Thoughts on Beto?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He made a statement about going after Texans guns. No way he could recover from that in Texas. Which is a real shame since Abbott is one of the worst governor's in history.

OP here... yes, I get the "going after their guns" concern, but I've heard him talk about really reasonable gun control as a 4th gen Texan. With Uvalde, El Paso, etc., I would think Texas would be more open to him. I also. just read a story that the county where Uvalde is went 60% for Abbott, so what do I know???

There’s *nothing* reasonable about telling Texans “hell YES we’re gonna take your AR15!” . And that’s what he’s going to be forever known for. There’s no walking that back. Do you know how many millions of Texans own an AR15? It’s THE most common rifle in Texas. Had Eugene Stoner been a Texas resident when he invented it in 1956, the state legislature would’ve made it the official firearm of the state of Texas.

Not defending this logic but it is the reality there. This is why he lost.

Eh, I'm not convinced of that.

I was born in El Paso and spent several years back there in my 20's. What other posters are describing here is true - Beto probably got his nickname from his nanny or housekeeper, and then he's the rich kid that left. So he has El Paso roots, but amongst a very small proportion of the population of even his hometown. We used to say El Paso was the biggest small town you would ever live in - and that was mainly due to socio-economic status. It's also a unique and isolated part of Texas that doesn't really fit into the other cities. I'm trying to remember the last time we had a prominent Democrat from Dallas or Houston try to mount any kind of statewide challenge. Because if you had roots and a career in those cities you might be able to reach across party lines.

I don't have the same visceral reaction to Beto that others do, but the fact that so many people feel the same way is an indication.

In some way, I think it's probably a good thing he was not elected governor. He would have been a failure simply because he would not have been able to accomplish anything with the Legislature and appointments only do so much. I also think he would have been in physical danger.

All that said, he got 48% of the vote against Cruz's 50% and 43% against Abbott's 54%. Those aren't exactly blowout numbers for the Republicans, but Beto wasn't the guy. If Democrats want to win a statewide election in Texas I think they will have to invest long and hard and the candidate must come from Dallas or Houston.

[Anonymous]

Beto is a repeated failed candidate. So tired of hearing about him and watching him suck all the oxygen out of the air in terms of media coverage that could be spent on other better candidates who can actually WIN.

What does he even do? Honestly it seems he has been doing nothing but running for one election or another for the past 10 years and doing nothing but losing.

Look, nothing personal but clearly he's not a good politician and it's time to step aside and give other people a chance.

[Anonymous]

Beto and Kamala are kind of similar. They have a lot of confidence, but not a lot of substance. I like both of them as people. But, as political leaders, they seem to be lightweights. Mostly show, not substance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a big part of the problem in places like Texas is that being Republican is more of a cultural identity than a political belief system for many people. Lots of them don’t even know the positions of the people on the ballot, but they vote Republican because that’s what their family does and their friends do and their neighbors do and their church tells them to do. They will always vote Republican because they do not want to be ostracized by their communities. (yes, there is an element of this for Democrats too, but studies of the phenomenon have found it is much more pronounced and wide-spread among red state Republicans.

With that background, a lot of Texas Democrats have basically given up on their own state, viewing it as a lost cause other than at the local level in certain areas. The sad thing is that, for all the hate Beto gets, he’s one of the few people who isn’t willing to give up on Texas. There’s something to be said for that.

This. It's identity politics. It's so socially engrained that white people vote for Republicans in TX; "poor people in bad school districts" vote for Democrats.

If you were to be a vocal Democrat in these circles, you'd eventually get iced out both socially and professionally. It's just uncouth to be a Democrat in Texan power circles and certain neighborhoods.

When I first encountered this I thought it was so weird. My son's preschool friend was at our house, family from TX, and he announced that he was from "a good Republican family." I laughed and said a person isn't born Republican. This was pre-Trump. Little did I know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Beto is a repeated failed candidate. So tired of hearing about him and watching him suck all the oxygen out of the air in terms of media coverage that could be spent on other better candidates who can actually WIN.

What does he even do? Honestly it seems he has been doing nothing but running for one election or another for the past 10 years and doing nothing but losing.

Look, nothing personal but clearly he's not a good politician and it's time to step aside and give other people a chance.

I loved Beto the first two times he lost, but I also am now tired of him. I think it was a huge mistake for him to run yet again, wasting donation money on a lost cause. Same for Abrams. Both them were rising stars, and now seem to be just money wasters and two/three-time losers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Beto is a repeated failed candidate. So tired of hearing about him and watching him suck all the oxygen out of the air in terms of media coverage that could be spent on other better candidates who can actually WIN.

