Beto O’Rourke 2020 campaign megathread

[Zaybay]

Republicans want Bernie Sanders to be the nominee and fear Beto could drain key constituent support from him. They are trying to cut him off at the knees before he even enters the race.

Yeah, that almost never works out when the opposition party tries to pick their competition. Just a couple of examples:

1960: Being Catholic, Nixon believed Kennedy would give him the edge in the election.

1980: The Democrats wanted Reagan to be the GOP nominee, as they saw him as "too Conservative for the Nation to handle".

2008: Obama was seen as the man that could lose the election to McCain, and Clinton as a guaranteed loss.

2016: Trump was seen as the man who would lose the election by 20 points.

It did work in 1972, and Trump is in a lot of ways...very Nixonian.

One example of success doesn’t exuse the strategy’s long history of failure.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Republicans want Bernie Sanders to be the nominee and fear Beto could drain key constituent support from him. They are trying to cut him off at the knees before he even enters the race.

If they're attacking him for white male privilege then maybe they want Harris to be the nominee.

[Mr. Smith]

Republicans want Bernie Sanders to be the nominee and fear Beto could drain key constituent support from him. They are trying to cut him off at the knees before he even enters the race.

Yeah, that almost never works out when the opposition party tries to pick their competition. Just a couple of examples:

1960: Being Catholic, Nixon believed Kennedy would give him the edge in the election.

1980: The Democrats wanted Reagan to be the GOP nominee, as they saw him as "too Conservative for the Nation to handle".

2008: Obama was seen as the man that could lose the election to McCain, and Clinton as a guaranteed loss.

2016: Trump was seen as the man who would lose the election by 20 points.

It did work in 1972, and Trump is in a lot of ways...very Nixonian.

One example of success doesn’t exuse the strategy’s long history of failure.

True, but once again, Trump is very Nixonian, and he has a vast right-wing media machine [and Manchurian agents like CNN and Politico] this time, not just insider operatives.

Also, there's 1988 when Gary Hart was sabotaged by the genius that turned a 20-point drop to an 8 point win.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Republicans want Bernie Sanders to be the nominee and fear Beto could drain key constituent support from him. They are trying to cut him off at the knees before he even enters the race.

Yeah, that almost never works out when the opposition party tries to pick their competition. Just a couple of examples:

1960: Being Catholic, Nixon believed Kennedy would give him the edge in the election.

1980: The Democrats wanted Reagan to be the GOP nominee, as they saw him as "too Conservative for the Nation to handle".

2008: Obama was seen as the man that could lose the election to McCain, and Clinton as a guaranteed loss.

2016: Trump was seen as the man who would lose the election by 20 points.

It did work in 1972, and Trump is in a lot of ways...very Nixonian.

One example of success doesn’t exuse the strategy’s long history of failure.

True, but once again, Trump is very Nixonian, and he has a vast right-wing media machine [and Manchurian agents like CNN and Politico] this time, not just insider operatives.

Also, there's 1988 when Gary Hart was sabotaged by the genius that turned a 20-point drop to an 8 point win.

Is Trump so Nixonian that he had the Club For Growth attack himself in the last primary?

[Mr. Smith]

Republicans want Bernie Sanders to be the nominee and fear Beto could drain key constituent support from him. They are trying to cut him off at the knees before he even enters the race.

Yeah, that almost never works out when the opposition party tries to pick their competition. Just a couple of examples:

1960: Being Catholic, Nixon believed Kennedy would give him the edge in the election.

1980: The Democrats wanted Reagan to be the GOP nominee, as they saw him as "too Conservative for the Nation to handle".

2008: Obama was seen as the man that could lose the election to McCain, and Clinton as a guaranteed loss.

2016: Trump was seen as the man who would lose the election by 20 points.

It did work in 1972, and Trump is in a lot of ways...very Nixonian.

One example of success doesn’t exuse the strategy’s long history of failure.

True, but once again, Trump is very Nixonian, and he has a vast right-wing media machine [and Manchurian agents like CNN and Politico] this time, not just insider operatives.

Also, there's 1988 when Gary Hart was sabotaged by the genius that turned a 20-point drop to an 8 point win.

Is Trump so Nixonian that he had the Club For Growth attack himself in the last primary?

He hadn't proven the only option yet. He's a bit Carter-esque in that sense.

[RogueBeaver]

He's hired Plouffe and Obama's 08 IA director Paul Tewes as advisers, with a launch expected this week.

[riceowl]

He's hired Plouffe and Obama's 08 IA director Paul Tewes as advisers, with a launch expected this week.

