Beto O’Rourke 2020 campaign megathread

[Sestak]

Anyway, yikes:
https://twitter.com/ddayen/status/1106617741220282368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwca...

Images from tweet:

RIP Beto campaign.

Um whats wrong with this exactly?

To you, nothing, probably.

[Grassroots]

Anyway, yikes:
https://twitter.com/ddayen/status/1106617741220282368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwca...

Images from tweet:

RIP Beto campaign.

Um whats wrong with this exactly?

To you, nothing, probably.

Really doesn't answer my question.

[SCNCmod]

Ok my question is y tf would he flip flop on healthcare after defending it while running STATEwide in texas and then chooses the opposite in a national D primary.

Unfortunately, it's only solidified my suspicion that he never really wanted to be in the Senate and had his eye on the presidency all along. I don't want to harp on it too much because I can't prove it (obviously), but I was confused at why he seemed to be pandering to a national audience during his Senate run, even after he'd gotten national attention, he could have moderated on a few things like the assault weapons ban and picked up more votes.

That's the problem with rewarding losers and (punishing winners like Sherrod Brown by telling them they have to stay in the Senate or a GOP Guv will replace their seat). It creates perverse incentives that you can never really be sure aren't causing harm.

How has Beto flipped on healthcare- he has always supported Universal Healthcare (just not single payer that must be provided by government run programs).  But also that after Universal Healthcare is achieved... other systems are worth considering.

I think every Dems goal should be for immediately restrengthening the ACA (and reimplement the caps on Private insurance profit margins), Add the public option, and implement the tweaks to Obamacare that Dems have said is needed. Only then should anything else be pursued... otherwise you won't have the infrastructure, much less the votes needed, to achieve the next step.

[Mr. Smith]

Ok my question is y tf would he flip flop on healthcare after defending it while running STATEwide in texas and then chooses the opposite in a national D primary.

Unfortunately, it's only solidified my suspicion that he never really wanted to be in the Senate and had his eye on the presidency all along. I don't want to harp on it too much because I can't prove it (obviously), but I was confused at why he seemed to be pandering to a national audience during his Senate run, even after he'd gotten national attention, he could have moderated on a few things like the assault weapons ban and picked up more votes.

That's the problem with rewarding losers and (punishing winners like Sherrod Brown by telling them they have to stay in the Senate or a GOP Guv will replace their seat). It creates perverse incentives that you can never really be sure aren't causing harm.

How has Beto flipped on healthcare- he has always supported Universal Healthcare (just not single payer that must be provided by government run programs).  But also that after Universal Healthcare is achieved... other systems are worth considering.

I think every Dems goal should be for immediately restrengthening the ACA (and reimplement the caps on Private insurance profit margins), Add the public option, and implement the tweaks to Obamacare that Dems have said is needed. Only then should anything else be pursued... otherwise you won't have the infrastructure, much less the votes needed, to achieve the next step.

Problem with that is then the GOP will wrangle there way into suggesting all sorts of ways to do away with ACA, but obviously discreetly. They;ll see that weakness and exploit it.

But going for M4A mercilessly now until the GOP cry uncle creates ground to start off with what you suggest.

You want proof: Look at how gay marriage turned out once the party perfectly painted skeptics as homophobic. Look at how Nancy Pelosi dismantled Bush Jr's attempts to privatize Social Security.

The history is there, so why compromise as a starting point now?

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Ok my question is y tf would he flip flop on healthcare after defending it while running STATEwide in texas and then chooses the opposite in a national D primary.

Unfortunately, it's only solidified my suspicion that he never really wanted to be in the Senate and had his eye on the presidency all along. I don't want to harp on it too much because I can't prove it (obviously), but I was confused at why he seemed to be pandering to a national audience during his Senate run, even after he'd gotten national attention, he could have moderated on a few things like the assault weapons ban and picked up more votes.

That's the problem with rewarding losers and (punishing winners like Sherrod Brown by telling them they have to stay in the Senate or a GOP Guv will replace their seat). It creates perverse incentives that you can never really be sure aren't causing harm.

How has Beto flipped on healthcare- he has always supported Universal Healthcare (just not single payer that must be provided by government run programs).  But also that after Universal Healthcare is achieved... other systems are worth considering.

I think every Dems goal should be for immediately restrengthening the ACA (and reimplement the caps on Private insurance profit margins), Add the public option, and implement the tweaks to Obamacare that Dems have said is needed. Only then should anything else be pursued... otherwise you won't have the infrastructure, much less the votes needed, to achieve the next step.

