Meet the Next President of the United States: Beto O'Rourke

Can we run this thread out first please?

R1 don't we need a place for the Kamala bois to blow their lid?

I'd be very surprised if there were a "next President." The current (and illegitimate) one is one will do everything in his power to prevent another election from happening . Ever again. We'll see martial law before we can elect anyone not affiliated with his ruthless fascist crime syndicate.

Would he really try to run in 2020 if he wins the Senate? Or are people predicting he’ll run for President whether he beats Cruz or not?

I love him, for the record. He’s intelligent, has a cool punk rock past, well spoken, liberal, and a TOTAL FUCKING STUD.

Has his meat size been discussed yet?

Ugly, thin and gay face, well it worked for Obama

He could beat Trump , no problem. But I don't think Trump will be running in 2020.

No chance in hell. Don't worry boys the Donald is here to stay unless they put him in a convertible to parade around Dallas.

Fuck you R5.

R7, suck my hairy swamp-ass.

I can't wait for Trumps 2020 election night win. It will be so goddamn entertaining.

You’re deranged and delusional, R9.

Trump 2020! Go trump !

R5, Why do you say he's got a "gay face?" Either way I find him to be a breath of fresh air, in part because he's so energetic.

This guy sounds the biz! Trump will be dead by 2020, of that there is no doubt, and then we have the Pence-ster to worry about. Oh dear.

Good idea: "unless they put him in a convertible to parade around Dallas."

Ohhhh the Melania splatter and trunk crawl! [html removed]

First introduction to this thread at R8. Maybe, this one should be aborted in favor of more positive thread when the other one actually achieves about 80 more posts?

08/29/2018 Fuck you [R5].

[R7], suck my hairy swamp-ass.

Cruz at his rally yesterday said Beto will "turn Texas into California with tofu, dyed hair and silicon"......huh?

To begin with, Ted Cruz dyes his hair and so does his wife (who is from California). All those Republican bleached blondes in Texas have silicone implants and tofu's popularity is large due to Whole Foods, headquartered in Austin, Texas.

He's officially nuts.

Beto is trying to pander to the Hispanic voter and even changed his first name to fool the typical voter! Ha ! He is even a known criminal and has been convicted. He will fail!

R17 Lyin' Ted: everybody hates you. You're going down.

The trolls are working hard in this thread.

People are tired of the Trump nonsense and chaos... even people who voted for him.

Beto looks like a breath of rational, smart, compassionate, and youthful fresh air in comparison.

Joe Biden 2020 he is the only hope for the dems, moderate Republicans like him, Dems like him...he should have ran against Trump he would have won.

Some BETO roadside campaign signs in Austin were destroyed a few nights ago.

Wow Beto gets the trolls all hot and bothered.

If Beto doesn't win, would that put a damper on a presidential run in 2020?

I hope he kicks Mr. Haney's ass. That would be a two birds with one stone scenario.

[quote]Wow Beto gets the trolls all hot and bothered.

He gets everyone all hot and bothered.

I look forward to seeing him speak next weekend. I'll share my impressions.

Beto's going to be on Colbert on Wednesday night. The MSM ignored him till the viral video and now - boom!

Beto is a phoney with a phoney name just like DeBlasio.

So the fuck what, r28? You can't even spell "phony."

Go away Rafael “Ted” Cruz at R28. You’re disgusting, nobody likes you, and you’ve got your own fake name.

I think the very good news is that the bench in 2020 is strong for Dems. Add him to the mix with a lot of other options. But it won't happen if he doesn't make it to the Senate. So that's really the main issue.

R31 not necessarily. There are some very talented Dems in red states (where it takes balls to be a Dem) who find it difficult to win statewide office and so are out of the running. Not really fair. Any Dem can win in California, NY, NJ - winning in Texas would be a monumental event.

Beto ran because both the Castro twins were too afraid of losing to try for higher office this year. Beto had balls, they didn't. Julian Castro claims he's going to run for President in 2020 having gone from Mayor of San Antonio to Obama's Secretary of HUD to doing nothing since Obama left office.

Kamala Harris and Beto O’Rourke will be the two Dem front-runners for the nom in 2020.

Send the guy some cash to help with his campaign.

Well if Vanity Fair and Ellen have backed him. Who did they back in 2016 again? It's nearly 2019 and I can't see anyone pulling ahead of the pack. I'm afraid the DNC is going to get desperate and we're going to end up with Biden.

R35 the midterms haven't even happened yet. Beto is building a grassroots organization.

Nominating Biden = political suicide.

He suports NFL kneeling,....will not receive my democratic vote

[R38] - if supporting NFL kneeling will not get your 'democratic' vote, either you don't understand the purpose of the kneeling, or you're not a democrat. Guess which one we're all leaning toward????

Obama served 2 years of his term in the senate before winning the presidency so all Beto has to do is win. And lest the trolls forget; CRUZ'S DAD KILLED KENNEDY

I believe in Beto. I live in California and sent him 50 bucks last week. You all should do the same.

The whole “NFL kneeling” will be a forgotten issue in 2 years when Beto is running for President.

And besides, he didn’t say he “supported” it... he commented on why the players are doing it to bring awareness to an important issue.

TRUMP is not going to run in 2020. Come on, why risk a loss when he can just leave with the title and really cash out. The investigation will be old news. Removal from office is now as impossible as a constitutional amendment. I was hoping Trump would be the wedge to pull the parties together towards bipartisanship but things aren't bad enough. I guess we will have to wait for the next 9/11 for us to start working together.

R38, why in the world would NFL kneeling make that big a deal to you? That doesn't even make any sense. If you're that stupid, you have to be voting Republican already. Even if you DON'T agree with the kneeling, why in the hell would that be a determinant in voting for POTUS?

Beto protested - like the kneelers - the murders of unarmed black men by cops.

Yesterday a white woman cop in Dallas shot and killed an unarmed black man IN HIS APARTMENT.

r43 From your lips to God's ears, but no. Trump is too much of a narcissist not to run in 2020. That would seem like defeat, and he'll have none of that.

Block the trolls.

Why's he doing Colbert? They must have decided it'll gain more votes than it'll lose.

Desperate nonsense.

Muriel, we need more f/f's! I use mine up within 10 minutes

R50, just block them.

I still believe we're going to get Paul Ryan shoved down our throats in one form or another. Either the repugs will put him right back as Speaker if they hold the House -- without him even having to run -- or Pencey will make him his VP if given the keys, and then they'll toss Pencey, too. We be screwed.

R52, i agree that he's going to return after making money it Carlyle or the like. He's a sociopath so he thinks he can do anything.

God I hope you are right. I am a Republican who has likely been blocked by half of the people here, but even I sent him a check for $1500.

That is how much I loathe Ted Cruz.

Wow that's awesome, R54. Nice.

First things first. He needs to beat Cruz for the Senate.

Also, be way of identifying a frontrunner too soon. It'll just give the deplorables more time to make crap up and give him the Benghazi Emails treatment.

Re that Dallas incident, I just don't understand why the entire black community in the US doesn't rise up and take to the streets and demand respect, with or without Aretha. Their lot now is beyond intolerable.

Get engaged, everyone.

As to Ryan: all we have to do is ask again and again. " You knew Rump was dangerous and a loon, what did you do about it except run away?"

Wow, he's got awful skin if that pic is any gauge above. But so what, he still sounds great and Drumpf is so butt fuck ugly inside and out that ANYTHING would be an improvement.

Hope

Yes please.

[quote]Obama served 2 years of his term in the senate before winning the presidency

No; four.

House rep since 2013. Serves on the veterans and armed services committees. Nice.

Just reading about him on wikipedia made me cry tears of hope and possible joy

I hate it when I use all my daily ff's on one thread.

Beto should run in 2020 whether he wins or loses this year, and not change a thing in his platform.

If you're a Democrat and you vote like R38, I hope you get what you deserve.

R66, save your FFs and block them.

At least I got to FF R38.

r5 is why I love DL. Even though don't agree. Your funny cunt.

If Beto wins the Senate can he turn-around and run for President? It's barely enough time to get the seat warm.

R70, in theory yes, but I suspect he won't. I think he's up for VP but not President this round.

[quote]Has his meat size been discussed yet?

It’s huge, judging by his big hands and huge feet.

You are all forgetting if Beto runs for POTUS or vice pres and wins. . Texas and the senate lose a democrat senator. The governor of Texas is a republican and will appoint a republican replacement.

