Beto O'Rourke wants to debate Ted Cruz 6 times, including twice in Spanish

[DonViejo]

"A debate in Spanish would not be very good because my Spanish isn’t good enough," U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said at a campaign event Tuesday afternoon, "but I look forward to debating Congressman O’Rourke."

BY PATRICK SVITEK MAY 1, 2018

U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, has invited U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to participate in six debates with O'Rourke across Texas, two of them in Spanish, during their U.S. Senate race.

O'Rourke campaign manager Jody Casey made the proposal in a letter last week to Cruz's senior staff, adding that the debates should have "media reach to all twenty markets in the state."

"I would like to begin direct coordination of the debates with your campaign team between now and May 10th," Casey wrote to Cruz advisers Bryan English and Eric Hollander in the April 24 letter. “Please advise my best point of contact on the Cruz campaign team."

Cruz previously suggested he is open to debating O'Rourke. Cruz's campaign said in response to the letter that it was exploring its options.

more
https://www.texastribune.org/2018/05/01/beto-orourke-ted-cruz-texas-6-debates-spanish-twice/

[brooklynite]

1. Why can't they just speak English.....like Jesus did?

[left-of-center2012]

2. I doubt Cruz will debate

[Captain_New_York]

3. I don't get it

Cruz, the son of a Spanish speaking father, says he struggles with Spanish because the curse of the second generation. Beto is 4th generation Irish and fluent. .

[NCTraveler]

5. There is really nothing to get.

Cruz doesn't feel comfortable enough to debate in his second language.

That still leaves English.

[sdfernando]

8. I'm not going to fault Cruz on this one

My own experience is similar. My parents are 1st generation, grew up in the depression, spoke only Spanish in the home before attending school. At school the kids were beat and punished for speaking Spanish. Not wanting their children to go through the same treatment they made a conscious decision not to speak Spanish to us, only English. I too struggle with Spanish, it is difficult for me to converse in it.

[NCTraveler]

4. I picture one debate.

Not in Spanish. That's jumping the shark a bit. Still a good publicity move by O'Rourke.

[Gothmog]

6. There is no way that Carnival Cruz will agree to that many debates

[S.E. TN Liberal]

7. Rep. Beto O'Rourke had better bring a huge shovel.

He is going to have many tons of Cruz BS to dig through.

[DFW]

9. I get that Cruz may not have enough cradle Spanish to have become fluent as a child

However, as a Senator from a state with a huge Hispanic population, there is no excuse for not having learned it in the meantime. My parents and grandparents spoke no Spanish at all, but even I could handle a debate in Spanish.

There is, of course, the irony to consider of a candidate named O'Rourke willing to debate in Spanish against a Republican named Cruz, whose Spanish isn't up to the task--in Texas, no less! With the number of potential Hispanic voters we have in Texas, this was a very smart move on O'Rourke's part.

[Gothmog]

10. BTW. Carnival Cruz may be the Zodiac Killer