I attended a Beto O’Rourke event earlier this week as he campaigned to become Governor of Texas.
I come to you with good news and bad news.
The good news is Beto can win. Greg Abbot has an Achilles heel. Greg Abbott can be had.
The bad new is Beto won’t win with his current campaign strategy and presentation. I hope I’m wrong but that’s my analysis, admittedly based on scant and early evidence, but let’s see what you think.
Beto displayed his usual charisma, much loved by the younger voters, especially the young ladies, but he lacks focus. It’s as if he loses sight that a political campaign is form of civil warfare. He wasn’t exactly trying to be “all things to all people” at the event I attended, but he just didn’t attack Greg Abbott, you know? Maybe he’s trying to find his sea legs in the early campaign, but he definitely is not unmercifully exploiting the weakness of Greg Abbott. And there is weakness there to exploit.
I am concerned that Beto will wander aimlessly, without sufficient structure to his campaign, as I perceive he did against Ted Cruz. The Cruz campaign turned out badly for the Democratic Party and Beto O’Rourke.
Enough. What’s a possible winning strategy? I think the winning strategy?
In two words, it’s the “Deep Freeze”.
As most of you know, Texas lost power for several days last winter across the whole of the state. I personally went void of electricity or heat for 2 entire days, then the electrical grid went off and on for parts of 2 more days. “Grid down” was a big deal here in Texas, even startling, in its geographic magnitude. People in all parts of Texas were cold and angry. And they haven’t forgotten.
Happily, Beto talked about the freeze at his event. Good.
Beto mentioned the freeze in his presentation twice, actually, but he just glossed over it as part of his talking points litany of campaign complaints — teachers aren’t paid enough, unions are important, we’re all Texans, it got cold last winter. The whole speech was disjointed, without direction, lots rah, rah, rah and the signature Beto hand-waving. To repeat, Beto’s performance was a farrago of talking points, dutifully ticked off.
I have deep concerns that the current campaign is simply a rerun of “the Excitement of Beto” that we’ve seen in the past. For example, after being photographed with Beto, a young lady came up to a group in front of me gushing, “he said my name!” Excitement is fine and all, but Beto is going to have to go beyond the young voter clique if he hopes to win statewide in Texas.
To appeal to a larger voting group, which is necessary to win the election, the freeze must be the crux, the heart, the raison d'etre of his campaign, not some mere talking point. The freeze must be the single issue around which everything else revolves. Therein lies the victory, in my [not so] humble opinion, not in the “Let Beto be Beto” campaign of years past.
The Deep Freeze is where Greg Abbott is vulnerable. There is where the lance must be struck. Over and over and over again.
The following is my idea of how I think Beto’s campaign could be better structured. See what you think.
#1) First, Beto needs to have a simple theme. The theme of the whole campaign should be the ...
“Deep Freeze”
That’s what you call it. Little talk about health care, or teachers, or unions, or equality, or anything else. Repeat the “Deep Freeze”. All else is peripheral.
Given the theme of Deep Freeze, and of its recent trauma, create a mission around which most Texans can agree.
#2) Beto’s mission should be …
“Electrify Texas”
Two words: Electrify Texas. There’s you mission and your mission statement. Plant the flag and wave it.
#3) Next, go kiss the ring. Drop everything right now, re-schedule everything right now, go today and visit …
Elon Musk
To repeat: Democrats alone cannot elect Beto O’Rourke. Democratic voters are insufficient. Someday Texas will turn blue, but that day remains likely beyond the current election cycle.
Therefore, Beto must siphon off some Republican voters. Musk helps him do that because lots of Republicans and Independents like Elon Musk. And lots of Republicans froze their hinny’s off last winter. Nobody likes being without electricity. Not even Republicans. Ask Ted Cruz.
Go kiss the ring and ask Elon Musk what can Texas do to avoid another Deep Freeze? What can Texas do to help Tesla? What can Texas do to help SpaceX? What can Texas so to help the Boring Company? What can Texas to to help Starlink? What can Texas do to help Neuralink?
Ergo, pound the name “Elon Musk”. Pound the name “Tesla”. Pound the acronym “EV”. Pound the word “Powerwall”. Pound the word “Megapack”. Pound the word “Solar”. Pound the words “electrical vehicle”.