I’ve given Beto a shit ton (relative to my budget) of money. It’s time to pay up people!!! You can give up a few lattes this week to support Beto, put your money where your mouth is. It’s going to take a while helluva lot more than just money, but dollars DO help. Give whatever you can, even if it’s 5 bucks, if you’re poor and you still give, it’s a more meaningful gift and says a lot about who you are and what you believe in.

I'm buying a Beto shirt.

New episode just now.

It really looks like there is a real possibility Beto can win this.

The GOP Is Sweating Bullets Over Beto O’Rourke

Beto is coming up on Colbert in about 20 minutes

Willie Nelson Will Headline a Rally for Beto O’Rourke

Why does he go to the tiny towns?

Hot guy at 0:16 LOL

That cute guy has wide hips (:037). Seems like a gay guy into A/V tech (holding the camera or whatever).

[quote] OMG what must it be like to be hot and grow up in an idyllic Texan town (e.g., [R595]'s guy at 0:16), going to a football game and hooking up with guys or whatever in the hot evening - sweaty and with whatever things like grasshoppers making noise in the fields. So romantic. Just like ... bareback sex in the guy's truck, both of you 18... FUCK.

Texan DLers, was it like that for you?

It would be great to see the backside of Cruz.

The cute guy is Beto's videographer. He's in the first few seconds here carrying the same handheld iPhone video rig.

I would love to see Beto win the senate AND the presidency. I live in Austin and there is a lot of buzz about him. I'm doubtful he will win but I'd love it.

Mouthbooger is toast.

Love him so far. Just ... he's so nice that I don't want him to do that appeasement stuff with Russia OR the GOP (reset and "coming together for the country" respectively). I HATE that stuff. It doesn't work. Russia wants to destroy our democracy and the GOP... well, they want to destroy it, too.

Beto needs to stay away from Hollywood or he’s gonna lose. He needs to concentrate on Texas and Texans only. And stay far away from people like Andy Cohen and flashy NYC fundraisers.

R89, that's what I was thinking. Ellen was enough. I think he's got to be too smart to indulge in that stuff. Doing so is shortsighted - trying to grow your national profile before winning in your home state.

Like Ossoff mistakenly did.

^ Ted Cruz is gonna attack ‘Gone Hollywood’ Beto. The country’s not voting for Beto. Texans are.

Yup, R91, that's what I'm thinking. Small-town Texans don't want to see that - Ellen, HBO, Colbert, Manhattan fundraisers w/ Andy Cohen. It's a bit much. Truly.

I've read that Beto needs 400,000 NEW Democratic voters who didn't vote in the primary to match Cruz's primary numbers. I think that number is just too high. So assuming he doesn't win, what is the route to the Presidency? Can a Congressman run for President or does he absolutely need to be a Senator or Governor?

The voting was rigged in the Ossoff election. Georgias election server was wiped after a lawsuit was filed. All election data was destroyed.

Hollywood had nothing to do with it.

R94, what's more likely? People in Georgia were turned off by George Clooney and Streisand harping on and on about giving Ossoff money, or the vote was hacked? Granted, the latter is possible, but given that it was Georgia - suburban, upper-middle class, white Georgia - I think the former is more likely to have made the difference.

He just needs to finish-up the LA-NYC junket and go back to the small towns and keep working. It's nice being fawned-on by famous people, but it can indeed backfire when voters think you're neglecting them for the cool kids.

Can't wait until Cruz is gone.

So the other thread is closed.

Government of the upper-middle-class, by the upper-middle-class, for the upper-middle-class shall not perish from the Earth.

Hi, Boris/R98.

Beto being interviewed in Spanish.

Saw him on Colbert last night. He seems like the quintessential "good American ", the type of person who actually makes this country great.

He's like a hot Jimmy Stewart.

R95 Ossoff won the election. The republicans changed the vote totals.

Again, it's a question of election integrity, not Hollywood. Why are you even prattling on about it?

Beto does have a Jimmy Stewart quality to him - he's so tall and lanky.

[quote]Love him so far. Just ... he's so nice

That's my concern as well, he needs to toughen up. As much as I think he will be great for Texas, I don't think he is ready for running for president yet. He could be just another Obama with Putin, China and other adversaries running roughshod over him. He has no experience in foreign policy.

Hopefully he wins in Texas and gains some experience in the senate and internationally, then in 2024 he could be ready.

R32, every other MSM story will be about how he couldn't win the election. And every pundit will be noting that he can't possibly win if he couldn't win his bid for Senate. The media anymore can really make or break candidates, especially if they start early enough. And they'll start the day after the Senate election if he loses.

This is how Obama started. Lowkey

This senate campaign feels to me like Obama in '04: lots of excitement, lots of optimism, lots of buzz. The difference is that Obama felt inevitable (after Alan Keyes stepped in) and Beto will have a harder time with Cruz. Also, I live in neither IL nor TX so I've judging from afar. But there's seems to be a sense building that the voters can do better, they don't have to put up with Cruz anymore, they have something to vote for.

I truly hope he wins. My fingers are crossed that the excitement about Beto draws enough Democrats to the polls that we pick up the lt. gov. or AG office and more seats in the lege. So, please, keep pushing for Beto.

The fact that Beto is saying everything that is contrary to official GOP canon and approaching Cruz in the polls in Texas is rather remarkable and hopeful.

Today on Deadline White House, they were all talking about if Beto doesn't win the Senate, he should run for the White House. He's got the national name recognition now and a great Democratic candidate in a red state shouldn't be ignored.

Beto must have a sharper answer to Cruz’s bullshit line that Beto’s a left wing liberal. Liberals don’t steal healthcare from working families, nor buddy up to dictators, nor raise deficits, nor cause recession and depressions like Republicans do.

Got to be careful. A lot of Texans are protective of Geroge W and his daddy.

The Bushes hate Cruz. Dubya's supposed to be going to campaign for some GOP Congress people in Texas but NOT for Cruz.

I'm not seeing Kamala fill up threads...

R114 I just don't see Kamala pulling it off. I like her but she comes across as a caustic prosecutor (which she was). Very cold and calculating. She seems very competent but devoid of charm and charm goes a long way to winning an election for President. Remember Dubya? Asshole that he was when he ran against smug, wooden Al Gore, you kind of understand how he could compete despite the fact Gore was obviously much more intelligent and more experienced.

Beto is still 3 to 4 points behind Cruz in the new polls.

Wow. Texans are still supporting Cruz. That's ... something.

I was not very familiar with O’Rourke, but I watched some of his interviews and speeches and I’ve changed my mind. I like the guy. He’s very well spoken, intelligent, and charismatic.

I hope that he wins against Ted Cruz and I certainly hope to see and hear more from O’Rourke. And he would make a great presidential candidate after he wins.

The best part of his interviews is that he gives a quick, definitive answer (if it's a yes-or-no question, he'll say yes or he'll say no) and then explain. He doesn't beat around the bush, doesn't vacillate, doesn't hedge. This is how he answered the football question in the now-viral video and this is how he responded to the wall question on Colbert. I can imagine that he has changed minds purely on the strength of his convictions, even if his positions may not be what some voters would like to hear.

They finally agreed to 3 debates - first one on September 21st. Cruz is bragging about being a master debater (or masterbater) but I recall in the GOP primary debates, he made a fool of himself repeatedly. He's so fucking nasty.

Ted's reverting to his supercilious high school geek self, feeling inadequate and less than and focusing on physical attributes. Imagine how he's going to feel when he stands next to him on the dais during the debates!

{quote]“Their favorite adjective is Kennedy-esque,” Cruz said. “They all talk about his hair and his teeth. They talk about no substance. Nothing about his record… they don’t talk about the fact that he’s trying to impeach the president.”

Could he maybe get a lip injection so that his mouth doesn't look like it's always open. He has open mouth resting face. Other than that, pretty cute.

I've seen a Beto bumper sticker almost every day this week. Last time I saw anything like this was Obama in 2008, but I think i'm seeing more for Beto. Haven't seen a single Cruz bumpersticker. I hope all of this enthusiasm is real and translates into actual votes. I'm cautiously optimistic.

Ann Richards if you're up there, please be Beto's guardian angel, protect him and help him win.

A friend just said his conservative Christian lifetime Republican parents in TX have put up a Beto sign outside their house. Fingers crossed that Mrs. Cruz doesn't sneak by and steal it.

Loved Ann Richards, R123. Wish she could have run for higher national office.

You know deep down Cruz wants to say "it's because I'm hispanic!" but he can't say that for obvious reasons so he dances around it.

It's totally the teeth and the hair...and the Kennedy-esque.

