It's very strange.... https://t.co/WGln31LIyE
— Sema Hernandez for Texas U.S. Senate □ (@ElectSema4TX) February 18, 2018
Beto said he'd be happy to debate his primary opponents. I guess he's only comfortable doing it on his turf & on his own terms.
Step out of your comfort zone & #DebateSema #DebateKimbrough
Don't marginalize your opponents. #Democracy https://t.co/zhXoA2i3M0
Sema Hernandez posted a tweet that includes video of Rep. Beto O'Rourke fielding questions about, among other matters, a Democratic primary debate. I like most of what he says in the video: In particular, good on him for co-sponsoring a bill to sunset the Authorized Use of Military Force blank check for the Executive Branch, and for being genuine about not necessarily being every progressive's dream candidate.
That said, saying you'd be happy to debate, while your campaign does nothing toward arranging a debate, might be perceived as a craven dodge. O'Rourke is either quite sincere or quite adept at projecting sincerity. If the latter, he is indeed a consummate politician.
We've already mentioned how O'Rourke's possibly self-appointed street team has punked Hernandez's website (I haven't seen Hernandez or her campaign make anything of that) and that text message I received asking for my vote in November as if the March primary ain't no thang. I doubt that O'Rourke himself will take any ownership of these faux pas; if called on it he will probably deny any knowledge, and he may in fact not know.
If O'Rourke is the savior some of my friends think he is, and if he truly believes in voters making informed choices, he should show some courage and debate his primary opponents. A rookie politician by the name of Ted Cruz won the Republican nomination in 2012 by out-debating establishment candidates, including a certain Greg Abbott. Cruz had little to lose, but he won big by showing off his madd forensic skillz. By not sharing a dais with political novices Hernandez and Kimbrough, O'Rourke is silently saying that his own ideas may not stand up to scrutiny.
That said, saying you'd be happy to debate, while your campaign does nothing toward arranging a debate, might be perceived as a craven dodge. O'Rourke is either quite sincere or quite adept at projecting sincerity. If the latter, he is indeed a consummate politician.
We've already mentioned how O'Rourke's possibly self-appointed street team has punked Hernandez's website (I haven't seen Hernandez or her campaign make anything of that) and that text message I received asking for my vote in November as if the March primary ain't no thang. I doubt that O'Rourke himself will take any ownership of these faux pas; if called on it he will probably deny any knowledge, and he may in fact not know.
If O'Rourke is the savior some of my friends think he is, and if he truly believes in voters making informed choices, he should show some courage and debate his primary opponents. A rookie politician by the name of Ted Cruz won the Republican nomination in 2012 by out-debating establishment candidates, including a certain Greg Abbott. Cruz had little to lose, but he won big by showing off his madd forensic skillz. By not sharing a dais with political novices Hernandez and Kimbrough, O'Rourke is silently saying that his own ideas may not stand up to scrutiny.
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