Bobby Fran O'Rourke enters the American Democrat culture

The Embarrassing Spectacle of Betomania

"Attention, journalists of America: Time is running out! You have under three weeks left to publish your last batch of over-the-top pre-election.

"It is here that we must face the difficult truth: Barring a GOP-related disaster of some sort, O’Rourke — he of that ineffable “cool factor” and “special sauce,” at least according to easily impressed columnists at the Washington Post — is likely to lose big. According to the latest polls, Senator Ted Cruz leads him by anywhere between seven and nine points. Tuesday’s debate between the two, meanwhile, was so mismatched that O’Rourke’s best moment might have involved a random deer-in-the-headlights story in which he described how he “got to meet this blind squirrel who is slowly regaining its sight.”
" In summary, this year’s Betomania — a somewhat weird phenomenon, as we’ll explore in a bit — seems set to disappear from view just as quickly as it arrived, at least in the Lone Star State." . . .

One opinion: Cruz "steamrolls" Bobby O'Rourke  "The televised debate on Tuesday between Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke was a massacre.  O'Rourke has been reluctant to debate Cruz from the beginning, and with good reason (ironically, as a rule, an incumbent shuns debate) – Cruz has successfully argued cases before the Supreme Court.

"O'Rourke was occasionally flustered and almost succeeded in hiding it, while Cruz was confident and occasionally laughed at some of his opponent's assertions.  But more than that, Beto relied on vague generalities about specific questions and on a couple of questions tried the politicians' tried and true tactic of avoiding answering a question by going off on a convoluted tangent.  Twice Cruz pounced on that, pointing out that he hadn't answered the panel's questions.  The specific subjects were how to pay for socialized medicine and how to secure the border (O'Rourke is on record on considering abolishing ICE).  Cruz countered with specific numbers.

"This is not to say that it was totally one-sided.  O'Rourke got in a couple of good hits, such as Cruz's absence from Senate affairs, but, again, he was unable to point to any achievement of his own as a congressman." . . .

Silvio Canto, Jr. says time is not on O'Rourk's side  . . . "A friend relayed a recent conversation she had with another friend, a Hispanic woman and social conservative, who was singing the praises of the congressman.  When my friend lamented that O'Rourke was not only pro-choice but held an extreme view on abortion (he voted against a 20-week ban), the response was complete surprise.  "I didn't know he supported abortion.  They never mention it on Spanish radio."

"They never do.  Abortion, Roe v. Wade, reproductive rights, or "it's a woman's body" is never heard south of Austin.  It's as if Democrats give two speeches, one that mentions abortion and another one that avoids the issue like the plague.
"Last night, Senator Cruz hit O'Rourke on "partial-birth abortion."  It was very effective.
"My guess is that it gave conservative women another reason to vote early for Senator Cruz." . . .