Yeah, it's "totally" teeth and hair and has nothing to do with his policy stands. [eye roll] And Hispanics in Texas have absolutely no idea what it's like to be hated and denigrated because they're brown Hispanic.

Any pix of Beto in flip-flops?

Beto’s not going to be anything if he doesn’t stay away from Kennedy’s and talk shows.

Bloomberg will be the next Democrat to be President in 2020.

Bullshit, r129. Beto does very well on talk shows.

Bloomberg will be 78 then. Some people have nixed Biden for the run and he's a year younger

Beto should meet the Queen of All Lesbians! She can control the lesbionic forces and send them to assist in his run for power! A short trip to New Lesbia and he will gain her support!

Bill Maher was doing his "I Don't Know for a Fact but I Believe it's True' routine. "I Don't know for a fact but Ted Cruz's daughter has a giant poster of Beto O'Rourke in her bedroom." "I Don't know for a fact but Lindsey Graham also has a giant poster of Beto in his bedroom".

R131 Talk Shows aren’t going to get Beto elected. He’s from Jesus and Gun Country.

I like Kamala, she got bigger balls than Beto and she actually might be the better person for the difficult job of juggling a divided country and cleaning all the mess internationally. Besides she's not singing Kumbaya like Obama and I am not quite sure if Beto has the confidence, the shrewdness and the cut-throats-ness standing up to ISIS, XI, Putin, Kim Jong Un and Assad. He's too much of a peace maker and half of the world is on a war path against the west right now. Beto has yet to prove he has what it takes to be the top dog in this fight.

[quote]I like Kamala, she got bigger balls than Beto and she actually might be the better person for the difficult job of juggling a divided country and cleaning all the mess internationally. Besides she's not singing Kumbaya

She had to have harder balls for not prosecuting Steve Mnuchin in order to forward and progress her own political career, despite how Trump's Treasury Secretary ran roughshod and likely illegally over California residents, ignoring her sworn oath as our Attorney General. She sang hard and bad song "Kumbaya" for failing to prosecute Steven Mnuchin, Trump's Sec. of Treas. after his numerous and egregious offenses against anyone who wasn't rich or remotely powerful. Kamala Harris is is likely self-promoting as any Trump govt official, even the pathetic Betsy DeVos.

No, I don't want any of these recently prominent younger people. Give them another half decade or decade in high office and the attendant experience; give e.g. them time to learn to attend to realities more than to political optics (cf. 137). I've always thought Obama would have resisted the Republicans more effectively if he'd had another term in the Senate. Let some experienced state governor or person in their 50s/60s emerge to carry the banner, as long as they have spine enough to defend Democratic principles.

I agree R138, as much as I like Beto and some others. They'll face major challenges geopolitically and they just don't have the experience to handle all these bloodsuckers like Putin. Obama definitely didn't. I sometimes wonder if we would have been in this much trouble if Hillary had won in 2008 and 2012.

I always come back to Bob Woodward quoting James Cameron's opinion on Obama when he said 'Obama is a great guy, but nobody is afraid of him.

[quote]they just don't have the experience to handle all these bloodsuckers like Putin. Obama definitely didn't.

What about George W. Bush? He had such warm relations with Putin so many years ago that no one remembers anymore. Who got played here? ARCHIVES | 2001 THE BUSH-PUTIN SUMMIT: THE RANCH;By DAVID E. SANGER

President Bush and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia ended their three-day summit meeting today with warm jokes and a pledge to bring stability to Afghanistan, but no discernible progress on amending the treaty that constrains Washington's plans to test an antimissile system.

After 24 hours on Mr. Bush's ranch here, punctuated by hours of private discussions and a barbecue dinner on Tuesday night that included lessons in how to dance the Cotton-Eyed Joe, the two presidents emerged this morning to visit the local high school. What followed was a remarkable sight. For nearly an hour, the leaders of the two largest nuclear powers answered questions from the students on women's rights, the details of reducing their nuclear arsenals and their sudden race to put together a government in Afghanistan that represents a cross-section of the country's fractious tribes.

The two men were clearly more at ease with each other than Mr. Bush's father ever was with Mikhail S. Gorbachev. At the school today, Mr. Bush recalled facetiously inviting Mr. Putin to return here for a jog in the wilting August heat and Mr. Putin's quick rejoinder that Mr. Bush, whose distaste for cold climates is well known, might enjoy a winter visit to Siberia.

But when one student raised the sensitive subject of the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty, Mr. Bush turned serious. 'We have a difference of opinion,' he said, though he did not elaborate on why a compromise that seemed at hand when Mr. Putin arrived had slipped through their fingers, at least for now. 'Our differences will not divide us.' Mr. Putin immediately suggested that he thought that an agreement might be eventually reached that would 'not threaten the interests of both our countries and of the world.'

Mr. Putin's reassuring tone raised the possibility that the United States was prepared to delay further its testing or that Russia might simply overlook tests that edge toward violations of the ABM treaty. The timing is problematic. Mr. Bush would have to give six months' notice of his intention to withdraw from the treaty in a few weeks if he wants to move ahead with tests in the late spring, as the Pentagon hopes. The White House did not disclose its testing schedule.

The two men are not widely expected to see each other again this year, although Mr. Bush said today that he had accepted an invitation from Mr. Putin to visit Moscow next year, probably in the spring. American officials dodged questions about what obstacles remained to an accord on strategic defenses. Mr. Bush has made clear his aversion to signing another formal treaty that could take time to negotiate and would require Senate approval. Mr. Putin insisted this week that he wanted to codify any new framework on both offensive and defensive weapons, so that no future president could reverse course. As Mr. Putin was leaving this afternoon, Condoleezza Rice, Mr. Bush's national security adviser, told reporters that Mr. Bush was still committed to going ahead with testing an antimissile system, even if an agreement could not be reached. 'The president has made clear that one way or another the U.S. will have to get out of the constraints of the missile defense treaty,' Ms. Rice said. 'The timeline has not really changed.' She set no deadlines and insisted that the relationship between the two men was so good that their differences over the treaty were less important than than they were earlier this year.

(continued)

The oddity of the leaders' meeting was that the tone was so good, while the specific accomplishments were relatively modest. Mr. Bush opened it by promising to cut America's nuclear arsenal by two-thirds, down to 1,700 to 2,200 warheads, in the next 10 years. That was no surprise. He had promised major cuts in the presidential campaign last year, even though he had not previously announced a number.

Mr. Putin returns to Moscow with one great prize. Mr. Bush has committed to the cuts before Mr. Putin has agreed to any change of position on testing antimissile weapons. But the Russian is also insisting on a treaty that would establish how the two sides would verify each others' cuts and would define what constitutes a decommissioned missile. Mr. Putin has some allies on Capitol Hill. Senator Robert C. Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia, warned the Senate today against 'fly-by-night arms control' based on handshakes and oral accords.

'I am shocked by the president's view that an agreement on arms reductions need not be on paper,' Mr. Byrd said. 'We do not need hush-hush agreements with other countries on our nuclear weapons.' Other critics of Mr. Bush's approach suggested that the struggle in the Bush administration over whether to abandon the ABM treaty was still under way. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is continuing to press for swift action to amend or abandon the pact. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell is urging patience and reminding administration colleagues that this is no time to add strain on the loose coalition against terrorism.

'There are some who want to create a treaty crisis to push the process and get the tests,' said Tom Z. Collina, director of global security for the Union of Concerned Scientists. 'But the reality is that getting no deal in Crawford probably doesn't interfere with many of the next tests.' The tests, Mr. Collina argued, could easily be designed within the confines of the ABM treaty.

The warmth of the meeting in the last two days was evident this morning when the two leaders went to the high school, where students, including 15 or so Russian exchange students temporarily living in Texas, gathered in a large gymnasium. Mr. Bush mounted the stage in the brown field jacket that he uses for hiking on his ranch. Mr. Putin wore a black golf shirt and a sport coat. 'I bet a lot of folks here, particularly the older folks, never dreamt that an American president would be bringing the Russian president to Crawford,' Mr. Bush said. 'When I was in high school, Russia was an enemy. He never mentioned points of conflict with Russia like human rights violations in Chechnya or the crackdown on independent news media.

Mr. Putin played to the Texas crowd with a skill that would have made Lyndon B. Johnson proud. 'We in Russia have known for a long time that Texas is the most important state in the United States,' he said.

If you think Obama or O'Rourke are naive and have poorly thought out conceptions about dealing with sociopathic bloodsuckers like Putin, take a little more stock, from Texas of all places!