Interesting. Would not be surprised to see Obama be Team Beto.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The Club for Growth already has an anti-O'Rourke ad going up in Iowa:

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/10/beto-orourke-2020-attack-1214805

The anti-tax Club for Growth is expected to begin airing a two-minute commercial in Iowa this week aimed at dampening liberal support for O’Rourke, who's expected to enter the race any day. The spot paints the former Texas congressman as a politician dripping with "white male privilege" who's undeserving of the comparisons he's drawing to Barack Obama.

“With a charmed life like his, you can never really lose,” the ad concludes. “That’s why Beto’s running for president — because he can.”

The offensive represents the GOP’s first concerted effort to wreak havoc in the Democratic race, and it arrives as senior Republicans have begun deliberating how the party should seek to influence the Democratic primary. With President Donald Trump’s job approval mired in the low- to mid-40s, Republicans are starting to focus on ensuring he faces as weak a candidate as possible.

Hahahahahahahahaha.

Yeah attacking someone for "white male privilege" in Iowa, that's a winner! LOL

I think you're assuming the wrong intended audience for this ad. The purpose is not to attack O'Rourke or discourage his supporters. Its actual message - i.e. the suggestion that Democrats have it out for whitey - is for swing voters.

But then if Beto ends up being nominated, or Sanders, that narrative goes poof.

[SCNCmod]

Since it now appears Beto is running, Will he enter the race in the next 2 weeks... or later?

I'm assuming within the next two weeks, and looks like it'll be via text:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=303677.msg6705452#msg6705452

The whole thing's kind of weird though.  O'Rourke took the unusual step of admitting publicly that he's made up his mind, and did so more than a couple of days before he was ready to announce what that decision was.  But the thing is, if the answer was no, he's not running, then there's no reason to delay the announcement.  He would just announce that immediately upon making the decision.  So now we effectively know that he's running, and yet he's not admitting it publicly.

“It’s a bit much,” said one Democratic strategist who has spoken with O’Rourke about working on the 2020 campaign. “The question is, does he have a secret sauce that no one knows about — that no reporter, no operative, no strategist understands? Or is this just the ‘Beto Show.’ And if this is just the ‘Beto Show,’ there’s a breaking point between strategy and narcissism.”

Hank Sheinkopf, a longtime Democratic strategist based in New York, called O’Rourke’s demurrals “good media theater.” But he said, “It’s lousy politics … Your supporters are going to dissipate.”

The quote above^^  "Does Beto have the secret sauce ...that no one understands, etc etc"  ...
...Is this person referring to the decision to delay the announcement ... against the advice of reporters & strategists?? (Assuming so- the wording makes it seem much more negative than simply saying Beto is not agreeing with some strategist  & "Reporters" regarding the timeline of when to announce & roll out his campaign.

--

But Regarding the delay... To begin with- all of the current candidates had over a year to get ready to announce their campaign (decide to run... then have the infrastructure in place to hit the ground running in a National Campaign).  And most of those candidates delayed their announcement a lot longer than Beto if you consider when they began planning for such a National campaign.

So in addition to just the time it takes to set up a Presidential Campaign (to be able to hit the ground running)... Is the need to have a really impressive opening rally a potential reason for the delayed announcement... in that once he decided he was definitely running - it may take a little time to set up an opening that will live up to some of the large rally's Beto during the Senate campaign?

[Adam Griffin]

I'm going to LOL if we find out the reason he's been waiting is so he can announce mere hours after Biden, and steal some of his media thunder. Hell, maybe they're both playing chicken with each other at this point.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

I'm going to LOL if we find out the reason he's been waiting is so he can announce mere hours after Biden, and steal some of his media thunder. Hell, maybe they're both playing chicken with each other at this point.

And what if Biden waits until October to announce he's not running? The joke will be on Beto.

[SCNCmod]

I'm going to LOL if we find out the reason he's been waiting is so he can announce mere hours after Biden, and steal some of his media thunder. Hell, maybe they're both playing chicken with each other at this point.

And what if Biden waits until October to announce he's not running? The joke will be on Beto.

I don't think Biden is a factor at all in the timing.  If Biden gets in- it will be in April IMO.  But I think there is still a better chance than most of giving it... that Biden ends up preserving his legacy & doesn't run (although ends up serving as a senior statesman Secretary of State if a Dem wins).