What does he even do? Honestly it seems he has been doing nothing but running for one election or another for the past 10 years and doing nothing but losing.

Look, nothing personal but clearly he's not a good politician and it's time to step aside and give other people a chance.

I loved Beto the first two times he lost, but I also am now tired of him. I think it was a huge mistake for him to run yet again, wasting donation money on a lost cause. Same for Abrams. Both them were rising stars, and now seem to be just money wasters and two/three-time losers.

I still really like Abrams (Beto not so much), but it is clear now that her time & talents are better spent in non-elected roles. Her Fair Fight Action organization, spurred from her gubernatorial run in 2018, played a HUGE role in setting up GA for future competitiveness in 2021 and 2022.

[Anonymous]

OP here... this is great dialogue! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I can totally see the Beto/Kamala/Abrams linkage... I am a DMV native (non-politico) so I don't have connections to these areas or their politics. I really like Kamala too, but I sadly don't think she can get elected as president. I wish there was another clear Dem on the horizon.

[Anonymous]

Total weirdo Beta.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Slightly off topic but can anyone explain to me why conservatives are triggered by Beto having a nickname? I often see them correcting it to *Robert Francis as if that’s some kind of own.

I think it is because Beto is a nickname for Robert among Spanish speaking people--that is what I have been told. I have never heard it personally as a nickname for anyone else ever so I don't know if that is true. But, if that is an real thing-Beto as a Spanish nickname--I think Republicans are trying to show he is a poser --an Irish guy posing as a guy of Spanish distraction.

Oh that makes sense. I also have never heard the name Beto and didn’t know it was Hispanic.

Anyway, those in Raphael Cruz’s party don’t have much room to talk about misleading nicknames.

Nah, the equivalent would be Cruz calling himself Ralph or something.

Beto is just cringe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a big part of the problem in places like Texas is that being Republican is more of a cultural identity than a political belief system for many people. Lots of them don’t even know the positions of the people on the ballot, but they vote Republican because that’s what their family does and their friends do and their neighbors do and their church tells them to do. They will always vote Republican because they do not want to be ostracized by their communities. (yes, there is an element of this for Democrats too, but studies of the phenomenon have found it is much more pronounced and wide-spread among red state Republicans.

With that background, a lot of Texas Democrats have basically given up on their own state, viewing it as a lost cause other than at the local level in certain areas. The sad thing is that, for all the hate Beto gets, he’s one of the few people who isn’t willing to give up on Texas. There’s something to be said for that.

This. It's identity politics. It's so socially engrained that white people vote for Republicans in TX; "poor people in bad school districts" vote for Democrats.

If you were to be a vocal Democrat in these circles, you'd eventually get iced out both socially and professionally. It's just uncouth to be a Democrat in Texan power circles and certain neighborhoods.

When I first encountered this I thought it was so weird. My son's preschool friend was at our house, family from TX, and he announced that he was from "a good Republican family." I laughed and said a person isn't born Republican. This was pre-Trump. Little did I know.

The preschool kid said this? Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Beto is a repeated failed candidate. So tired of hearing about him and watching him suck all the oxygen out of the air in terms of media coverage that could be spent on other better candidates who can actually WIN.

What does he even do? Honestly it seems he has been doing nothing but running for one election or another for the past 10 years and doing nothing but losing.

Look, nothing personal but clearly he's not a good politician and it's time to step aside and give other people a chance.

I loved Beto the first two times he lost, but I also am now tired of him. I think it was a huge mistake for him to run yet again, wasting donation money on a lost cause. Same for Abrams. Both them were rising stars, and now seem to be just money wasters and two/three-time losers.

I don't mean this in a rude or sarcastic way, but I don't think there was anyone else in TX politics that could have come as close to Abbott as Beto did. I get feeling like he's a perennial candidate, but in a state like TX, which hasn't elected a Democrat statewide since the '90's and Democrat is going to be facing a big hurdle and name recognition is important. Castro has never been able to capitalize, and he's the only other Dem I can see with a chance of success.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Beto is a repeated failed candidate. So tired of hearing about him and watching him suck all the oxygen out of the air in terms of media coverage that could be spent on other better candidates who can actually WIN.

What does he even do? Honestly it seems he has been doing nothing but running for one election or another for the past 10 years and doing nothing but losing.

Look, nothing personal but clearly he's not a good politician and it's time to step aside and give other people a chance.

I loved Beto the first two times he lost, but I also am now tired of him. I think it was a huge mistake for him to run yet again, wasting donation money on a lost cause. Same for Abrams. Both them were rising stars, and now seem to be just money wasters and two/three-time losers.