George W. concluded this, seriously:

[quote]In 2001, President George Bush issued a truly astounding appraisal of Vladimir Putin, the former KGB agent who has run Russia since replacing Boris Yeltsin in 1999. "I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul; a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country." Bush got it half right. Putin was absolutely committed to Russia and Russia's interests. But trustworthy? I think Bush's own CIA and FBI specialists would have told him to read his intelligence briefs more closely before opening his mouth.

Obviously Putin didn't like W marching into Afghanistan and Iraq, he rather wanted those countries for himself.

Are you suggesting Bush got played by Putin, R143? At least Obama didn't, right?

You sound lost R144.

Because it worked out so well for us there upon Bush's misbegotten incursions that wasted billions of dollars, countless lives, and destabilized the region, you mean, R145?

At least Prince, Cheney, et al. made out rather well.

R146 thinks Iraq should be Putin country and Afghanistan should have been part of Russia in the 19th century already.

The Russians couldn't deal with Afghanistan in any century and Reagan's funding to the "Freedom Fighters" (i.e the Taliban) worked out so well for us that it was a wholesale folly that further destabilized the region and helped to create you know who.

O'Rourke is a powerful presence. I hope he wins something and soon. It will be down to the ground game, if the percentage gap can be closed.

I also agree his appeal is his authenticity and too much California and New York is a bad thing, He also needs to establish his bona fides better. Do something. Run the Red Cross. Start an employment initiative. To just run from a failed candidacy and some state level positions seems like over reach and the candidates who won't run. from that position will nail him with it, possibly successfully. It's about timing.

I posted this in the Beto 2020 thread regarding his authenticity and presence and I think it's what makes him so appealing, besides his policy stands:

[quote]I've never looked through his Instagram before. The thing that strikes me is that he really, fundamentally likes people, being around them, and he's energized by the contact. He's social and seems to enjoy what he's doing while most candidates would view campaigning as a chore. His schedule would wear most down.

Ted Cruz's downfall is that he is so fucking uppity that he looks down his Grandpa Munster nose at other mere humans either with disdain, contempt, or complete bewilderment because he just doesn't get them. either because they're too working class, too brown, too drenched in sweat or smelly after laboring physically for their living, or he believes they're just not as smart as he is despite many having an equal or superior education to his own.

His own father, who has Dominionist "Christian," (see link) views anointed Ted as Christ on Earth. Ted was hearing this for a long time, and it comes across in Ted's overarching superciliousness, even among his Senate colleagues He really is truly removed from mere mortals who don't have his "intellect," education, "class," or presumed religious advantages. He really is odious. O'Rourke had many of the same advantages, and even if his face was busted-looking, he has the charisma and ability to relate that Cruz cannot fathom.

The problem in Texas is Cruz does nothing but put out ads attacking Beto (it's not like Cruz can run on his record, he does nothing). He pays 100s of Russian bots to overrun Beto's twitterfeed. Beto is 100% positive, never attacking all Cruz's lies and setting the record straight. Only Politifact Texas does that and people who aren't politically involved will just watch Cruz's TV ads and think 'oh, that Beto's a crook'.

He even speaks Spanish.

We should have let Russia have Afghanistan.

Yep. Afghanistan has defeated the British empire, the Soviets and us. I always remember somebody in Bush's White House said "we're gonna bomb Afghanistan back to the Stone Age" and an Afghan journalist on the BBC said "Afghanistan has never left the Stone Age".

Will they debate in Spanish, like Cruz tried to get Li'l Marco to do? (Marco just ignored him.)

Beto wanted to do 2 debates in Spanish - Cruz refused. Then again, when Cruz was running for the GOP nomination back in 2012 against the then Lt Gov David Dewhurst, Dewhurst wanted to debate Cruz in Spanish and Cruz said his Spanish wasn't good enough. As Rubio pointed out, Cruz's Spanish is schoolboy stuff. Beto's Spanish is pure TexMex.

I like Beto a lot but if he manages to defeat Cruz, I want him to stay in the Senate for six years instead of running for president. It's not like Obama and Illinois, where the position was going to get get appointed (sold...) to a Democrat anyway.

The US is too dumbed down at this point to elect anybody like this as president

I had dinner with a Republican friend of mine tonight who I often talk politics with, despite the fact that we usually disagree with each other. He is also the nephew of a prominent congressman from Texas. He said he thinks Beto will be able to win this. He questions Beto’s experience-level, but ultimately said that at the end of the day no one likes Lying Ted Cruz. Not even a large segment of the Republicans here. Everyone knows Ted doesn’t spend much time in Texas and he cares much more about maintaining a presence at the national level.

Obviously this guy doesn’t know how things will turn out, but I thought it was an interesting perspective that was worth sharing considering that he is from such a prominent Texan Republican family.

The Cruzers are scared and stealing Beto signs

Poor Ted: He will have to take a job in the Trump shithouse once he loses

But . . . but Kamala!

But . . . but KAMALA!

He's very sexy!

Do any corporations own him?

R164 No! No PAC or corporate money, only individual contributions.

It's now just a wet shirt contest against himself.

On a very hot, humid day Beto held 2 Town Halls in red counties Denton and Collin. Thousands of people showed up.

Encouraging news.

I would have thought it impossible for him to win but seeing the massive crowds he is attracting in some red towns and counties, if voter turnout increases, he’ll win. And it’s hard to believe anybody showing up in the sweltering heat to watch Beto sweat through his shirt for a couple of hours wouldn’t bother to vote for him.

Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso and the border have always been Democratic. He needs to pick up votes in suburbia and rural. And he looks like he’s doing just that. I went to a Town Hall. They’re full of fan girls with 😍 If he can get white suburban women who vote GOP, he’s in. Don’t discount the hot factor, something Cruz is devoid of.

r166 here. Jennifer is trans, right?

r170 He'll get more votes if he popped a shirt button or two.

Beto had an event in someplace called Plano and someone posted pictures. The line to get in to see him was around the block and it looks like more people showed up for Beto than showed up for Trump's inauguration. People who couldn't get in to see him even went up to a parking garage to listen to him from there.

[quote]Re that Dallas incident, I just don't understand why all decent people – regardless of background – in the US don't rise up and take to the streets and demand respect, with or without Aretha. Their lot now is beyond intolerable.

FIFY.

Texas gays, I hope every one of you are doing SOMETHING to get rid of mouthbooger.

R115, I'm disputing your characterization of Harris slightly. I watched her last year questioning someone and I saw what you decribed. She was rude and cut the person off, just wanting "yes" or "no" answers. I thought she was harsh in tone and argumentative, given her position as a Senator. But watching her question Kavanaugh I saw a definite change in tone. She was softer spoken and in phrasing her questions, though her questions were tough. I think she either realized she needed to lighten up a bit or she got feedback from people that she took seriously. I think if she continues to learn from experience in her current position, she will be a formidable candidate.

Plano is a Dallas suburb in conservative Collin County.

Beto was in Denton and Plano yesterday - both GOP strongholds. There must have been 5,000 people who showed up at the two of them. That's incredible. Yesterday Cruz had 2 events for supporters only - he never holds open Town Halls - in restaurants. Not very big restaurants.

Daddy!

Bump

I know a lot of you think with your dicks and would either love to be fucked by him or you'd like to fuck him. But his name is BETO. That sounds like the name of a folk singer or an old Irish gang member from "the 5 points".

R180 it's either Beto or Rafael Cruz who was known as Felito till he went to high school and everybody called him Fellatio. So he changed it to Ted as a tip of the hat to his fellow serial killer Bundy.

Shameful!

[quote] She was rude and cut the person off, just wanting "yes" or "no" answers. I thought she was harsh in tone and argumentative, given her position as a Senator.

She’s a former Prosecutor and Attorney General. That’s who she is.

This is the type of person who I’d actually want in the White House... someone who won’t take any bullshit and is not going to put up with people who spout nonsense.

She’s actually like a female, Dem version of Trump in that sense... except intelligent, liberal, and not 70+.

Off-topic, but it's mind-boggling to think that it's not long now until the presidential campaigns for 2020 start. I still can't quite believe that Trump is actually POTUS - the thought that he'll soon be trying for a second term is crazy.

How stupid are deplorables? Lol they got NOTHING from the admin but tariffs.

What an amazing scam that was pulled on them. The scale is mind-boggling.

This video makes me lose hope. The expert is basically saying it's impossible to catch up to Cruz who is several points ahead in the new polls.

Never underestimate the dumb of Texas. It is legendary and tenacious.

Lots of uninformed people vote based on “Who would I rather have a beer with?”

Beto wins for sure over Senator Mouthbooger.