Not once in Beto’s event did he even mention the name “Tesla”. Beto is apparently following Joe Biden’s lead when it comes to Tesla, which is to ignore Tesla. I get the union displeasure, but let’s win this Governorship, okay? The best thing for the unions is for Beto to become Governor. Abbott and the Republicans doggone sure aren’t going to advance the unions’ interests.
Keep in mind that we’re talking about a Texas campaign here, folks. Here’s Tesla building a huge manufacturing plant in Austin, but not one peep about it from Beto? Here’s Tesla moving its corporate office from California to Texas, but not one peep about it from Beto? Here’s SpaceX down in Brownsville about to shoot rockets into space, but not one peep about it from Beto? I could go on. Huh?
This is not smart. This is stupid politics of the first rank. You don’t ignore Elon Musk and Tesla if you’re running for Governor of Texas and there’s been a recent electrical trauma all across Texas.
Beto is going to have to do better because hand-waving, rah-rah, and giggling young people haven’t accomplished anything for Beto in his last two campaigns, except to produce ballot box losses. The man is about to become a “perennial candidate” if he’s not careful (and I obviously mean that in the pejorative).
#4) Next, shed the lingering “loser” aura. Re-package yourself. Re-frame yourself. Re-make yourself. You are no longer a Democrat. Beto becomes the ...
“Non-Democrat Democrat”
Born again. Born harder. Born to talk common sense to everyone including those in your own party when they are wrong.
#5) Hence, Beto must politely but firmly …
Attack Joe Biden
Yeah, you read that right. Politely, but firmly attack the sitting Democratic President. I personally think there is no other way.
It cannot be overemphasize that Beto must siphon off just enough Republican voters so he can move into the Governor’s mansion. There simply aren’t enough Democratic voters in Texas yet. Texas hasn’t elected a Democratic Governor since Ann Richards in 1990. Beto can win this election but he has to take some calculated chances.
Let’s face it, Joe Biden has said the most outlandish, nonsensical things recently with reference to EVs. The President, frankly, embarrassed himself and the Democratic Party with his EV comments in Detroit. Hence, the opportunity presents such that Beto can use Joe Biden as a foil character to get himself elected.
You may not like the idea of fluffing the President, and, sure, many Democrats will be angry if Beto attacks President Biden, but so what? The object is to win the election, not ingratiate yourself to the Democrat establishment. And who are Texas Democrats going to vote for anyway? Abbott? Or Beto?
So how can Beto frame all this?
If you’ve read this far, thanks. Maybe you can endure reading some more.
To demonstrate one framework within which Beto might coherently exploit the “Greg Abbott Deep Freeze argument”, indulge me while I script out a fantasy exemplar of a …
Stump Speech Beto Will Never Give
Hi folks, I’m Beto O’Rourke. I need your vote for Governor of Texas.
There’s so many things we need to do in Texas that Greg Abbott just refuses to get done, but before I get started, ya’ll that lost power last winter — you know, in Greg Abbott’s Deep Freeze? — would ya’ll mind raising your hands and let me hear your voice? Yeah, I thought so.
Did anybody here like it when you didn’t have electricity? Yeah, I didn’t like it either.
You know who else didn’t like it? Tell me who else didn’t like it?
That’s right — Ted Cruz didn’t like it, did he? Ole Ted Cruz deserted Texas right in the middle of the Deep Freeze and ran off to Cancun down in Mexico. Cruz said it was nice and warm down there in Cancun as he left us Texans in the dark and cold. Cruz sunbathed on the beach, under that warm Mexico sun, catching up on his tan while we suffered through the Deep Freeze. Does anybody remember that?
And whose fault was the Deep Freeze? Who caused the Deep Freeze? Who caused the suffering of so many Texans?
Right again, Greg Abbott caused the Deep Freeze.
Abbot had all kinds of time — years — to make sure there was never another Deep Freeze in Texas but what did Abbott do? What did he do folks?
That’s right, Nothing! Greg Abbott did nothing and he let us all freeze — including his good buddy Ted Cruz. Until Ted deserted us.