Problem with that is then the GOP will wrangle there way into suggesting all sorts of ways to do away with ACA, but obviously discreetly. They;ll see that weakness and exploit it.

But going for M4A mercilessly now until the GOP cry uncle creates ground to start off with what you suggest.

You want proof: Look at how gay marriage turned out once the party perfectly painted skeptics as homophobic. Look at how Nancy Pelosi dismantled Bush Jr's attempts to privatize Social Security.

The history is there, so why compromise as a starting point now?

Beto is from the Obama wing of the party. Pre-capitulate to the old Republican position so that the Republicans are forced to adopt a more right-wing position to oppose it.

[Jon Tester]

Ok my question is y tf would he flip flop on healthcare after defending it while running STATEwide in texas and then chooses the opposite in a national D primary.

Unfortunately, it's only solidified my suspicion that he never really wanted to be in the Senate and had his eye on the presidency all along. I don't want to harp on it too much because I can't prove it (obviously), but I was confused at why he seemed to be pandering to a national audience during his Senate run, even after he'd gotten national attention, he could have moderated on a few things like the assault weapons ban and picked up more votes.

That's the problem with rewarding losers and (punishing winners like Sherrod Brown by telling them they have to stay in the Senate or a GOP Guv will replace their seat). It creates perverse incentives that you can never really be sure aren't causing harm.

How has Beto flipped on healthcare- he has always supported Universal Healthcare (just not single payer that must be provided by government run programs).  But also that after Universal Healthcare is achieved... other systems are worth considering.

I think every Dems goal should be for immediately restrengthening the ACA (and reimplement the caps on Private insurance profit margins), Add the public option, and implement the tweaks to Obamacare that Dems have said is needed. Only then should anything else be pursued... otherwise you won't have the infrastructure, much less the votes needed, to achieve the next step.

Problem with that is then the GOP will wrangle there way into suggesting all sorts of ways to do away with ACA, but obviously discreetly. They;ll see that weakness and exploit it.

But going for M4A mercilessly now until the GOP cry uncle creates ground to start off with what you suggest.

You want proof: Look at how gay marriage turned out once the party perfectly painted skeptics as homophobic. Look at how Nancy Pelosi dismantled Bush Jr's attempts to privatize Social Security.

The history is there, so why compromise as a starting point now?

Beto is from the Obama wing of the party. Pre-capitulate to the old Republican position so that the Republicans are forced to adopt a more right-wing position to oppose it.

Have Donald Trump's 2 SCOTUS appointments woken you up from your belief that Hillary and Trump are identical?

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

The universal healthcare soundbite looks like it was selectively edited. He goes on to name a specific plan in Congress he’s in favor of that establishes a public option and gives people the choice of staying with their private insurance with the goal of eventually killing private insurance through competition with said public option.

I also find it hilarious all the women operatives complaining to the national press that the woman candidates in the field aren’t getting the same coverage Beto is, conveniently ignoring the fawning coverage Kamala Harris has gotten since she announced which catapulted her into the Top Tier, despite similar missteps.

[YE]

https://twitter.com/_waleedshahid/status/1106543029371002880

Inexcusable.

[SCNCmod]

https://twitter.com/_waleedshahid/status/1106543029371002880

Inexcusable.

So regarding ACA tweet- Did beto want everyone to die and not have healthcare... or Was he against it (at that specific time) because he was in favor of a different legislative proposal being considered than went further and included a Public Option? ...

Regarding Social Security age eligibility & means testing... Means testing social security sounds bad ... but its saying that wealthy people (or as Romney would say "people of means") should not get Social Security.  If you are trying to formulate a plan to preserve SS for future generations.... Really wealthy people do not need Social Security & will never notice if the receive it or not. (so whats wrong with means testing social security)  And people are living and working much longer than when SS was created... so it is not unreasonable to adhere to the notion that to save the program we may have to gradually raise the age a year or two in the future (which is still at a later time percentage wise... considering the increased life expectancy... than when the program was put in place).

Seems to me like a selectively worded tweet to mislead, especially the ACA part!

[SCNCmod]

You can really tell that many on the right... and on the left who support other candidates... do see Beto as a big threat- B/c the knives and hit piece are coming a mile a minute the past several days.  No other candidate in Primary has experienced anything even remote close to this barrage.  (so I guess this is a good sign for Beto.  And soon the size of this barrage will end up sort of eating itself as such fire alarm overkill starts to make itself easier to tune out).