Latest poll was Real Clear Politics with Cruz 3 points ahead but Cruz was only 44 %. Everybody knows fucking Ted Cruz and if they were going to support him, they’d already be supporting him.

Yes, the percentage of "undecideds" seems pretty high in these polls, and when there are so many undecided voters they tend to break against the incumbent in the end—especially in a wave election, which this is shaping up to be. The large number in TX this year would seem to suggest a large number of people who just can't stand Cruz, and most of them are ripe for Beto's picking. Or am I being too optimistic? Where is the Poll Troll?

Even if you think Beto can't quite make it past Cruz, don't underestimate the importance of supporting him. Beto O'Rourke will attract thousands of people to the polls who might otherwise have stayed at home. Texas has some races for the House of Representatives that are competitive this year. Also, the State Board of Education (did you notice the story about keeping Hillary and Helen Keller out of history text books?] has 7 out of 15 seats on the November ballot.* We need every Democratic vote we can get this November. Electing Beto would be the cherry on top. But knocking out Rep. Culberson (R-Houston) or our indicted AG Ken Paxton would be so good for the state.

*And no matter which state you live in, if you care about public education, you should care about the Texas Board of Education. The big states have a huge influence on the national textbook market. If Texas stomps out a textbook for alleged Commie, atheistic, or (shudder) humanistic tones, textbook publishers might decide not to publish that book any longer.

You got to love Willie Nelson!

R192 I'm not American but I still support Beto. I hope he makes it, though the recent polls don't have me terribly optimistic.

How old is Willie Nelson anyway? Seems like old enough to have no fucks left to give.

Willie's 85 and he has no fucks to give. He has supported liberal candidates and causes his whole life starting with Jimmy Carter so anybody surprised he'd endorse Beto didn't know anything about him.

OMG WILLY IS SLAYING THESE DEPLORABLES.

There is nothing tougher than a Texas Democrat: Willie, Ann Richards, Molly Ivins, etc.

R198 don't forget LBJ

Yep R199

And Lady Bird.

Beto is sexy is fuck and packing at least 9"

I've got a good feeling about this race. Cruz is slimy fucker, and nobody likes him. Everybody likes Beto, because he's not full of shit. If enough people actually go out and vote, Beto wins. It's possible even in Texas, which is a purple state about to happen. Have to beat the deplorables in midterm turnout.

I want to have Beto fuck me!

Despite is supposed BDF and hands Beto has tiny meat.

r205 is a liar who lies

Cruz says that if elected, Beto will ban BBQ. No joke. Then he doubled down with a tweet.

[quote]“When I got here someone told me that even PETA was protesting and giving out barbecued tofu, so I got to say, they summed up the entire election: If Texas elects a Democrat, they’re going to ban barbecue across the state of Texas,” Cruz claimed.

How did Cruz ever get through high school? He had to be the most detested kid in school.

Cruz up by 9 points. Quinnepiac.

Cruz has been plastering the airwaves with negative ads about Beto, full of lies. The Dems need to drop the goodie two-shoes advertising and let Cruz have it.

Beto needs to start being more aggressive. Enough with the national media plays (Ellen, etc.). The. money from that is already coming in. Start crafting excellent ads.

Cruz is playing culture war because he has little else, but it's working.

NYT wants your midterm campaign disinformation tips. Send them the barbecue story R207.

Cruz's ads are nothing but lies - why can't the DNC do something?

Because when they go low, we get high!

Beto Bump

Is there verifcatia of Beto sizemeat?

Regardless, and I think Beto will win, all the republican cash being diverted to prop up Cruz takes $$ away from other GOP candidates

Fast shipping of the Beto shirts, FYI. Ordered on the 14th and mine shipped today.

[quote]Kamala Harris and Beto O’Rourke will be the two Dem front-runners for the nom in 2020.

Fingers crossed!

R215 exactly, dude! When is the voting day again?

This is sad. How can Texans support lying Ted? :(

For those of you who were deflated a bit by the recent Quinnipiac poll (as I was), I offer you this latest Ipsos (Reuters/UVa) poll of likely voters. It is the first poll that has Beto ahead of Cruz, by 2 percentage points!

The polls are all over the place. I'm counting on the thousands who go to Beto Town Halls (and don't show up for Cruz) and the millions of Beto yard signs in historically red neighborhoods.

R224 But the Quinnipac poll is rated A- while the Ipsos poll is rated B+ by fivethirthyeight. Seriously, I want to stay optimistic, I just have a really bad feeling. I hope I'm wrong though, I can't stand lying Ted.

I understand your concerns, R225, and share them to some degree. I certainly would like to see a new Marist poll (A-rated by 538) or a Monmouth poll showing similar results to this new Ipsos poll, but I'll take this boost nonetheless. BTW, Ipsos is an online poll, while Quinnipiac is phone-only, so I think the former may be capturing more of the younger likely voters, as well as the better-educated, more affluent, suburban voters that would be key to defeating Cruz this time round. The [italic]Texas Tribune[/italic] article also indicates that the poll demonstrates that the Dems are highly mobilised in Texas now, which is encouraging given that the GOP usually has the momentum there.

I will remain optimistic about Beto's chances, even in this tough environment, and I look forward to seeing how upcoming debates may work in his favour. And I will donate again to his campaign, as well as encourage others to do the same.

Mos people are going tot pull the lever for Beto (even if they won’t admit it to pollsters)... because Cruz just has that “ick” factor that you can’t wash off.

[Quote]The buy comes as Democratic strategists have warned that O’Rourke needs to ramp up his outreach with Latino voters if he wants to unseat Republican Ted Cruz

This has me worried.

R227 But couldn't it be the other way around? People are embarrassed to vote for Lying Ted, yet they do it anyway? Republicans will be Republicans. How many people would admit to voting for Trump? Yet he ended up winning. Many people will not want to disclose who they are voting for if it's an unpopular candidate, i.e. Ted Cruz.

Wish Nelson said he hoped there's keep an open mind. Instead of i don't care.

*they'd keep

Sorry my eyes are dialated.

Leon Bridges is joining Willie Nelson for the Concert for Beto in Austin this weekend.

That will make for a rather, ehem, unusual concert.

Has Beyonce said anything about Beto yet?

Dixie Chicks, Gary Clark Jr, Beyonce, LeAnn Rimes

r234, who fucking cares?

Beyonce's a Texan so her support would be valuable at getting out the vote.

r237, I didn't know that Beyonce was a Texan, that makes sense then.

How big do we think the dick is? I'm thinking 7-9in...?

It's close. Please consider making a donation. He takes no PAC money. Or buy a shirt

New poll has Beto in the lead

GO Beto!!!

He doesn't look like he has a big dick unfortunately. Maybe 6 inches.

Thick as a beer can.

Cruz compared Beto to Bernie and I don't think it hurts. Hillary and Bernie democrats will vote for him.

Cruz did his litany of Trump greatest hits: Hillary, Soros, Alexandria Ocasio whatever her name is, Bernie, cops, etc. Strangely enough Cruz didn't pull the veterans card: Cruz has voted systematically against all aid for veterans even cutting their SNAP benefits. Beto's a strong supporter of veterans (lot of vets live in El Paso and Fort Bliss is in his district).

Beto has just announced that he's a proud advocate of Israel.

Better than pandering to towel heads like Linda Sarsour and Nazis like Louis Farrakhan.

I give my right nut for him to win but I don't think he will. Curz is ahead in the polls and gaining.

He's progressive on stuff like trans rights and "right to choose" yet extremely bullish on Israel. What more could anyone ask for?? This is a candidate that only comes along once in a generation!!! This is a zeitgeist moment!

I am wearing my Beto For Texas T Shirt as I type.

He is NOT extremely bullish on Israel. Cruz (who works for Adelson and Netanyahu) is constantly trashing him accusing him of being anti-Israel.

He is for a 2 state solution.

[Quote] He is for a 2 state solution.

A thousand thanks to all the kind people of DL who have donated any amount to Beto's campaign!

Link, R250? 538's review isn't showing an appreciable change over the last couple of weeks.

I love Beto but can DLers spread their $ love? Heitkamp, McCaskill, Donnelly, Tester, Rosen, etc can all use your money too!

R257 effectively Beto's a fundraising juggernaut. But I'm in Texas and get pestered by the DNC to send money to all those candidates you mention. The DNC does absolutely nothing to help Texas Dems. Lupe Valdez, Justin Nelson and Mike Collier could use the bucks too.

[quote]Curz is ahead in the polls and gaining.