Abbott left us out in the cold with no heater, no water, we couldn’t cook our food, we had to sit in the dark with the freezing cold coming through our thickest clothes and blankets. Our babies and our children were freezing and some died. Does anybody remember that?
Tragedy is, Abbott was warned — remember the bad freeze in 2012? — but Greg Abbott did nothing to keep us warm last year and he doesn’t intend on doing anything now either.
When I’m elected Governor, I’m going to fix the electrical grid.
I tell you now that Beto O’Rourke is going to Electrify Texas! I tell you now — I make this promise to every Texan — Republican, Independent, and Democrat — when Beto O’Rourke is elected Governor I will fix the electric grid and Electrify Texas!
You know, Greg Abbott didn’t get cold. No, not Mr. Abbot, he didn’t get cold at all. He had backup electricity in the Governor’s mansion. He didn’t get cold. He was warm and toasty, sipping eggnog and watching TV, as 210 Texans died from Greg Abbott’s Deep Freeze!
210 dead Republicans, Independents, and Democrats. 210 dead Texans! Because Greg Abbott didn’t do his job! 210 Texans literally freezing to death, alone, in the dark, hungry, frostbit and dying, old and young, parent and child. Well, I will do the job of Electrifying Texas — I promise you that!
I have a plan to Electrify Texas.
But to put the plan into action, I need your help. Will you help me? I appreciate that — thank you — but if you want to help, I need your vote. Will you vote for me? Great!
So, let’s talk about my plan to Electrify Texas.
First, I’ve already started implementing the plan to Electrify Texas. I’ve gone down and talked to the man who knows more about electricity than anybody on the face of the earth. Shout out if you’ve ever heard of a guy named “Elon Musk”? Ok, good, some of you have, great.
The first thing we need to do is harden our existing oil and gas infrastructure and electric plants. We cannot abandon our existing infrastructure. Oil and gas is important to my plan to Electrify Texas.
What Elon Musk says is we need to build more infrastructure on top of what we’ve got so that Greg Abbott’s Deep Freeze never happens again in the State of Texas.
We do that by putting solar panels on as many homes and businesses across Texas as we can. The first day I take office as your Governor, I will propose legislation to give incentives to all Texans to build out solar as quickly as possible.
Mr. Musk says solar panels are a big step but we also need battery backups in as many houses and businesses as we can. He calls these battery backups “powerwalls”. These powerwalls will give us electricity when the sun doesn’t shine — or when the power grid fails when there are emergency weather events.
Elon Musk says there’s absolutely no reason the grid should ever fail, no matter how bad the weather gets, not when a hurricane comes, which it will, not when it snows, which it will. The first day I take office as your Governor, I will propose legislation to give incentives to all Texans to install battery backup systems as quickly as possible.
Elon Musk says we can do even more.
Mr. Musk says we need what he calls “Megapack battery systems” for our large cities in Texas. Elon Musk says we’ve begun to work on it, but right now Texas isn’t doing enough, fast enough.
And folks, whose fault is it that Texas isn’t doing enough? That’s right, it’s Greg Abbott’s fault. When the Deep Freeze happens, Greg Abbott stays warm while Texans die! Ted Cruz abandons Texas while Texans die!
What Beto O’Rourke is going to do is fix the electricity problem once and for all! Beto O’Rourke will Electrify Texas!
Therefore, I’m also going to propose legislation the first day I take office as your Governor to install solar and powerwalls on all state buildings, hospitals, police stations, and fire stations. Texas can’t be allowed to shut down when an emergency comes, like a hurricane, or when it snows too hard, like it did in Greg Abbott’s Deep Freeze, because emergencies are exactly when Texans need help the most.
I need your help to Electrify Texas, you know that. But we have to have leaders that know what they’re talking about if we want to get Texas electrified. We don’t need incorrect or downright wrong information from our leaders, right?
So, I need to tell you something important.
To Electrify Texas, think of me as a “Non-Democrat Democrat”. To Electrify Texas, I need the help of Republicans and Independents, not just Democrats. Electrifying Texas isn’t about some policy of the Democratic Party — it’s about the policy of all Texans. I’m not going to let party politics get in the way of Electrifying Texas. This is too important.