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Ok my question is y tf would he flip flop on healthcare after defending it while running STATEwide in texas and then chooses the opposite in a national D primary.

Unfortunately, it's only solidified my suspicion that he never really wanted to be in the Senate and had his eye on the presidency all along. I don't want to harp on it too much because I can't prove it (obviously), but I was confused at why he seemed to be pandering to a national audience during his Senate run, even after he'd gotten national attention, he could have moderated on a few things like the assault weapons ban and picked up more votes.

That's the problem with rewarding losers and (punishing winners like Sherrod Brown by telling them they have to stay in the Senate or a GOP Guv will replace their seat). It creates perverse incentives that you can never really be sure aren't causing harm.

How has Beto flipped on healthcare- he has always supported Universal Healthcare (just not single payer that must be provided by government run programs).  But also that after Universal Healthcare is achieved... other systems are worth considering.

I think every Dems goal should be for immediately restrengthening the ACA (and reimplement the caps on Private insurance profit margins), Add the public option, and implement the tweaks to Obamacare that Dems have said is needed. Only then should anything else be pursued... otherwise you won't have the infrastructure, much less the votes needed, to achieve the next step.

Problem with that is then the GOP will wrangle there way into suggesting all sorts of ways to do away with ACA, but obviously discreetly. They;ll see that weakness and exploit it.

But going for M4A mercilessly now until the GOP cry uncle creates ground to start off with what you suggest.

You want proof: Look at how gay marriage turned out once the party perfectly painted skeptics as homophobic. Look at how Nancy Pelosi dismantled Bush Jr's attempts to privatize Social Security.

The history is there, so why compromise as a starting point now?

Beto is from the Obama wing of the party. Pre-capitulate to the old Republican position so that the Republicans are forced to adopt a more right-wing position to oppose it.

Have Donald Trump's 2 SCOTUS appointments woken you up from your belief that Hillary and Trump are identical?

No one claimed that they were identical.

[Shadows]

https://twitter.com/_waleedshahid/status/1106543029371002880

Inexcusable.

So regarding ACA tweet- Did beto want everyone to die and not have healthcare... or Was he against it (at that specific time) because he was in favor of a different legislative proposal being considered than went further and included a Public Option? ...

Regarding Social Security age eligibility & means testing... Means testing social security sounds bad ... but its saying that wealthy people (or as Romney would say "people of means") should not get Social Security.  If you are trying to formulate a plan to preserve SS for future generations.... Really wealthy people do not need Social Security & will never notice if the receive it or not. (so whats wrong with means testing social security)  And people are living and working much longer than when SS was created... so it is not unreasonable to adhere to the notion that to save the program we may have to gradually raise the age a year or two in the future (which is still at a later time percentage wise... considering the increased life expectancy... than when the program was put in place).

Seems to me like a selectively worded tweet to mislead, especially the ACA part!

So you are advocating eliminating SS for 65, 66 year olds? That is a far right conservative fringe political stance.

At a time when Income Inequality is @ the worst state since the gilded age, at a time when 20% of seniors can't afford prescription drugs, at a time when almost 40-50% of people can't afford a medical emergency or a some big expense, at a time when a 65 year old has no job prospect which gives a decent living, you want to gradually eliminate SS for 65 year olds.

You advocate for a regressive taxation code with the cap on payroll taxes where a billionaire pays less in % taxes than a nurse to pay for SS instead of lifting the cap.

It is okay to hold moderate/conservative views on many areas though.

[lfromnj]

Wow Im liking him more and more. Having a serious discussion about SS is important. It was made in the 1930's and dependent on an expanding population. It is now barely getting by because the US has illegals who pay into it but don't get anything back.

[OneJ]

I also find it hilarious all the women operatives complaining to the national press that the woman candidates in the field aren’t getting the same coverage Beto is, conveniently ignoring the fawning coverage Kamala Harris has gotten since she announced which catapulted her into the Top Tier, despite similar missteps.

Interesting because I was thinking the same thing. Maybe they feel as though because Beto came into spotlight out of nowhere after that Senate race, but it still doesn’t change the fact that Harris was one the candidates who dominated the talk about 2020 long before Beto’s loss and entrance, IIRC.