He's ahead but he isn't gaining. It's been a fairly stable race these past few months, actually, with Cruz maintaining a slight lead. He is certainly favored but it's a close race. The most recent poll, from Public Policy, has Cruz up by 3. In early August in the prior poll from Public Policy, Cruz was up by 4. There has even been one outlier poll, from Ipsos, that has Cruz down by 2. Personally, I don't believe that, since it contradicts the other polls, but I also don't believe the Quinnipiac poll that has Cruz up by 9. Both of those polls are outliers that can be ignored for now.

Basically, Cruz is up by around 3.5% in the aggregate polling. That's within the margin of error of most of these polls and it puts O'Rourke in striking range should there really be a blue wave. FiveThirtyEight gives O'Rourke a 30% chance, which I think is about right given the money and the buzz he has on his side. Cruz should be up by double digits and he is instead fighting for his political life.

Texas the shining object that Dems look to every election year and say that *this* will be the year it turns blue. It may very well, R258, but there is nothing wrong with spreading the love and helping other incumbents who are frankly much more likely to win than Beto is, thus need the money more to get their message out.

Moveover, regarding the polls, Cruz very rarely gets 50% or more of the total, even in the most favourable poll results. If an incumbent -- especially one as well-known as Cruz -- can't consistently break 50%, that spells trouble. Those who are going to support him are already prepared to do so and will indicate that in polls.

Any undecided voters at this point are likely just waiting to learn more about the lesser-known challenger before throwing their full support behind him. Beto is getting more and more attention, almost all of it positive, so I would expect most of the current undecided voters will go his way. I also expect quite a bit of support from those who are usually soft supporters of the GOP candidate. Cruz is generally unpopular in Texas, and even Trump isn't as popular as previous Republican nominees. A lot of these soft GOP supporters are either just waiting for a reasonable excuse to vote for Beto, or will not turn out to vote at all.

Everybody in Texas knows who Cruz is. If they were going to vote for him, they'd know already.

On The View this morning Joy asked Joe & Mika if it would be Joe Biden or Beto O'Rourke who could beat Trump. Mika chimes in with Kamala - nope. Kamala couldn't a single vote in flyover country.

Mika wants her woman president badly.

Although she treated Hillary Clinton like shit in 2016.

Yeah, Joe & Mika shit on Hillary every single day and sucked up to Trump. Fuck them.

I don't think my phone lets me link anymore but 6 days ago in polling Beto was up by 2.

Also Nate Lerner reported this morning that Dems turnout is 89% above what it was in 2014. I thought that was encouraging.

I would love to see him debate Trump and be so non-reactionary, dismissing all Trump's bullshit.

OK, Beto has told the Texas Tribune if he wins, he'll serve his whole term as Senator. They asked Cruz the same question and he refused to answer.

So the only way Beto is running for President is if he loses.

As much as I like him, I think he should stay in Texas for now, he's too young and inexperienced to do be president. He has no foreign policy background. Maybe he is ready in 4 years if the future democratic pres involves him more so he can learn.

Beto turned 46 this week and has already served 6 years in the House. Beto won his seat in a bitter battle with a long-time incumbent Reyes who had the support of the DNC, Obama and Hillary. Obama was 47 when elected President and had served 3 years in the Senate (where he beat Alan Keyes, not a serious candidate), prior to that he was an Illinois State Senator which, frankly, is not relevant experience for the White House. Being in the House of Representatives is.

I just sent Beto a bit more cash. It would be so fun to see him win this election.

Tonight's the Willie Nelson concert in Austin though it's raining now.

I like Kamala but am desperate to win in 2020. Middle America will not for her. We need to be practical and logical with this nomination.

Kamala might make a great Attorney General or even Supreme Court.

Kamala’s an aggressive bitch... and people who are pissed off about what’s going on right now are going to vote for someone like her.

I like Kamala but no way could she get any votes in flyover states. Klobuchar would be a better bet if you insist on a woman (though as Hillary showed not only will men not vote for a woman, white women won't either).

Chris Coons is the new frontrunner after he convinced Flake to call for an FBI investigation.

Coons is good. Shame he is so physically unimpressive.

A woman of color like Kamala, as good as she is, would be a loser in 2020. Like it or not, we need white and bland the next time around if we have any hope of getting back the White House, and that is imperative if we are up against Trump again.

Facebook livestream of Willie Nelson concert

60K+ people showed up for Willie and Beto. Leon Bridges also put on a show.

Unfortunately the people he most appeals to don’t register or bother to vote. He has to change a whole mindset first and that usually takes decades. If you start to see his favorables rise with independents and campaign outside his strongholds, he has a chance. Not sure deep down Texans really identify with Ted Cruz that much (or want to)...he’s creepy, even to his most ardent supporters

Beto's victory depends on young people showing up, Hispanics showing up.

Beto had an hour long interview yesterday with Evan Smith at the Texas Tribune Fest. Non-stop brilliance. Smith asked Beto if he was going to go negative on Cruz as Cruz has flooded the airwaves with his tacky looking attack ads. Smith said "these ads paint you as El Chapo". Beto noted that "El Chapo" in Spanish means short ass. Beto's 6'5". That got a big laugh.

Beto also denied he tried to flee the scene of the DUI and revealed he wasn't alone in the car. His then girlfriend was with him and said too they never tried to leave the scene. The sloppy police report which repeated a claim by a bystander that he had stopped Beto from leaving (while never identifying who the guy was) had neglected to mention Beto had a passenger.

Kavanaugh is in, back to Beto and looking toward the future.

Beto is falling back in the latest polls; I hope you Texans can pull this one off.

Beto's on a tour of university campuses this week getting humongous crowds. If those little shits just register and get off their asses to vote, he'll win this.

r282 As mentioned in the interview, O'Rourke's version of an attack on Cruz is referring to him as the Junior Senator from Texas (which, of course, he is).

win the damn senate seat first, then we'll talk about your next job.

Obama hasn't even endorsed Beto yet; what's up his ass?

Obviously not Beto.

Obama endorsing Beto wouldn't be helpful at all in Texas, R288.

They hate Obama. It could hurt him.

What good would that endorsement do, R288? It would just annoy people in Texas more than help.

Yes I forgot for a minute what a racist shit hole Texas really is.

My mistake.

What is the last registration date in Texas? And I assume at these rallies, they are registering college kids?

October 7th deadline for registering. Tonight on Hardball Matthews interviewed 3 political journalists. Matthews thinks Beto's gonna win. Another said he's got a real chance and thinks his fundraising for the last quarter could be as high as $25 million (Cruz had $12 million but Cruz's comes from Club for Growth - the Kochs and Mercers, Beto's comes from small donors.. Another guy doesn't think Beto has a chance cause it's Texas BUT said if Beto loses by a few points, he'll be in Iowa early next year. The third journalist thinks he'll be the frontrunner if he seeks the Presidential nom.

Texas Democrats need to get their asses out to vote.

Beto isn't even going to be a Senator.

Avenatti won't like that

Avenatti as running mate please. I want two telegenic studs on kick pasty old republican ass.

Michael can be the aggressive legal eagle to cover his back and make him look presidential, while gaining political experience to run in 2028.

It'll be like JFK and rfk. Bill and Al. Women will get moist and vote for them. Miss Lindsey will leave the GOP.

Avenatti's a little shit. He tweeted that he was starting a PAC for Beto - who doesn't accept PAC money. Turns out it was Avenatti using Beto's name to fundraise. That takes him totally out of the running. Dishonest little shit.

Times poll from today.

He bothered having getting one apathetic guy he read about go and register to vote after reading about the guy in the Guardian.

[quote]He bothered having getting one apathetic guy he read about go and register to vote after reading about the guy in the Guardian.

It's one more voter who wasn't registered the day before.

R301, sorry, I didn't mean it cynically. I meant it as in "Wow - he's definitely working hard for this."

I'm just kind of semi-disgusted with the interviewee's (former?) apathy. It's at the end of this article.

[quote] That foreboding is underlined back in the center of town, where the Latino owners of Milupita Taco House are clearing up after lunch. Gonzales is 40% Hispanic, though you wouldn’t know it. The community is virtually invisible, with most people working in meat-producing factories in the vicinities while those in town keep an extremely low profile. Sebastian Esquivel, 21, is one of the cooks in the family business. He has never voted in his life, and in his extended family of about 20 relatives in Gonzales – US citizens every one – he knows of but one who has ever cast a ballot. Esquivel does not recognise the names of Beto O’Rourke or Ted Cruz, and cannot identify their respective parties. “To be honest, to me it doesn’t really matter,” he says. What does matter? “My family and me. Putting food on the table, paying bills.”