Let me be clear: I support health care. I support our hard-working, underpaid teachers. I understand that all Texans need good paying jobs to pay their bills. I believe a man or woman should have the freedom to join a union if they want to. I will always fight for equality for all Texans, regardless of race or gender or national origin, you know that.
I have a question for you: Let me hear your voice and see your hands if you voted for Joe Biden in 2020? Yeah! Me too!
Let me ask you another question: Let me hear your voice and see your hands if you will vote for Joe Biden in 2024? Yeah! Me too!
Mr. President, we love you down here in Texas! Am I right, folks? Yeah, we do!
Bear with me, folks, while I direct a few comments to President Biden —
Mr. President, down here in Texas when a man is wrong, we aren’t afraid of sitting down and talking to that man. Sitting down and finding common ground. Especially with a man we love.
Mr. President, Detroit is not leading the EV revolution. Austin Texas is leading the EV revolution. We call it the Gigafactory down here in Texas.
Mr. President, GM is not leading the EV revolution. Tesla down here in Texas is leading the EV revolution.
Mr. President, Mary Barra — wonderful lady — is not leading the EV revolution. Elon Musk down here in Texas is leading the EV revolution.
These are just objective facts, folks.
I know how the President is working hard on his Build Back Better plan — which we fully support down here in Texas — but do you know that GM delayed the EV revolution when GM killed the EV1 automobile back in the 1990s?
Mr. President, do you know that after your speech at the General Motors Factory Zero plant, GM didn’t show a single EV vehicle a few days later at the big Los Angeles Car Show? None. GM didn’t show a single EV. Not even it’s Hummer EV. That’s not what we call “EV leadership” down here in Texas.
And speaking of the GM Hummer EV, you took a ride in that Hummer, Mr. President. You said how great electric vehicles are. You are right about that, Mr. President, electrical vehicles are amazing. We have to build electrical vehicles in America and lead the world. That’s all true.
But, Mr. President, that GM Hummer EV you rode in costs anywhere from $90,000 to $115,000. Who can afford that? Maybe Mary Barra? In fact, Mr. President, that GM Hummer does not even qualify for the federal tax credit you are proposing in your Build Back Better legislation!
So, Mr. President, I have an invitation for you: Let’s set a time for you to come down to Austin Texas. Let’s go together — you and me — out to the Tesla Texas Gigafactory. Let’s met with Elon Musk. Let’s talk about EVs. Let’s talk about how to Electrify Texas, America, and the World! We can do this together, Mr. President.
Texas needs your help, Mr. President. I hope GM achieves their goal of building all electric vehicles by 2035 but Texas isn’t waiting until 2035 to Electrify Texas. Texas is building all electric vehicles at Tesla right now. Right now in 2021! Not 2035. Now.
So, what do ya’ll say?
Do you think we can show our great President some Texas hospitality and connect him up with Elon Musk over in Austin? We know the President’s heart is good. We’ve just got to get that heart to the right place. The right place is Austin Texas!
Look folks, unless we change our fleet of vehicles into EVs we cannot fully Electrify Texas. The first day I take office as your Governor, I will propose legislation to begin to change out all state vehicles into all-electric vehicles the first year I’m your Governor.
We must make the change to EVs if we are going to meet that challenge of the Deep Freeze and of climate change. Young people like Greta Thunberg, and our children, instinctively understand the threat of climate change. As your Governor, I will Electrify Texas. Together, we can leave a better Texas for our children.
If we are going to keep the promise of leaving a better world to our children, Greg Abbott has to take responsibility for his failure in the Deep Freeze. Greg Abbott had his chance, but Greg Abbott chose to give Texans the Deep Freeze.
If we’re going to tell the truth, then let’s admit that Greg Abbott has failed. Greg Abbot failed and he must go. No more no electricity in Texas. The time for Mr. Abbott’s excuses is over. We can and we will do better.
Folks, it’s not about being a Republican or an Independent or a Democrat. It’s about keeping our electricity on. It’s about keeping our electricity on even when it snows, or even when the hurricanes come, as we know they will. It’s about staying warm in our houses, keeping the lights on, not running off to Cancun when Texas is in an dire emergency.
My name is Beto O’Rourke. Join us.
Together we can and will Electrify Texas. Help me become your Governor of Texas in 2022.
