President Obama spoke about Beto during an interview after the 2018 elections. His comments about Beto still ring true … perhaps even more so after the El Paso tragedy.
(Transcription and bolding mine—please forgive any errors)
Impressive young man who ran a terrific race in Texas. What I liked most about his race is that it didn't feel constantly poll tested. It felt as if…
[“ He didn't poll in fact” Axelrod interjection]
It felt as if he based his statements and positions on what he believed and that, you'd like to think is normally how things work, sadly it's not. I think you and I would both agree that in 2008 and hopefully pretty consistently all the way through, that the reason I was able to make a connection with a sizable portion of the country was people had a sense that I said what I meant. And that's a quality that as I look at what I'm sure will be a strong field of candidates in 2020, many of whom are friends of mine and people I deeply respect, oftentimes I’m looking for first and foremost is — do you seem to mean it. Are you in this thing because you have a strong set of convictions that you are willing to risk things for and …
[“ He struck you as a guy who ...” Axelrod interjection]
Yes, and I think there are others. I don't think he's unique in that. I think we have a number of people who were thinking about the race who I think fall in that same category. And being able to sustain that and maintain that in the heat of battle when the spotlight’s on and there's significant risks and you taking that position may lead you to lose this race that you’ve invested so much in. That's the test I want somebody to pass. And by the way, I can't even say that is necessarily always a winning formula. I don’t want to leave people with the impression that good guys always win, that the folks that are the most honest always succeed in politics. No, I think there's a lot of times where the outcome may be different and disappointing. But what I will say is this: that the people who move the needle forward, the people who move the country in a way that goes back to that earlier comment or discussion we had about the history of this country of the United States, the folks who make it more likely our children live in a place that is fair and free and provides equal opportunity to all people. The moments where we move forward has to do at some point with somebody's being willing to risk everything for larger principal.
Here is the entire interview that is well worth a listen ( It’s Obama, how could it not be great!). Axelrod first asks about Beto at the 1 hr 03 min mark, which is where the clip above is from. Then Beto is brought up again at 1:08:02 as a lead into discussion about going everywhere and expanding the electorate.
Authenticity and empathy are central to Beto's character.
Beto has a genuine interest in having honest conversations with diverse people all over the country. Going everywhere, bringing everyone in.
This Atlantic interview captures Beto's thoughts after the El Paso shooting: Focused on being honest and combating Donald Trump and less on the typical political silliness www.theatlantic.com/...
O’Rourke says he wants to live out the consequences of Donald Trump’s presidency. His campaign has been incorporating specific stops into his schedule: one of the towns in Mississippi where Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently raided food-processing plants; a community-leader roundtable in Charlottesville, Virginia, the site of the 2017 white-supremacist march; an LGBTQ synagogue in Manhattan; a mosque in New Hampshire. These stops, he says, make more sense than eating corn dogs and making speeches at the Iowa State Fair, which is what the other candidates did the weekend after the shooting. (O’Rourke had been slated to appear in Iowa as well, before canceling after the shooting.)
“To quote Shakespeare—or Geddy Lee from Rush—I mean, we're all actors on that stage, and no one more so than perhaps somebody running for president. But I couldn't go do that,” O’Rourke told me, referring to the Iowa trip. “I have to, as much as I can, be as honest as I can. I have to go do the things that I think are important.”
Beto has been forthright and unapologetic about calling out Trump as a racist and white supremacist. His WTF moment moved the Overton Window so that the media actually allowed discussion about Trump’s racism.
Despite all the pearl clutching from the media and some of the Democratic establishment, Beto's strong advocacy for mandatory buybacks moved the Overton Window yet again—polling shows national majority support. And looking at a key state, support far outweighs opposition in Texas. Beto Moving the Overton Window - Mandatory Buybacks Now Polling at 59% Support
Beto has not been afraid to call out the parallels between Trump’s actions and rhetoric to the Third Reich that are so obvious but ignored by the media Beto O'Rourke indicts Trump's administration: 'There is so much that is resonant of the Third Reich'
I'll close on a lighter note-- but still focused on two men who have my highest respect, Obama and Beto. Here is a NowThis 20 questions interview where Beto describes first meeting President Obama (at 1:19 marker). The whole interview is also worth a listen. Beto keeps it real and genuine—like always.
nowthisnews.com/…