Keep in mind every poll had Clinton Crushing Trump in the election....

Beto O'Rourke On Running For President In 2020: 'It’s A Definitive No'

R296, Avenatti's 15 minutes have run out.

Check out this new podcast from [italic]Texas Monthly[/italic] magazine called [italic]Underdog : Beto vs. Cruz[/italic]. It is available as a free download on iTunes and Apple Podcasts, and perhaps elsewhere as well. So far there are two weekly episodes -- each about a half hour long -- as of Friday, 19 October. You'll find the link to it on Apple Podcasts below.

The Houston Chronicle endorses Beto and BRUTALIZES booger-eater.

Beto disappointed me when he said he will definitely not run for president if he loses this senate race.

Too bad Beto, coulda been your turn.

Just saw a clip of him from last night's town hall.

He came off like some bumbling, fumbling wishy-washy Jimmy Stewart wanna-be. Calling Cruz "Lyin' Ted", then APOLOGIZING for it.

HUGE mistake.

And you come off like a Trump-fellating cunt, R309.

Yes, r309, that's one thing Democrats do too much, apologize.

Especially to cretins like Ted Cruz.

And why is that R310? Because I dared criticize a fellow-dem? I've never voted for a republican in my entire life.

He really came off poorly. If you didn't see that then, whatever. There's a certain charm if one is truly folksy, but second-guessing and apologizing for something you said YESTERDAY, doesn't bode well for November or 2020.

R274, you're confusing Harris with Lizzie Warren.

That was funny R297.

I want to see a candidate propose a one state solution. Palestine and get those Zionist out of their occupied territory.

R315 ain't gonna happen. American Jews usually vote Democratic but they support the rightwing in Israel. A conundrum.

No one gives a crap about that R315. If they want to play tit for tat and blow each other to smithereens, that's their CHOICE.

R312 Beto is doing 3 townhalls a day. Give him a break. Can't be perfect. Persistence in the face of hopelessness is fucking inspiring.

R318 if other Democrats worked 1/10th as hard as Beto does, they'd have the Senate, House and White House. The DNC's a disaster and Perez needs to be replaced NOW.

True

Mark Conseulos and Nick Gonzales come out for Beto...

Consuelos @ 10:40: "We've been threatening to have dinner together for the last four or five months..."

[quote]American Jews usually vote Democratic but they support the rightwing in Israel. A conundrum.

Maybe some democrats shouldn't hang out with antisemities.

Houston loves Beto!

I think Beto is a great guy, but he has this desperateness about him that isn't a desirable character trait for a successful politician.

He needs to be smart with a good portion of shrewdness mixed in if he wants to undo his opponents.

Democrats shouldn't look for Obama type politicians anymore.

Poor Beto, because of the stupidity of Texans, his political career is likely over

Of course in Redneck Fort Worth, the only major city in Texas to go for Trump, he couldn't pack the house.

This was posted by Omar Suleiman, Linda Sarsour called him 'one of my favorite people'.

He is peddled around in 'progressive' communities as a civil rights leader who frequently shares his advise on everything from black rights to Malcolm X to what country he thinks America should become.

It's always the same BS, these people scream racism the second somebody points out their own bigotry and hatred against gays and women.

He's falling behind in the polls. I want to stay optimistic, but this is Texas.

Yeah, folks just underestimate how nearly impossible it is for a Democrat to win in Texas.

[quote]Poor Beto, because of the stupidity of Texans, his political career is likely over.

I hope he doesn't give up that easily, losing was always a possibility, given that it's Texas. He wouldn't be the first politician who faced setbacks to eventually rise to the top.

Beto has worked harder than any politician in history. Yesterday he had 3 Town Halls, this morning he's greeting voters leaving a precinct in Houston.

I've seen some polling that show Beto coming really close. Don't give up Texas!

"Avenatti tweets "chip in for Beto now" with an ActBlue link. But unless his followers click on that link in the text, they might not realize that only half of their donation is actually going to Beto. The other half goes to Avenatti's PAC."

First day of early voting in Texas today. The line in Houston is incredible! Just incredbile.

I'm not seeing the attractiveness of Beto like people here have raved about

R337 there is a sort of Kennedyish attractiveness. Plus he’s young and vibrant. Ted is not.

I feel the urge to masturbeto...

I think it is a bit too soon for this prediction. It is likely to lose to Cruz too based on the current polls.

I’m in a suburb north of Dallas. I voted at a little library and it was absolutely packed. People had to keep circling the parking lot in order to find a space. The librarian is the first day of early voting is usually the busiest before Election Day, but I’ll definitely be looking at the parking lot every time I drive by. Lots of older voters of course. I’m twenty-eight and I only saw a couple other people my age. Granted it was 1:30 on a Monday and most of my peers are working.

I did have a DL moment when the guy checking me in asked if it was my first time voting. I said, “No, but I’m flattered you think so!” That means that I must look the ten years younger than my age, just like everyone else on DL.

Had to line up for 45 minutes in Austin to vote... and Austin doesn't have any water today. The flood waters contaminated the drinking water so then I had to line up to buy bottled water.

R337 you have to see him in action and listen to him - he's electric, articulate, he can move you to tears and make you laugh

They did extensive Beto Testing on this candidate before going live. The same cannot be said of Ocasio Cortez who has had a few malfunctions.

Good turnout in Houston apparently.

I don't expect him to win honestly, but I hope he comes close enough to unnerve that bastard Cruz

Beto is the only truly charismatic candidate anywhere in the US these days. He really is the modern incarnation of Jimmy Stewart's character in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Jimmy Stewart himself was a lifelong Republican). I think the only way Cruz wins is a rigged election--pays people to stay home. As we know since 2016, we can't trust polls. Before that, I was a poll true believer. I somehow think Beto will win against all the BS polls we're seeing right now--it's TED CRUZ fercrissakes. Just have to get those previous non-voters to the polling places. (But waddo I know, I live in ultra Blue California).

Beto's got an uphill battle but he sure as hell is giving it a great fight.

I want Beto inside the Senate quite deeply.

Beto is part Jimmy Stewart's character in that movie, part Robert Kennedy, part Barack Obama.

He really is something special.

I am definitely liking the look and sound of this guy .

Trump and Cruz' rally in Houston was supposed to have 100K people who wanted tickets. Bullshit. The venue can take 18K maximum and the camera kept sweeping over the audience and it was obvious hundreds of seats were empty. A reporter for the Dallas paper said hundreds of people started leaving after the 1st hour. They'd had enough. The Cruz campaign advertised for paid participations - $100 to show up. Why do that when 100K book tickets? bunch of fucking liars.

Trump claimed that 50K of his fans were outside the venue. So the Houston Chief of Police tweeted that there were approx. 3K people outside, mostly protestors and he congratulated the protestors on keeping their calm.

So Trump, Cruz and the rest of the Texas teabaggers couldn 't even get 20K in the 4th largest city in the US. Compare that with Beto's rally with Willie Nelson: 55k showed up.

I hope he wins, if not I hope he keeps active in politics. Setbacks happen, and they happen to the best of them.

Keep on doing what you're doing Beto!

I still hope he wins!

Beto had a rather wild youth, surely there must be a naked photo from his rocker days out there.

[quote]I’m in a suburb north of Dallas. I voted at a little library and it was absolutely packed.

That's actually not a good sign, since North Dallas suburbs are heavily Republican.

The large turnout for early voting in Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio are encouraging, but turnout was just as big in the Republican areas of Collin County, Denton and Ft, Worth.

I voted in San Antonio yesterday at a smallish town hall building. They closed it down an hour early saying there were "too many people" in line. Never heard of that being a valid reason to close a polling place early?

R355 Beto has held a lot of Town Halls in Collin County, Denton and Fort Worth. Not sure it's as GOP as it was.

He was produced to thrill us, out of nowhere, like Obama.

First noticed Beto when he did that cross-country tour with Republican token black guy Will Hurd.

If Beto won't run in 2020, then the Democrats need to find another Beto. They need someone with the same drive and the same charisma and so far, I'm not seeing anyone that comes close. They need to forget giving the nomination to a woman and just pick the most dynamic person they can find.

NOBODY has Beto's drive. He's holding Town Halls in the pouring rain all over Central Texas today. I mean he's standing out in the rain, getting soaked, talking to voters.

Carl Lewis is supporting Beto on Election Day!

Now he needs a really popular Texan Latino to join them and he’s set.

Not Eva Longoria, someone else conservatives like.

That's illegal, if true, r356 and a sure sign of voter suppression.

