“They keep moving to the Left,” a wisecracking cameraman observed above the din.
[GOP’s STEVE KING SHARES MEME OF MODERN-DAY CIVIL WAR], the chyron read, as Beto was welcomed by Cuyahoga County Democratic Chair Shontel Brown. Hopped-up members of the crowd, chanting “BAY-to, BAY-to, BAY-to,” were coaxed by frantic, Patagonia-vested campaign volunteers to please chant “BEH-to, BEH-to, BEH-to.”Beto’s political movement — to the left, to the left? — is less clear, in large part because his initial position is still somewhat vague. But in a high-energy campaign speech framed as an in-person introduction to local voters, and in answers to questions from the crowd, he presented much as he did on the Texas trail: an “authentic” charismatic Gen-Xer who absolutely loves Rock ‘n’ Roll and wants to make America a better place. O’Rourke spent 20 minutes earlier in the day at the Rock Hall, in fact, and opened his speech with a celebration of the ingenuity of America’s musicians.
No one could argue with the things this tall, lean man said he wanted: affordable trips to the Doctor for everybody; a fairer criminal justice system; humane immigration policies that welcome refugees and don’t lock children up in cages; a belief in science (!) and the need for bold action on climate change, etc.
But the criticism from the Left that O’Rourke is a bit of a nothingburger — “neither a bold progressive nor a distinguished legislator” — was difficult to dispel on first blush. He advocated for very few specific policies, though he did gesture toward the full legalization of marijuana and a bunch of stuff concerning “the VA,” and in many areas where Democratic candidates have staked out aggressive progressive positions, he proposed what might be deemed “pragmatic” lesser measures.
On gun control, for example, speaking to a cohort of Moms Demand Action attendees in their trademark red shirts, O’Rourke said he wanted universal background checks — obvs — but then said something extremely weird and contradictory.
He talked about what a bad idea it is to have military-grade assault weapons in our communities. These are weapons, he said, that “could blow a hole out of your back so large, destroy the insides of your systems so much, that you’ll bleed to death before [a doctor] can save your life.”
O’Rourke warned the crowd that what he was about to espouse was a “much more difficult” issue than something palatable like universal background checks. It was this: “If you own an AR-15, I don’t want to take it from you. Keep it. Use it responsibly. All I’m saying is that we don’t need to sell any more of them in our communities.”
What?
O’Rourke’s from Texas, “a responsible, proud gun-owning state.” And he said there’s “nothing wrong with” gun ownership for hunting, collecting, etc. “In fact, there’s so much right with the way we take that responsibility seriously.” And yet, what a lame non-stance. It’s no surprise that “use your assault weapons responsibly” didn’t quite generate the same applause as, “I believe in a woman’s right to choose.” And why would it? He’d just spent an impassioned minute-and-a-half talking about what a senseless and irresponsible death-machine an AR-15 is.
On health care, he doesn’t want Medicare for All, necessarily. He just wants it to be a bit more affordable, maybe by putting the Medicare option on the public exchanges for people who don’t have, or aren’t happy with, their employer insurance. On college affordability, he doesn’t want free public college, necessarily. He wants to refinance student loans at lower rates.
When asked about the structure of the Supreme Court, he literally threw out a few rhetorical questions — Do we let an equal number of current Democratic and Republican justices select new members? Do we expand the body? Do we impose term limits? — and said he was partial to the option (term limits) that had generated the most applause.
But the Gino’s crowd was largely receptive. (What he proposed would be improvements!) The chatter among attendees before Beto arrived, though, seemed to describe curiosity more than ardent support. Given the current occupant of the White House, local Democratic voters are ready to be energized by national politics. And honestly only upon review did the candidate’s wishy-washy positions become clearer (other than the AR-15 comment, which was instantly a head-scratcher). In the moment, and in the excitement of the crowd, he sounded courageous and idealistic and hoarse from the fervor of his beliefs. He was a handsome, sweating politician in peak physical shape who had no qualms whatsoever about repeatedly name-dropping Sherrod Brown for the Cleveland crowd. And people were enjoying themselves.
Even the Gino’s regulars, even the blue-collar Cuyahoga County “Democrats” who prefer Fox News, sipped their domestics approvingly now and again.
This article appears in Mar 13-19, 2019.
this was not a “Gino’s crowd”. place was nothing but a prop.
http://www.timrusso.org/2019/03/betos-pop-…
Of course scene and Sam Allard would be promoting this loser. The bias and media manipulation here is not only annoying but it is dangerous. Hopefully others will soon start to realize what scumbags our media are before they are tricked into electing another puppet.
The reason we own military grade weapons is because with the lying media’s help, disgusting men like O’Rourke are given power over us and the military we pay for. Resist Robert O’Rourke. Resist this lying media outlet.
Now we can clearly see how the political media mob machine operates to prop up candidates and deceptively influence voters.
So you’re upset that he doesn’t want confiscation? That’s how actual civil war happens. Assault weapon bans have historically grandfathered in pre-ban purchases and its the only resolution that would ever get voted for since politicians know that gun confiscation would go over like a turd in church.
He can take my vote!
I’ve heard him called “Obama Lite”…but he seems younger and less mature than Obama was …even though he’s the same age (46) that Obama was when he began his campaign in 2007. Maybe living and working in Chicago made Obama seem more street-wise and tougher. And he had that cool “Ice Man” demeanor that this guy seems to lack. If he’s still in the race by next Christmas, maybe I’ll change my tune. A lot of wannabees will have dropped out of the race by then.
This scum loser changed his name from Robert to Beto which is short for “Roberto” so he could appeal to Hispanic voters. Drunk driving hit and run attempt in ’98. Wrote about killing children with his car.
Now the fucking idiots at scene and the Peedee and all other news are propping this loser up.
Is Sam Allard stupid? These article seems awfully supportive of another corrupt, lying, white privilege guilt monger that he typically hates.
As an “influencer”, I’m sure his bosses told him what to write- even the title is an outright lie as O’Rourke has often called for the banning of the AR and all guns.
The 5.56 NATO round is an intermediate cartridge made to be effective around 480 yards and under, the bullet weighs typically between 50 grains and 77 grains, And it is .224 of an inch in diameter, that is less than a 1/4 of an inch, it will kill humans, it has killed humans. but in Beto’s words “could blow a hole out of your back so large, destroy the insides of your systems so much, that you’ll bleed to death before [a doctor] can save your life.” is not in fact accurate. I have weapons that will do just that, they are not on the AR platform. Now there are some variations of the AR platform that have larger, more damaging cartridges, but they aren’t as widespread as the 5.56mm NATO. These Anti-gun politicians use rhetoric and fear mongering to effect gun control, you have to ask yourself why? when more people are murdered with hands, feet, hammers, bats, and knifes Individually than guns, especially rifles. Ignorance and fear are your worst enemies. the only reason to ban firearms is to better control the population, argue all you want, if you look at the policies the left pushes, not just the rhetoric, but read the bills, you’ll see a trend towards controlling the population, there are only a few effective ways to do that, through food,travel, and the ability to defend yourself.