[Sbane]

The Club for Growth already has an anti-O'Rourke ad going up in Iowa:

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/10/beto-orourke-2020-attack-1214805

The anti-tax Club for Growth is expected to begin airing a two-minute commercial in Iowa this week aimed at dampening liberal support for O’Rourke, who's expected to enter the race any day. The spot paints the former Texas congressman as a politician dripping with "white male privilege" who's undeserving of the comparisons he's drawing to Barack Obama.

“With a charmed life like his, you can never really lose,” the ad concludes. “That’s why Beto’s running for president — because he can.”

The offensive represents the GOP’s first concerted effort to wreak havoc in the Democratic race, and it arrives as senior Republicans have begun deliberating how the party should seek to influence the Democratic primary. With President Donald Trump’s job approval mired in the low- to mid-40s, Republicans are starting to focus on ensuring he faces as weak a candidate as possible.

I think this is as good an indication as any that the Democrat Republicans most fear is Beto. He provides a unifying message and contrasts well against Trump.

[Rookie Yinzer]

HE'S COMING! I'M SHOOK!

https://twitter.com/MDforBeto/status/1105305499652841473

[SCNCmod]

Do you think Beto's first big campaign event will be a Mega Rally in Austin... or something else, somewhere else?

[Mr. Morden]

But Regarding the delay... To begin with- all of the current candidates had over a year to get ready to announce their campaign (decide to run... then have the infrastructure in place to hit the ground running in a National Campaign).  And most of those candidates delayed their announcement a lot longer than Beto if you consider when they began planning for such a National campaign.

So in addition to just the time it takes to set up a Presidential Campaign (to be able to hit the ground running)... Is the need to have a really impressive opening rally a potential reason for the delayed announcement... in that once he decided he was definitely running - it may take a little time to set up an opening that will live up to some of the large rally's Beto during the Senate campaign?

I don't think it's problematic at all for him to have delayed his announcement until this month or next month or whenever he wants to do it.  But ideally he should have gone about it like the other candidates did, which is to publicly pretend that he's still undecided up until the day that he makes his announcement.  The fact that he's said publicly that he's decided but won't tell us what the decision is yet looks rather silly, IMHO.  Not a big deal, just an example of him executing his rollout in a way that doesn't really make any sense, which might be a consequence of him being more of a newbie to the national stage than most of the other candidates.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

He’ll announce with a slick, shiny video that has grainy unflattering Trump pics interspersed among footage of Beto delivering a stump soeech set to a dramatic instrumental score. The excitement the announcement makes will cover up the fact that his actual campaign kickoff will likely be sparsely attended at best.

Just like Hillary, now that I think about it.

[Woody]

He's going to perform poorly in the early primary states.

[henster]

But Regarding the delay... To begin with- all of the current candidates had over a year to get ready to announce their campaign (decide to run... then have the infrastructure in place to hit the ground running in a National Campaign).  And most of those candidates delayed their announcement a lot longer than Beto if you consider when they began planning for such a National campaign.

So in addition to just the time it takes to set up a Presidential Campaign (to be able to hit the ground running)... Is the need to have a really impressive opening rally a potential reason for the delayed announcement... in that once he decided he was definitely running - it may take a little time to set up an opening that will live up to some of the large rally's Beto during the Senate campaign?

I don't think it's problematic at all for him to have delayed his announcement until this month or next month or whenever he wants to do it.  But ideally he should have gone about it like the other candidates did, which is to publicly pretend that he's still undecided up until the day that he makes his announcement.  The fact that he's said publicly that he's decided but won't tell us what the decision is yet looks rather silly, IMHO.  Not a big deal, just an example of him executing his rollout in a way that doesn't really make any sense, which might be a consequence of him being more of a newbie to the national stage than most of the other candidates.

Beto is acting like a frontrunner which he's not, maybe in January he would've been but not today. He's keeping people in suspense while many of his supporters are gravitating to other candidates. To the point where he has to spend the next few months clawing back what he lost.

[Rookie Yinzer]

But Regarding the delay... To begin with- all of the current candidates had over a year to get ready to announce their campaign (decide to run... then have the infrastructure in place to hit the ground running in a National Campaign).  And most of those candidates delayed their announcement a lot longer than Beto if you consider when they began planning for such a National campaign.

So in addition to just the time it takes to set up a Presidential Campaign (to be able to hit the ground running)... Is the need to have a really impressive opening rally a potential reason for the delayed announcement... in that once he decided he was definitely running - it may take a little time to set up an opening that will live up to some of the large rally's Beto during the Senate campaign?

