Beto O'Rourke gets the April cover of Vanity Fair.

[Gothmog]

Link to tweet

[elleng]

1. Will be interesting to hear some substance from him.

[calimary]

3. Indeed. He's got some of what it takes: an "X-factor".

He has charisma. Lots of it. He gets people EXCITED! Young people especially, which is great. We need that demographic up, awake, and engaged bigtime - for now AND THE FUTURE! And there’s the fund-raising capability - which is WAY important. And at least some of the ideas, although I haven’t studied him enough to be an expert on him yet.

I do like what I see so far. And I sure would vote for him if he’s the nominee, but I vow to support WHOEVER our nominee is.

Nevertheless, for the time being, for me, anyway - as worried as I am about the climate crisis - everybody/anybody in the running would have to beat Jay Inslee.

[jalan48]

22. Yep. image isn't everything

[Sherman A1]

30. Precisely

I really want substance over image.

[Agschmid]

35. Agree.

I don’t know much.

[joshcryer]

39. I wanted the same from Obama.

He turned out alright.

[elleng]

40. Yes, alright.

Beto voting record?

[joshcryer]

41. As long as it wasn't "present."

I'm OK with him having Democratic Texan values.

[Cha]

2. Confidence! And he has a

dog!

Gracias, Goth

[LakeArenal]

14. Will no longer trust any President without a dog.

Or at least a blooded creature that requires nurturing.

[sunonmars]

27. You notice every animal hates Trump....never trust a person, that animals don't

[LakeArenal]

32. Dogs know creepy.

[forklift]

38. Having a dog generally means the person has empathy

unless it is someone who has pitbulls trained for fights.

So I agree with you.

[flamingdem]

4. He's got "it"

[notdarkyet]

15. He looks like Tom petty who was very sexy.

[Tarheel_Dem]

5. I really like this guy.

[sheshe2]

6. I like him very much.

He could wrap up the youth vote for sure.

[Gothmog]

28. I got to talk to him at the national convention

In early 2015. my son and I got to meet him at a small gathering at a bar. He is amazing in small groups

[Cha]

33. Good to know!

[WhiskeyGrinder]

7. That quote goes beyond confidence.

[peggysue2]

8. It sure does!

Born to be in it! And, running like there's nothing to lose.

Those tag lines alone send a clear message: I'm going to give this everything I've got. Here I come.

Good for him!

I'm really eager to see how this plays out.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

9. It rubs me totally the wrong way. It sounds entitled and exclusive.

And I mean...born to lose to Ted Cruz?

[peggysue2]

10. Really???

Doesn't strike me like that but I've read other comments saying O'Rourke comes across too slick.

Again, I don't get that vibe but that's me. However this plays out, I think Beto O'Rourke will definitely stir things up.

We shall see.

[LakeArenal]

16. I agree 100%.

I think he’s more confident than slick. More self/assured than arrogant.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

54. Yeah, a white dude saying he was born to be president isn't really the best look right now.

[George II]

59. You keep referring to O'Rourke as "the guy who lost to the guy who lost to trump"....

...is that the only way you see Beto O'Rourke?

Maybe you should look at how Cruz did against trump and how O'Rourke did against Cruz. Cruz got 39% more votes than trump got, only 3% more than O'Rourke.

[Old Vet]

42. Really.............

[WhiskeyGrinder]

55. Really!

[Tipperary]

49. Agree.

Too slick.

[LanternWaste]

52. More melodrama, less subtance.

You should get that on a t-shirt... as it's the most consistent sentiment you exemplify.

[Tipperary]

53. You spelled substance wrong lol.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

56. Yeah, it's not even the slickness that gets me.

It's the idea that this guy lost to Ted Cruz and thought, well heck, I must be presidential material instead!

Anyway, his policies, such as he's expressed so far, also aren't terribly exciting.

[Tipperary]

57. Excellent point.

[LanternWaste]

51. I'm sure you want it rub you the wrong way. Mission accomplished.

And in doing so, create that self-fulfilling prophecy every vague, un-sourced, simplistic allegation requires to be rationalized by the id.

[zentrum]

11. I'm eager to find out.

[Gothmog]

26. Beto is running

Link to tweet

[Awsi Dooger]

12. Star power blows away dullard normalcy

I'm still laughing at the assertions that Beto was waiting too late to enter. Talk about whiffing the big picture.

Many of our other candidates have to show up at all the coffee shops at 8 AM, and go through the run of the mill photo ops before heading to the next wave of appearances. Linear trudgery. A guy like Beto can vault beyond with one smile or quote.

[getagrip_already]

13. You can't buy publicity like that....

He has a lot going for him. He won't be 80 in 2020, he isn't from a state that is 94% white, and I'm sure he won't have any issues releasing his tax returns.

And publicity like this is gold. He can truly fight Trump on his favorite turf; in the eye of the media.

[LakeArenal]

17. All good points.

[notdarkyet]

18. He's the guy trump is most afraid of running. He has youth, looks, charisma, all trump doesn't have

[radius777]

19. Beto is a rockstar who appeals to youth, PoC, Latinos, women, etc.

He's a white guy that has an ability (like RFK or Bill Clinton) of talking to any/all types of people in an authentic way.

[sprinkleeninow]

20. Good on him! Jeez... n/t

[question everything]

21. Nice doggy

[littlemissmartypants]

23. Vanity Fair is a hot ticket.

Good for Beto.

