That's one of the first things you learn in media training, not to. You remember Bill Clinton, with his arm outstretched, thumb tucked into his fist, they called him "Slick Willie," one thing's for sure, Beto O'Rourke is not slick.
We need leaders. And there's a vacuum in the Democratic Party. And give the Republicans credit, anybody who rises above they denigrate, they shoot slings and arrows until that person is perceived as a pariah. Exhibit #1, Elizabeth Warren. Somehow, this law professor is against the people, against the country, do you ever read what she says, she's the only person in Congress with convictions on the left who seems to put them forth every day. The rest of the elected are worried about their sponsors, their donors, they're playing a game, our country is not a game.
As for Hickenlooper, the supposed next President, who is he and what did he do?
And Cory Booker is forthright and then wishy-washy.
And Warren is old.
And the Republicans are so good at the game, they've got Democrats themselves hating on Nancy Pelosi. The Democrats are the gang that can't shoot straight, it's like fielding a team without a coach, except when it's the Democratic National Committee, which seems more concerned with protecting its insiders than its members.
And then along comes Beto O'Rourke.
It's kind of like a rock star. At first no one's paying attention. Then you start hearing a few words. He's got a unique name, not given at birth, you laugh and wonder where it comes from. And it used to be rock stars were outsiders, with rough edges, outlaws, true to themselves.
And that's who Beto O'Rourke is. That's why he appeals. Want to make it in the music game? Be yourself. Be honest. Speak to the audience not the gatekeepers. Don't try to win over everybody, just those who count.
Beto O'Rourke is running in Texas. He's visited all the counties in Texas. He's not like a polished musician running to convince fans of genres who don't like their music to listen. That's the MTV paradigm, broad and for everyone. Now we're in the era of niches. There is no center, no outlet that reaches everybody. There's only one superstar, and that's Donald Trump. We all have an opinion, we all watch his antics, and the rest of what goes on is a sideshow.
And music has no impact. The only people protesting are those without traction. And one of our biggest stars, an African-American, supports Agent Orange. This flummoxes us. He's not a country musician into guns, he's a member of the oppressed. Then again Kanye keeps telling us how we're holding him back. That's the last thing we want to hear, the challenges of a millionaire. Then again, the brain dead fans continue to pay fealty at the altar, and the press plays along with the charade.
Forget the biased Fox News. Even forget the left-leaning MSNBC. Let's talk about the newspapers, which still run this country. Most especially the "New York Times." Even though it's been falling on its sword ever since missing the election, the newspaper is still out of touch. And I single out the "Times" because it sets the agenda for the nation. The "Journal" has become an also-ran, it broke the Theranos story, but little else. The "Times" covers business better than the "Journal." And the "Post" is known for politics, and has only had a resurgence since the Bezos acquisition. But what is wrong about the "Times" is not fake news, but the lack of insight into the culture, what is really happening. The "Times" is a club, that is so insular it cannot take the temperature of what is truly going on in this country. It missed the racism, it missed not only the rise of Trump, but Bernie Sanders. Something is definitely happening with O'Rourke, and we keep hearing about his flaws. How about Ted Cruz's flaws? That's right, the Republicans attack first, you're so busy defending yourself you can't get your message across. And then, and then, we come to Beto O'Rourke.
You know this guy. You went to high school with this guy. He was in the top classes, he was not a complete nerd, but he was not cool in any way. You could drink a beer with him, but he did not date the cheerleader, he was focused on academics and then forgotten.
Now today the smart people are grinds. They're so busy getting ahead that they only give back when it looks good on their college applications. But Beto O'Rourke is just a bit older, but I'm becoming convinced, this is what the future of the Democratic Party looks like, this is the future of our country. As Beto says, we need not run on fear but COURAGE!
This is not Obama and "hope," hope didn't get us far. Kinda like thoughts and prayers. Do you have the courage to take action, to make the hard decisions, it's easier to lay back and criticize, to do nothing. And that's what the Republican-controlled Congress does, do nothing, other than give back to rich donors, most especially corporations, the public is angry about this, but we've got no choice! The Republicans scare you with social issues, tell you illegal immigrants are gonna kill you. Meanwhile, you can't afford health care, you're having trouble making ends meet, your priorities are more basic, but you have no one fighting your fight.
Hillary Clinton is brilliant. But too calculated and slick. I won't say Beto O'Rourke looks like he just fell off the turnip truck, but he's as unpolished as it comes in this genre. He's punk in an era of corporate rock.
And he's speaking the truth.
We know the truth. There are more Democrats than Republicans in this country. And they know what they want, they just don't have anyone to believe in.
But now a Mr. Smith might go to Washington.
Watch the below-linked video. This is not aged Bernie Sanders shouting, but a wimpy kid with a backbone making most of the same points. And remember how far Bernie got, the inroads he made, he'd have been President if he'd started his campaign earlier.
But that was then and this is now.
This is Chance the Rapper, who not only did it on his own, but gives back. That's why Chance can sell out stadiums, people believe in him.
And people are believing in Beto O'Rourke.
We yearn for people to believe in in a world run by corporations. Isn't it sad that we have more fondness for our mobile handset than any leader?
Sure, the below clip is edited. Sure, Beto O'Rourke is boring at times.
But underneath it all, he's inspiring. That there's somebody on our team. Who may be imperfect, because we all are. But is impervious to the slings and arrows because of his message, manna from heaven, the truth.
A new day is dawning.
And not a moment too soon.
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