[Zaybay]

Why is any criticism and scrutiny immediately a hit-piece? Maybe its just, you know, scrutiny of a candidate running for president? Nah, the world must be out to get Beto because of......reasons.

[Mike Thick]

Not sure if this was covered here, but also from that article: apparently a wealthy donor with longtime ties to Beto pitched him on challenging Cruz in the primary

[indietraveler]

Beto's making tons of stops in Iowa in his first few days, anyone know his schedule?

For all of the missteps so far "low energy" definitely won't be a criticism.

Reading various local news sources so far it sounds like he's made stops in the following towns since his arrival Thursday (or yesterday?): Burlington, Keokuk, Muscatine, Fairfield, Mt Pleasant, Washington, Cedar Rapids, Mt Vernon, North Liberty (just saw he ran a 5k this morning). I haven't listed any of the places he hasn't made it to yet - I know he's heading further north to Waterloo yet this weekend.

People seem to be initially impressed, but want to hear more from him like the rest of us here.

[Rookie Yinzer]

I can't believe this dude is almost 50. He gets around like someone my age.

[SCNCmod]

https://twitter.com/_waleedshahid/status/1106543029371002880

Inexcusable.

So regarding ACA tweet- Did beto want everyone to die and not have healthcare... or Was he against it (at that specific time) because he was in favor of a different legislative proposal being considered than went further and included a Public Option? ...

Regarding Social Security age eligibility & means testing... Means testing social security sounds bad ... but its saying that wealthy people (or as Romney would say "people of means") should not get Social Security.  If you are trying to formulate a plan to preserve SS for future generations.... Really wealthy people do not need Social Security & will never notice if the receive it or not. (so whats wrong with means testing social security)  And people are living and working much longer than when SS was created... so it is not unreasonable to adhere to the notion that to save the program we may have to gradually raise the age a year or two in the future (which is still at a later time percentage wise... considering the increased life expectancy... than when the program was put in place).

Seems to me like a selectively worded tweet to mislead, especially the ACA part!

So you are advocating eliminating SS for 65, 66 year olds? That is a far right conservative fringe political stance.

At a time when Income Inequality is @ the worst state since the gilded age, at a time when 20% of seniors can't afford prescription drugs, at a time when almost 40-50% of people can't afford a medical emergency or a some big expense, at a time when a 65 year old has no job prospect which gives a decent living, you want to gradually eliminate SS for 65 year olds.

You advocate for a regressive taxation code with the cap on payroll taxes where a billionaire pays less in % taxes than a nurse to pay for SS instead of lifting the cap.

It is okay to hold moderate/conservative views on many areas though.

Who said anything about a regressive tax code?  Beto think taxes should be raise on higher income brackets.

[Bidenworth2020]

I think I am moving from Biden to Beto. That answer about his comments on his wife Amy was sincere and substantive. Hope to see more of that.

[SCNCmod]

I think I am moving from Biden to Beto. That answer about his comments on his wife Amy was sincere and substantive. Hope to see more of that.

Most voters seem to like Beto a lot when they meet him in person- So he basically needs to meet a bit over 50K Iowa Voters & 50K NH voters between now and the caucus/primary, which he should definitely be able to do considering his campaign for Senate schedule. (I think 50K in each state is about 30% of the Dem vote- a percentage that would likely ensure a win).

[Panhandle Progressive]

I can't believe this dude is almost 50. He gets around like someone my age.

He's done a ton of exercise in his lifetime. He was a rower in his younger days and recently has been doing a lot of running, including during his Senate run. Exercise is the secret to longevity, at least as much as genetics allows.

[indietraveler]

I think I am moving from Biden to Beto. That answer about his comments on his wife Amy was sincere and substantive. Hope to see more of that.

Most voters seem to like Beto a lot when they meet him in person- So he basically needs to meet a bit over 50K Iowa Voters & 50K NH voters between now and the caucus/primary, which he should definitely be able to do considering his campaign for Senate schedule. (I think 50K in each state is about 30% of the Dem vote- a percentage that would likely ensure a win).

This more or less. Won't be surprised if he's the first to make it to all 99 counties here. From a caucus perspective this helps him ensure viability in as many precincts as possible. He seems to be willing to show up just about anywhere so far.

[Continential]

Beto/Yang dream ticket!

[Oryxslayer]

Beto/Yang dream ticket!

I'd be shocked if Beto, in the event he wins, doesn't pick Harris
or Karen Bass as his VP.