[mahannah]

24. Excellent photograph. I'll wait on the run.

[Gothmog]

25. Beto is officially running

Link to tweet

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

29. He's attractive and charismatic. That star quality can't be faked or learned.

But I'm staying off his or anybody else's bandwagon for now. I do have some concerns about his relative lack of experience, and I hope when his campaign gets going he forgoes any further episodes of over-sharing. I don't want to see anybody, let alone a presidential candidate, get their teeth cleaned. In these days of posting every minute of one's life on social media, maybe a little dignity is in order and we won't have to see any more medical procedures, even if he thinks it appeals to the young legions of over-sharers on Twitter and Facebook. But I like him - maybe as a running mate for somebody if he doesn't get the nomination.

[peggysue2]

31. You're right

Whether people like it or not, the charged quality O'Rourke emits cannot be bought or faked. That's why he intrigues me because in politics you don't see many rock stars, people that generate this sort of attention and excitement when they first arrive on the scene.

That being said, the quality has upsides (the enormous PR factor) and downsides (overblown, easily deflated expectations).

It will be interesting to see how O'Rourke handles all this on a national stage.

I'll definitely be watching and listening.

[Tipperary]

48. Absolutely agree!

Spot on.

[Nanjeanne]

34. Look forward to reading the article. I subscribe but still have Miley Cyrus on the

cover. Should be in my mailbox soon.

[dalton99a]

66. Link to article:

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/03/beto-orourke-cover-story
Beto O’Rourke: “I’m Just Born to Do This”
Riding around with Beto O’Rourke as he comes to grips with a presidential run.
By Joe Hagan
Photography by Annie Leibovitz
March 13, 2019

It’s nine P.M. on a Thursday night and Beto O’Rourke is trying to manage a couple of life-altering and possibly world-historical political events while also driving his family home from a Mexican restaurant. Donald Trump will touch down in O’Rourke’s hometown of El Paso in four days to hold a rally and whip up excitement for a wall along the border with Mexico. O’Rourke’s iPhone is pinging with texts asking what he plans to do about it—and also whether he’s going to run for president of the United States of America.

Henry, age eight, weighs in from the back of the Toyota Tundra.

“Dad, if you run for president, I’m going to cry all day,” he says.

“Just the one day?” asks O’Rourke, hopefully.


Beto O’Rourke, photographed with son Henry, 8, and Artemis at his home in El Paso, Texas.


Molly, Henry, and O’Rourke in the music room.


O’Rourke prepares Sunday morning pancakes.


O’Rourke with daughter Molly, 10; son Ulysses, 12; wife Amy; and Henry at Franklin Mountains State Park, in El Paso.

[Nanjeanne]

67. Thanks. I'm sure mine will be delivered soon.

[Gothmog]

36. Go Beto

Link to tweet

?s=20

[Glimmer of Hope]

37. My gawd the race is going to be something else.

[JI7]

43. i like his dog

[Gothmog]

44. Here is the Beto I got to see in Texas

Link to tweet

?s=20

[dalton99a]

45. +1

[Gothmog]

60. This is interesting

Link to tweet

[dalton99a]

61. +1. Very interesting, indeed

Mr. O’Rourke’s improvement came almost exclusively from white voters, and particularly college-educated white voters. Whites probably gave him around 33 percent of their votes, up from a mere 22 percent for Mr. Obama in 2012.

There’s clearly additional upside for Democrats if they could pair their recent gains among white voters with improvement among Hispanic voters (through some combination of persuasion, higher turnout among registrants and newly registered voters).

Can Democrats really turn out Hispanic voters in huge numbers in Texas? There are real barriers, and you wouldn’t expect Hispanic Democrats to turn out in particularly high numbers given their low turnout elsewhere in the country. It is far-fetched to suggest Hispanic mobilization will fundamentally transform the electorate and turn Texas into a blueish state anytime soon.

But a more modest increase in turnout or support among Hispanic voters is fairly likely if Texas sees the campaign dollars and attention that come with a contested state in a presidential year. When Mr. Obama contested Virginia, North Carolina and Colorado in 2008, the turnout there increased by an average of 13 percent to 23 percent over 2004 levels, which included a mix of higher turnout among registrants and thousands of newly registered voters. Given the extraordinary turnout in the 2018 midterm election nationwide, it is plausible that turnout will be up substantially in Texas regardless of whether the state is a battleground.

[Gothmog]

46. I have met Beto in person and I really like him

I woke up to see an e-mail from Beto. I got to talk to Beto at the National Convention just briefly. In early 2015, Beto spoke to a small group at a tavern in my county. My son and I got to see Beto up close and he is amazing. I made a couple of rallies and heard him at the state convention. Beto is perhaps the best retail politician that I have seen since President Obama.

I like Beto a great deal and Beto could flip Texas which is a goal that I have been working towards for a very long time. I am still torn between Beto, Biden and Harris but my main goal is anyone but sanders.

Link to tweet

[Tipperary]

47. Of course, no woman gets the cover.

Smh.

[Gothmog]

50. I just made my first donation of this cycle to a presidential candidate

[McCamy Taylor]

63. I am going to do it, too.

[McCamy Taylor]

65. Me 2!

[McCamy Taylor]

62. OMG! He is like all "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington!"

[McCamy Taylor]

64. PS I think Karl Rove is in love again.