I don't think it's problematic at all for him to have delayed his announcement until this month or next month or whenever he wants to do it.  But ideally he should have gone about it like the other candidates did, which is to publicly pretend that he's still undecided up until the day that he makes his announcement.  The fact that he's said publicly that he's decided but won't tell us what the decision is yet looks rather silly, IMHO.  Not a big deal, just an example of him executing his rollout in a way that doesn't really make any sense, which might be a consequence of him being more of a newbie to the national stage than most of the other candidates.

Beto is acting like a frontrunner which he's not, maybe in January he would've been but not today. He's keeping people in suspense while many of his supporters are gravitating to other candidates. To the point where he has to spend the next few months clawing back what he lost.

This is not true. LOL. The moment he announces he will get more media coverage than everyone not named Harris or Sanders. I’m not sure where y’all are getting the hype has died down. He literally has an operation of folks ready to go the moment he announces. The only comparable online fervor for someone to enter the race was Sanders.

[Wisconsin SC Race 2019]

But Regarding the delay... To begin with- all of the current candidates had over a year to get ready to announce their campaign (decide to run... then have the infrastructure in place to hit the ground running in a National Campaign).  And most of those candidates delayed their announcement a lot longer than Beto if you consider when they began planning for such a National campaign.

So in addition to just the time it takes to set up a Presidential Campaign (to be able to hit the ground running)... Is the need to have a really impressive opening rally a potential reason for the delayed announcement... in that once he decided he was definitely running - it may take a little time to set up an opening that will live up to some of the large rally's Beto during the Senate campaign?

I don't think it's problematic at all for him to have delayed his announcement until this month or next month or whenever he wants to do it.  But ideally he should have gone about it like the other candidates did, which is to publicly pretend that he's still undecided up until the day that he makes his announcement.  The fact that he's said publicly that he's decided but won't tell us what the decision is yet looks rather silly, IMHO.  Not a big deal, just an example of him executing his rollout in a way that doesn't really make any sense, which might be a consequence of him being more of a newbie to the national stage than most of the other candidates.

Beto is acting like a frontrunner which he's not, maybe in January he would've been but not today. He's keeping people in suspense while many of his supporters are gravitating to other candidates. To the point where he has to spend the next few months clawing back what he lost.

This is not true. LOL. The moment he announces he will get more media coverage than everyone not named Harris or Sanders. I’m not sure where y’all are getting the hype has died down. He literally has an operation of folks ready to go the moment he announces. The only comparable online fervor for someone to enter the race was Sanders.

If he had all that massive support, why wait? He prolly thought he had a shot in a state-wide race, but got cold feet. 

[Rookie Yinzer]

But Regarding the delay... To begin with- all of the current candidates had over a year to get ready to announce their campaign (decide to run... then have the infrastructure in place to hit the ground running in a National Campaign).  And most of those candidates delayed their announcement a lot longer than Beto if you consider when they began planning for such a National campaign.

So in addition to just the time it takes to set up a Presidential Campaign (to be able to hit the ground running)... Is the need to have a really impressive opening rally a potential reason for the delayed announcement... in that once he decided he was definitely running - it may take a little time to set up an opening that will live up to some of the large rally's Beto during the Senate campaign?

I don't think it's problematic at all for him to have delayed his announcement until this month or next month or whenever he wants to do it.  But ideally he should have gone about it like the other candidates did, which is to publicly pretend that he's still undecided up until the day that he makes his announcement.  The fact that he's said publicly that he's decided but won't tell us what the decision is yet looks rather silly, IMHO.  Not a big deal, just an example of him executing his rollout in a way that doesn't really make any sense, which might be a consequence of him being more of a newbie to the national stage than most of the other candidates.

Beto is acting like a frontrunner which he's not, maybe in January he would've been but not today. He's keeping people in suspense while many of his supporters are gravitating to other candidates. To the point where he has to spend the next few months clawing back what he lost.

This is not true. LOL. The moment he announces he will get more media coverage than everyone not named Harris or Sanders. I’m not sure where y’all are getting the hype has died down. He literally has an operation of folks ready to go the moment he announces. The only comparable online fervor for someone to enter the race was Sanders.

If he had all that massive support, why wait? He prolly thought he had a shot in a state-wide race, but got cold feet. 

I don’t know him personally, I can’t answer that question. What’s the rush though? He will not have any trouble reaching either of the thresholds to get into the debates. Once he enters he will be away from his kids. ALOT. Let’s all calm down.

[RogueBeaver]

https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1105575214828711937

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

Hmm? Announcement this week maybe?

[Former Crackhead Mike Lindell]

The John Edwards 2008 of 2020.