In the four days since Beto O’Rourke announced his candidacy
for president, his campaign has become embroiled in several controversies that
may doom his chances even before he leaves the starting gate. Nevertheless, the
level of donations that the campaign has received in its early hours indicate a
high level of interest in the Texas candidate. It would be a mistake to write
off the millennial presidential hopeful despite his campaign’s problems.
Beto’s campaign immediately suffered from a series of missteps as well as revelations about
his past. One of the most shocking items is news of an article that he wrote as
a teenager in which he fantasized
about running over children with his
car. The article was posted online for the Cult of the Dead Cow, a hacking
group to which the candidate belonged.
“I'm mortified to read it now, incredibly embarrassed, but I
have to take ownership of my words,” O’Rourke said of his teen writing in the Chicago
Tribune. “Whatever my intention was as a teenager doesn't matter, I have to
look long and hard at my actions, at the language I have used, and I have to
constantly try to do better.”
O’Rourke also had a lesson on the easily-offended nature of
modern Democrats with a seemingly innocuous joke in which he said that his
wife, Amy, was raising their three children “sometimes with my help.” Politico
notes that the joke disappeared from later speeches after it was pointed out
that the reference could reinforce gender stereotypes and O’Rourke apologized,
saying that he would be “much more thoughtful going forward in the way that I
talk about our marriage, and also the way in which I acknowledge the truth of
the criticism that I have enjoyed white privilege.”
The new candidate also faced down the media for what he
called a misrepresentation of a statement to Vanity
Fair. After telling the magazine that he was “just born to be in it,” Beto
criticized the headline that quoted him as saying, “I’m just born to do this”
and attempted to distance himself from the idea that he thinks he was born to
be president.
“I saw the cover with that quote, ‘Born to run,’ or ‘Born to
do this,’ and I was like, ‘Man, I hope I didn’t say that,’” O’Rourke told
reporters in Wisconsin on Sunday. “I think the context of that, which makes
sense, is the way that I feel, is that I’m born to serve, I’m born to try to
help bring people together.”
He continued, “I don’t
know that anyone is born for an office or a position, and I certainly am not.
But I do think that I find my purpose and function in life in doing this kind
of work.”
Aside from the gaffes and skeletons in the closet, the Beto
campaign seems to rely more on style than substance. Just prior to his presidential
announcement, O’Rourke apologized to a prominent Iowa Democrat for his lack of
organization in the crucial early state and his campaign website rolled out
with a complete inventory of Beto campaign gear but little in the way of policy
positions.
“For all the fanfare, the band was playing a pretty flat
tune,” Dave Nagle, Iowa state Democratic Party chairman and a former congressman, told Politico.
“There’s just no substance to it.”
O’Rourke still does not have a campaign manager, but he does
have experienced advisors. Norm Sterzenbach, a former executive director of the
Iowa Democratic Party, and Paul Tewes, who ran Barack Obama’s 2008 effort in
Iowa, are helping O’Rourke organize in the Hawkeye state.
“So [O’Rourke] made some missteps,” said another Democratic
strategist. “What really matters is when are you putting people on the ground
and giving Norm some money to go hire them.”
Despite the missteps, the O’Rourke campaign brought in $6.1
million in its first 24 hours. Beto’s haul eclipses the $5.9 million raised
by Bernie Sanders after his announcement and dwarfs the contributions received
by other Democrats. For example, Kamala Harris received only $1.5
million following her announcement.
Beto is off to a rocky start but don’t count him out yet. The Texan’s rock star image generated more
than $80 million in the 2018 election cycle per the FEC.
His ability to generate huge contributions almost cost Ted Cruz his Senate
seat. With President Trump’s
approval in Texas underwater, an O’Rourke candidacy could put the Lone Star
State in play for the first time since 1976.
In many ways, O’Rourke is reminiscent of Barack Obama in
2008, a relatively blank slate with rock star popularity. To capitalize on that
popularity, however, Beto must get his campaign organized and show backers that
he has the depth to mount a serious national campaign. Against Donald Trump, who
also has a reputation as a candidate with a shallow understanding of policy and
who is
not popular with young or minority voters, Beto could be a formidable
candidate.
At this point, the greatest threat to Beto is a Joe Biden
candidacy. The former vice president, who has consistently led polling, has
hinted that he will soon enter the race. Without Biden in the race, the non-Bernie
vote will splinter between the numerous other candidates and O’Rourke has a
chance to come out on top. If Biden does decide to run, however, he will be the
odds-on favorite for the nomination. In that case, Beto, with his Texas roots
and youthful charisma, would be a logical vice-presidential pick.
Originally published
on The
Resurgent
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