Robert Francis O’Rourke, a doubly-failed politician who goes by the name “Beto” to obfuscate his pasty Irish origins, recently announced he will be running to become Texas’ next governor. After the laughter died down, speculation began as to whether he could become the Lone Star State’s first Democratic chief executive since Dorothy Richards in 1991.
My colleague Brandon Morse, wrote a piece in which he contended that Democrats should stop trying to “Beto” us to death. He makes some compelling points. He wrote:
O’Rourke’s statements during the 2020 Democrat primary would have to be memory-holed alongside his dealings in El Paso. Then there’s the problem of O’Rourke’s personality, which is frankly off-putting. He speaks, but someone else is moving his mouth and it shows. His lack of genuine personality could rival that of Hillary Clinton or even Eric Swalwell.
“My advice? Stop trying to make Beto happen. It only makes the Democrat party look desperate,” he concluded.
But I must respectfully disagree. An O’Rourke gubernatorial campaign would be the very best thing to happen to Texas, a state I have come to love, in a long time — precisely for the reasons Morse laid out in his article.
Nobody wants this man to be dog catcher much less governor.
After a close loss to Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2018 midterm elections and a dismal showing in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, it appears the former state representative believes he can be the political version of the “Little Engine That Could.” After all, they say third time’s the charm, right?
Perhaps not.
O’Rourke, despite his cool hipster vibe and proficiency with a skateboard, will have a tremendous level of baggage coming into the race. During the Senate race and Democratic primaries, Robert exposed himself as having values that are anathema to your average Texan.
During the 2020 campaign, O’Rourke made a mistake that all but tanked any chance he has of ever holding office in the Lone Star State again. He made remarks about gun control that became infamous:
“Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47. You will not be able to use it against our fellow Americans any more.”
He became a vocal supporter of buybacks “if it’s a weapon that was designed to kill people on a battlefield.”
During a 2019 interview on MSNBC, he even went so far as to support the idea of using law enforcement to seize firearms from citizens. He said:
“In that case, I think that there would be a visit by law enforcement to recover that firearm and to make sure that it is purchased, bought back, so that it cannot be potentially used against somebody else.”
Unfortunately, unlike the Little Engine That Could, O’Rourke seems to have not learned his lesson about guns. In an interview with the Texas Tribune published on Monday, he reaffirmed his anti-gun rights stance. He said of Governor Greg Abbott:
“He doesn’t trust women to make their health care decisions, doesn’t trust police chiefs when they tell him not to sign the permitless carry bill into law, he doesn’t trust voters so he changes the rules of our elections, and he doesn’t trust local communities.”
What is particularly funny about this whole thing is the fact that he also told the Tribune that in this campaign, he would be taking his cues from Texans. “A big lesson that I take from anything I’ve been a part of that’s been successful is you gotta keep the focus on people,” he said. “And if this becomes about a single candidate or political party instead of the people of Texas, it’s just not gonna work.”
Apparently, this does not apply when it comes to gun rights, and a recent poll conducted by the Texas Tribune and the University of Texas shows that voters aren’t too enthused about his upcoming campaign.
From the report:
The survey of registered voters found Abbott with a 9-percentage-point advantage over O’Rourke, 46% to 37%. Seven percent of respondents picked someone else in the hypothetical matchup, and 10% said they have not thought about it enough to have an opinion.
To be sure, O’Rourke will likely receive another outpouring of cash from California and other hard blue areas of the country. Sure, they would be better served by just dumping the money into the ocean or donating it to yours truly, but they have to make a statement, don’t they? It is the best way to make it sound like their preferred candidate is receiving oodles of support because people really really like him.
But here’s what is going to happen. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will likely be the Republican nominee, much to the chagrin of many conservative voters who aren’t going to be too enthusiastic about supporting him as his popularity on the right has dropped. But you know what they WILL be enthusiastic about?
You guessed it.
Texas voters will be galvanized by the idea of making sure that the gun-grabbing failed politician gets nowhere near the governor’s mansion. They will turn out in droves to ensure that Robert has no chance of pushing the far-left agenda in the Lone Star State. Indeed, this particular race will likely be the death knell of Robert’s political career.
If the Democrats were smart, they would back a less-threatening left-leaning candidate. They would push someone who could appeal to moderate Republicans, independents, and conservative Democrats. In this scenario, they would likely still lose, but there would be a chance that voters would stay home rather than show up for Abbott.
So, in closing, Robert’s candidacy is great for the beautiful state of Texas. He has little chance of winning, which assures that his radical Marxist approach won’t be inflicted on Texans. However, this does not mean the GOP should not be vigilant – Democrats are trying hard to turn the state purple. Fortunately, they won’t be able to use Robert for this purpose.
