Comparing Bernie to Beto is very fitting … think about who he ran against - Hildawg was about as unlikable as Cruz. Bottom line is the Dems need to win voters like me - independents and libertarians - to win on a national scale. To do that , they have to run moderate candidates , not those from the wings. They have their base in hand but its independents who decide the winners and losers.
I grew up in a predominantly Spanish-speaking part of the the state and had a legit childhood Spanish nickname too, but I don't think "Vote for El Guero" is a slogan that would inspire too many voters.
If our current president has proved nothing else, it is that lack of experience is not a disqualifier.
Dems should groom Beto for VP and have him spend the next two years on the road He visited all 284 counties. . .time for him to visit every state I would say have him go for Pres but he needs more seasoning I think he has some popularity and charisma. . . . . they should exploit it to the max and make him part of the new face of the Demo Party Rocket River
You can't use the "trump didn't have experience" thing because he's the incumbent. It will not work. I don't think Beto can win even the primary. I honestly don't. He's a great candidate but we need more gravitas to take down trump and I don't see it in Beto. I'm not sure playing the positivity game works in 2020. VP to a Biden? Maybe that works.
I am very cynical too. Its pushing moderate rights like me into the moderate left territory. When the left lowers the bar also, im back to where I originally started. Its a lose lose for everyone. Its why I found the phrase "when they go low, we kick them" so offensive. I prefer the House and the Senate to be controlled by separate parties, so I am happy with the results. If I were still in Texas, I would have probably voted Beto just because Cruz is such a scumbag.
Everyone keeps stating this. Its not what Trump has accomplished. Its the manner how Trump won. I have no interest in anyone who uses Trump tactics to win. The results of this midterm is a disaster for anyone who wants Trump out. There was no referendum against Trump. There was not a blue wave. If the economy stays put over the next two years and Trump continues to stay on par with his foreign policy, he is going to be difficult to defeat even with a solid Democrat. Putting up a very progressive candidate against Trump when the economy is doing well will be a disaster. Anyone who stoops to Trumps shitty game will also get their asses handed to them. The best course of action for everyone is if Trump starts acting like an adult, keeps the economy in check and focuses on some moderate social issues. It could be worse. We could be speaking russian and/or in a nuclear war with N Korea with a terrible economy.
I think Beto would most likely make a good VP candidate. To run against old Trump/Pence and whatever other fossil the Democrats put up.
I think for a person who has been focusing on building himself as a brand for four decades, he's an outlier in that regard.
What I did like about the midterms are that the major cities (apart from FT. Worth which was also contested and slightly red) are turning increasingly blue, which may bleed into the rest of the state. It's hard to judge bc Beto kind of had the perfect storm with Trump in office and the overall dislike of Cruz, this was his best shot at a seat. The big cities that are growing with more millennials and entry working class combined with a Beto nomination can help the Democrats win Texas overall in a Presidential campaign - which would be unheard of. He is literally beloved in this state by a good portion of the population. Just looking at the voting map post-midterm, a presidential nomination for Beto could actually push Texas from being Reliable Red to Slightly Blue. Just interesting thoughts.
I don't see why Beto can't run and be a legitimate challenger in 2020. Democrats across the country know him and lots of them admire him. Where did Obama come from? Where did Trump come from? The old-school life-long politicians can be pushed aside by charismatic leaders who grip the nation. I could see it.
He can run if he wants to and maybe he can even win. I agree with @fchowd0311 in this way -- I don't want him to be president with his level of experience. Trump's inexperience isn't relevant because I don't want him to be president either. I could consider Beto after a stint as a Senator or a Governor or a cabinet member. Three terms in the House and no executive experience doesn't make me comfortable. I made an exception for Obama's inexperience, and it was an exception. Ordinarily that would scare me away, but he seemed so perfectly suited for the job otherwise. I think his inexperience did make for a rocky beginning, but he was a good choice. I like Beto and all, but I don't have that level of confidence in him.
I hear what you're saying, and ordinarily would agree. The tricky part though is finding someone with experience who has the ability to defeat Trump in 2020. It seems to me that the electability and experience levels of the various potential Democratic contenders out there are inversely correlated. I'd love to be proven wrong.
Didn't you predict that Gillum would win easily because of the way he was running his campaign? LOL. I'm not sure you should be handing out advice on how to beat Trump.
I think it's pretty obvious at this point that they key to the 2020 presidential election is going to once again be the rust belt. Solid red and blue states seem to both be moving further in opposite directions and swing states like Florida and North Carolina look to be pretty good locks to be Trump country for the time being. What doesn't seem to be getting much talk is how thoroughly the Democrats dominated the rust belt last night, winning Senate seats in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania by healthy margins. All of those seats were won by incumbents so you might take those results with a grain of salt, but the Democrats also won gubernatorial races in 3 of those states including unseating Scott Walker. I'm not sure how much appeal Beto would have in those states but he did pretty damn well in a solidly red state.