There are 2 polls out today. In one Cruz has 5 points more than Beto but in the other Beto has 2 points over Cruz.

R356, about voting suppression in Texas:

“Your Rights

HEY, YOU HAVE RIGHTS!

As a registered voter in Texas, you have the right to:

A ballot with written instructions on how to cast a ballot.

Ask the polling place official for instructions on how to cast a ballot (but not suggestions on how to vote).

Cast your vote in secret and free from intimidation.

Receive up to two more ballots if you make a mistake while marking the ballot.

Bring an interpreter to assist you as you qualify to vote if you do not understand the English language. Help to cast your ballot if you cannot write, see the ballot, or understand the language in which it is written.

**********************

Report a possible voting rights abuse to the Secretary of State (1.800.252.8683) or to your local election official.

**********************

Cast a provisional ballot if your name does not appear on the list of registered voters.

(1) Cast a provisional ballot (a) if you do not possess one of the seven (7) acceptable forms of photo identification, which, if you are under 70, is not expired for more than four years, and you can reasonably obtain one of these forms of identification or (b) if you possess, but did not bring to the polling place, one of the seven forms of acceptable photo identification, which, if you are under 70, is not expired for more than four years, or (c) if you do not possess one of the seven forms of acceptable photo identification, which, if you are under 70, is not expired for more than four years, you could otherwise not reasonably obtain one, but you did not bring a supporting form of identification to the polling place, and (2) the right to present one of the acceptable forms of photo identification, which, if you are under 70, is not expired for more than four years, or, if you do not possess and cannot reasonably obtain an acceptable form of photo identification, the right to execute a reasonable impediment declaration and present one of the supporting forms of identification, to the county voter registrar’s office, within six (6) calendar days after election day, or, if applicable, qualify for a temporary (natural disaster or religious objection to being photographed) or permanent (disability) exemption, within six (6) calendar days of election day, at the county voter registrar’s office.

Vote once at any early voting location during the early voting period within the territory conducting the election.

File an administrative complaint with the Secretary of State concerning violations of federal and state voting procedures.”

This Texas transplant from California brought the Democrat spirit with him and sent my mail-in ballot on Monday. This white-haired old fart has 'em fooled. I see Beto signs every morning walking my dog, the young guys at work are also voting a straight Dem. ticket, so I'm a believer we have an excellent chance.

Also a. Texas transplant, only I'm from NY. On Monday I waited 1 hour and 20 minutes to vote for Beto. My neighborhood in Austin is also full of Beto signs.

Bless you, transplants. There is a massive number of Californians who have followed jobs to Texas. But a lot of them I've met are rightwingers.

Andrew Gillum > Beto. One will win and will govern the third largest state in the country. The other will have made a real effort but will likely lose.

He will not become President. Because our elections systems have been thoroughly corrupted. Sure, I'm going to vote, but I know that the outcome will be rigged. That's how the current so-called "President" did it.

Here’s a quick, but good little article about voter turnout in North Texas.

There is Beto, of course. The Man. Love him! But there is The Campaign. It's brilliant. Which means he is surrounded by very smart people who helped him design a campaign that might be able to pierce Texas red. This is not just about an energetic, authentic candidate. It's about smart use of social media and brilliant campaign strategy. I say HOORAY! Even if he doesn't win, smart campaigners will copy the Beto Model.

Another major Texas newspaper endorsement for Beto, this time from the [italic]Dallas Morning News[/italic]! The major daily newspapers in Texas' three largest cities -- Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas -- have now endorsed Beto, which is notable, as the ones in Dallas and Houston tend to favour GOP candidates in statewide and national races.

Cruz desperately tried to get the Dallas Morning News endorsement. The new editor is a rightwinger and Cruz figured it was in the bag. I'm thinking Cruz's idiot comment the other day about locking Beto and Hillary up in the same cell made it impossible for the DMN to endorse him.

Here’s an article saying more about Ted’s history with the Dallas Morning News.

Skating into the Senate!

Voting has dropped off some in Dallas county, but still at high levels. I'm hoping it picks back up again this weekend.

Up on Facebook there's an interminable line of people waiting to vote in dark red Tarrant County. The voters all appear to be young, lot of POC - those are Beto voters.

Lots of talk on Twitter about Texas voting machines flipping Beto votes to Cruz.

What a massive pain in the ass. So shonky.

This is no accident. The fucking GOP have programmed it this way. The fact it is Beto's vote that gets deleted is telling. He is close to Cruz in the polls.

Is Beto faster than a speeding Felito?

Fort Worth’s newspaper, The Star Telegram, endorses Beto.

And the Star Telegram is a GOP paper! Shows how bad normal Republicans consider Lyin' Ted.

Good news coming from Austin: 94.5% of the eligible population has registered to vote and the largest segment 40% is made up of 18-35 - 300K voters.

For Beto to win, Austin and Houston (both blue counties) need to overperform. Looks like Austin's up to the challenge.

Beto is hot

Some asshole vandalized Beto's mural in Austin.

Haters gonna hate

Beto has fundraised $70 million from individual donors - a million of 'em. This goes beyond Barack Obama who did accept PAC money which Beto systematically refused.

He's the goose who laid the golden egg for the Democrats. If he doesn't beat asshole Cruz, he'll be the frontrunner for the Dem nom for President. No one excites Democrats more. And his charisma and authenticity would bring Trump down. And if a Texan is the Dem nominee against a Queens conman, he'll carry Texas. If you carry Texas, California and New York - you'll win the Presidency.

If he can't win against Cruz, then he sure ain't winning against Trump, who's a lot more popular in the state than Cruz.

I'm beginning to wonder if it might not be the best thing if Beto loses by a few points, and that positions him to run in 2020. He's already said that if he wins, he is serving the "full six years" because he has young children.

r390, He also said he is "definitely" not running for president in 2020, whether he wins or loses.

ah, damn, R391

Well, we'll see. Obama is certainly the model. He was a little reluctant and had young children, too. Beto might find the groundswell too much to avoid--we need healing in this country and Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders divide voters--as does Trump, of course.

Beto has said his wife doesn't want him running for President in 2020. Now if she changes her mind.... She was also the one who told him to run for the Senate. She had been opposed to him running for Congress originally but Trump's election shocked her out of her complacency.

R389 Trump only won Texas by 9% and Hillary didn't even campaign here. In the last poll taken, 46% of Texans approved of Trump and 49% disapproved.

In a city of 6.5 million, Trump couldn't even fill a smallish (for Houston) auditorium that holds 18K.

Beto has been endorsed by numerous newspapers in Texas so far, including the following:

Houston Chronicle Dallas Morning News Fort Worth Star-Telegram San Antonio Express-News Corpus Christi Caller-Times Longview News-Journal* The Austin Chronicle El Paso Times

I've not yet seen whether the Austin American-Statesman has come out with their endorsements, but I imagine they will endorse Beto as well. That will give him the endorsements of the most important, highest-circulation newspapers in the state, including several that usually support GOP candidates.

* BTW, Longview is not a big city, but it is located in East Texas, a heavily Republican part of the state. (To give you an idea of this, consider that their Representative is the ludicrous Louie Gohmert.) Needless to say, I'm shocked that a paper in this part of the state has endorsed Beto.

Ugh, please forgive how the newspaper titles in R394 run into each other, above. I had forgotten that I needed to be more fastidious about my formatting here.

Negative Times article today trying to make him lose. Typical.

Beto is surging in the polls!

You guys know he won't win right? And he won't be running for President in 2020.

R398 I thought he was a lock?

IF he wins, he's a very strong contender for VP or President. If he doesn't, well, it'll take more time if it happens at all.

Boris @ R398, we know no such thing.

However, we do know you’re one troll post away from an extra potato today.

Didn't read the NYT article. Was too pissed off. I hope nobody cares what the NYT thinks.

All Cruz's army of bots are retweeting the article. Anybody who believes the NY Times isn't run by Trumpsters, think again.

If he loses, what else can he run for in 2 years? Govenor?

His present seat in the House, R404.

Nah, he'll run for President. A Democratic candidate for Senate who can get 1M individual donors to contribute $70M is a unicorn.

Sorry Robert Francis O'Rourke ain't gonna do jack shite. Dream on.

R407 Cruz paying somebody to troll the DL is truly pathetic.

He’s basically announcing. Slow roll out to not run out of steam early on.

Vanity Fair article is very interesting so far. It's long and I still haven't finished it.

Some very nice pictures of Beto too.

r16, I don't know whether Mrs. Cruz eats tofu, but she's vegetarian, as are their children.