Obama was running however people were lined up around the block for hours to get inside these same sites.

So yes, a charismatic candidate can override the apathy, but it takes lots of on the ground, door to door volunteers talking to folks, and organizations/individuals getting out the vans to take people to the polls on election day to help it happen. Everyone can send money, but if you live in TX and can help with your time get out there.

Thanks to all who answered my question about South Texas. I guess it's not about the moon after all!

From some angles, Martin Heinrich kinda looks like Matt Bomer, only less doll-like and more fuckable.

He may want to try keeping his 'long' answer to 100 words if he's to have any chance in Texas. Igualmente en español.

What can we do to help him - other than send him some money, which I will do. Are there some blogs, newspapers in Texas that allow comments? Not nasty comments but supportive comments.

Something really bad about Ted Cruz needs to break early October would be helpful as well.

Dems are really doing a bad job of not alarming the 65 and up voters about Republicans wanting to privatize SS and reduce payments to doctors for Medicare. (Doctors that accept Medicare are getting harder and harder to find.) I promise you those people would care but they don't know about it. And there are plenty of seniors in Texas. And Florida.

[quote]Wow, [R50] go suck a dick.

Not r49, but is it ok if I go suck a dick too r50?

I thought it would be impossible for a Dem to win the Senate from Texas but Cruz is disliked by moderate Republicans and Beto is pulling in enormous crowds in some very Republican strongholds.

I would like to suck a dick, too. Especially if it is Beto's. NOT r49's dick, though.

This will not go over in Texas. And give it up guys, Texas will still vote for Cruz.

R119 I'm in Texas and I'm starting to believe it.

I’m in Texas, and Beto is campaigning hard. In the end, I think Cruz will win, but it won’t be by much, which is a really big deal for Texas. I will say that Beto has a real chance of winning, unlike most other Texas Democrats running for statewide office (Lupe Valdez).

People talk about Texas turning blue, and demographics pretty much guarantee that it will...eventually. Like in 30 years.

Texans can still vote straight ticket. The hope is that a popular Democrat at the top of the ballot, like Beto for Senate, would increase straight-ticket voting for the Democratic Party. That might give enough of an edge to Democrats running close races that Democrats could pick up some congressional seats.

And it would be fucking awesome if Beto unseated Cruz.

You know Texans should talk about how viciously Trump went after Cruz, including insulting his wife during the campaign. Then point out how he has turned to offer his blind allegiance since. It will wrap the stink of Trump's growing corruption scandal around Cruz and make him look like a wimp. A Texan who didn't stand up to a Yankee even after he trashed his family. I can't imagine making him look like a weak half man will help him in gun totin' TX.

In summary, fuck it, I didn't want to be elected Senator in Texas any way.

No one named Beto is ever becoming President.

^ Why? Because it doesn't have the same catchiness as "Barack"?

Or because your own ears prefer the sonorous ring of "Donald"?

[quote]Texans can still vote straight ticket.

This election will be the last for that.

r90 r107 Because Colin K IS an idiot whose been glorified because of the SJW sheep.

Yes, the kneeling was something Nate Boyer, a vet told him to do. What was Boyer supposed to tell him, don't exercise your right to a peaceful protest? Boyer advised him to kneel instead of sit as a middle ground.

Colin sat and wore socks depicting cops as pigs.

In fact, many NFL players were asked prior to this blowing up again, and many said they had contemplated joining until the sock (and later the Fidel Castro shirt in miami) incident, because they didn't want to be associated with it after that.

It wasnt' until the orange president (hate him all we want, but he sure knows how to press the buttons that get people riled up) practically dared the players to kneel by calling them SOBS.

This movement was as ill-thought out as any social movement can be, and Colin is as bad as a face for it as can be.

That's why two years later, we are still talking about this....and for all the wrong reasons.

I'm encouraged to see all the Texans on this thread who think Beto has a real shot; if the kids in cages don't prompt the Hispanic community to get out there & vote, I honestly don't know will

Love this man

Yeah I don't get why African-Americans don't vote anymore...

R132 I'm hoping Beto can get African-Americans to the polls. There has been a big drive in Houston (which has one of the largest black communities in the US).

How exactly did it blow up the internet? I don't this was really a huge media story.

The video has more than 20 million views now, in just a few days. THAT is blowing up the internet.

It just occurred to me--didn't Obama put out a list of candidates he's endorsing for the midterms? I just checked it. Why isn't Beto on the list?

The real question, R130, is how many of those Texans live outside the Austin city limits or a handful of neighborhoods in Houston, SA or DFW.

Been hearing so much about him, this made me understand all of the fuss. Thoughtful, eloquent and right.

R137 I'm in Austin but Beto has held Town Halls in the reddest places in Texas and had overflow crowds.

[quote] The video has more than 20 million views now

The one I saw had 130,00+ hits. Nowhere near 20 million. Link it, please or shut your corn pone mouth. Actually, do both.

Beto will appear on Ellen next week.

R140, R135 was right. This video on Twitter currently has 17 million views.

As a gay Texan, if you can spare even $5 to donate to Beto's campaign, please consider it. This would be a major win for progressive politics in our country.

There is currently a 1-point spread between them. This is win-able. Please help.

What is Beto’s position on gun issues/gun control? Just wondering.

R142 in addition to that one there are 500K+ views on The Guardian and other websites on YouTube.

R144 he is in favor of universal background checks, waiting period for purchase, red flag laws and banning once again the sale of AR-15s. He has an 'F' rating from the NRA vs. Cruz's A+ rating.

R146... it’s impressive that he is running so close to Cruz, considering his NRA “F” grade in Texas.

R143 here again. Here's a link to his site.

He's gonna be on Ellen next week. Please give him anything you can.

Pretty please?

And now, with the link. Ugh. Please help.

I said it in the other thread but I'm a teacher and my students know about him. Several had even seen his remarks on the protest. I think a lot of sports-oriented sites picked up the story. And these are kids who think Joe Biden is still VP.

The Republicans have no business making an issue of his DUI arrest, given that they made GWB their Presidential candidate TWICE.

R151 Texas' asshole Attorney General the total idiot Ken Paxton was arrested with 3 indictments for fraud... lovely pic of his Phantom of the Opera face. That was back in 2015 and Paxton STILL hasn't been to court. His judge pals keep postponing his trial. I bet Paxton is behind the attempt to deprive Mexican-Americans in the Rio Grande Valley of their citizenship. Paxton is evil.

The clip has been viewed over 44 million times.

LOL

[Quote]Why would the people of Texas support Ted Cruz when he has accomplished absolutely nothing for them. He is another all talk, no action pol!

This is amazing.