I don't mean this in a rude or sarcastic way, but I don't think there was anyone else in TX politics that could have come as close to Abbott as Beto did. I get feeling like he's a perennial candidate, but in a state like TX, which hasn't elected a Democrat statewide since the '90's and Democrat is going to be facing a big hurdle and name recognition is important. Castro has never been able to capitalize, and he's the only other Dem I can see with a chance of success.

^^and the implication of not running someone popular, even if they aren't successful, is that you basically aren't running anyone in any substantive way.

[Anonymous]

I like him. The things that people here don’t like about him are so often repeated I’m almost certain it’s republicans saying them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Slightly off topic but can anyone explain to me why conservatives are triggered by Beto having a nickname? I often see them correcting it to *Robert Francis as if that’s some kind of own.

I think it is because Beto is a nickname for Robert among Spanish speaking people--that is what I have been told. I have never heard it personally as a nickname for anyone else ever so I don't know if that is true. But, if that is an real thing-Beto as a Spanish nickname--I think Republicans are trying to show he is a poser --an Irish guy posing as a guy of Spanish distraction.

Oh that makes sense. I also have never heard the name Beto and didn’t know it was Hispanic.

Anyway, those in Raphael Cruz’s party don’t have much room to talk about misleading nicknames.

DP. I'm fascinated by this O'Rourke guy is cleverly hiding his Irish heritage behind "Beto."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He made a statement about going after Texans guns. No way he could recover from that in Texas. Which is a real shame since Abbott is one of the worst governor's in history.

OP here... yes, I get the "going after their guns" concern, but I've heard him talk about really reasonable gun control as a 4th gen Texan. With Uvalde, El Paso, etc., I would think Texas would be more open to him. I also. just read a story that the county where Uvalde is went 60% for Abbott, so what do I know???

There’s *nothing* reasonable about telling Texans “hell YES we’re gonna take your AR15!” . And that’s what he’s going to be forever known for. There’s no walking that back. Do you know how many millions of Texans own an AR15? It’s THE most common rifle in Texas. Had Eugene Stoner been a Texas resident when he invented it in 1956, the state legislature would’ve made it the official firearm of the state of Texas.

Not defending this logic but it is the reality there. This is why he lost.

Eh, I'm not convinced of that.

I was born in El Paso and spent several years back there in my 20's. What other posters are describing here is true - Beto probably got his nickname from his nanny or housekeeper, and then he's the rich kid that left. So he has El Paso roots, but amongst a very small proportion of the population of even his hometown. We used to say El Paso was the biggest small town you would ever live in - and that was mainly due to socio-economic status. It's also a unique and isolated part of Texas that doesn't really fit into the other cities. I'm trying to remember the last time we had a prominent Democrat from Dallas or Houston try to mount any kind of statewide challenge. Because if you had roots and a career in those cities you might be able to reach across party lines.

I don't have the same visceral reaction to Beto that others do, but the fact that so many people feel the same way is an indication.

In some way, I think it's probably a good thing he was not elected governor. He would have been a failure simply because he would not have been able to accomplish anything with the Legislature and appointments only do so much. I also think he would have been in physical danger.

All that said, he got 48% of the vote against Cruz's 50% and 43% against Abbott's 54%. Those aren't exactly blowout numbers for the Republicans, but Beto wasn't the guy. If Democrats want to win a statewide election in Texas I think they will have to invest long and hard and the candidate must come from Dallas or Houston.

I agree with all your points about Beto. I live in Dallas and El Paso’s never part of the conversation about Texas the way other major cities are… it’s so remote from the cluster of other big Texas cities, on mountain instead of central time, not in ERCOT, etc. so yes, I’m sure there’s something there in terms of being considered truly “Texan.”

At the same time, look at the down-ballot votes. For attorney general: Garza is a good candidate, native Texan, Houston law school grad, endorsed by every newspaper in the state because she is running against a North Dakotan literal criminal indicted on felony charges that he has been misusing his political power to evade for SEVEN years. Still 53-44. Same with Land Commissioner: Jay Kleberg, 6th generation cattle ranching Texan who made a feature film about Texas parks and has a great resume of conservation, against… I dunno, an Austin eye doctor with no discernible experience in land management? 56-42. I don’t know what mythical unicorn the democrats could run that can actually convince a substantial number of people, especially after the latest round of gerrymandering that very much limits the number and locations of local political offices where Ds could build a political resume.

Sorry, maybe that is too doom and gloom but I am pretty frustrated with how things went this week in Texas. Much more encouraged by results in other states.