Democratic Primaries
Related: About this forumO'Rourke bashes president's anti-immigrant rhetoric at Phoenix campaign stop
Democratic presidential candidate Beto ORourke greeted an enthusiastic crowd in downtown Phoenix Sunday, blaming President Donald Trumps incendiary comments on immigration and Congress unwillingness to act on gun control for contributing to the mass shooting in his hometown of El Paso in August.
The three-term congressman, whose unsuccessful but competitive Senate run against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz last year made him a political star among Democrats, has not broken into the top tier of Democratic candidates vying to take on President Donald Trump in 2020.
But he electrified hundreds gathered around him at The Churchill, drawn to his message of combating climate change, fighting against income inequality and calling for mandatory buyback of assault weapons. He spoke in English and Spanish and dropped an expletive or two before heading to a campaign event in Tucson.
During the 40-minute appearance in Phoenix, where he stood in the middle of the crowd to deliver a stump speech and take questions, O'Rourke celebrated the contributions immigrants have made to the U.S., challenged those who characterize the border as unsafe and slammed Congress for failing to pass gun control measures that may prevent future mass shootings.
Read more: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/10/06/beto-orourke-seeks-capture-momentum-stops-phoenix-churchill-tucson/3869544002/
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
blm
(113,091 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
dalton99a
(81,570 posts)"Second," she said. "Hands off our guns, Beto."
The crowd chanted her down while O'Rourke responded by saying in part, "What is a slap in the face to my conscience and the best traditions of this country is taking kids from their parents and putting them in cages." His closing response to her: "Those immigrants pose no threat to you."
In an interview with The Arizona Republic's political podcast, "The Gaggle," O'Rourke said Trump must be held accountable for urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to open an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden. Asking a foreign country to intervene in U.S. politics, along with allegations that American aid may have been tied to the request, have sparked an impeachment inquiry.
"Here's the challenge for Americans ... if we allow this to stand without accountability, we will have set the precedent that some people are above the law in this country," he said. "And the moment that we accept that is the moment that we lose this democracy for everyone. So this is a moment where we ask everyone to put country before party, country before their own political careers and do the right thing while we still have time."
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
bucolic_frolic
(43,286 posts)It's important that his ideas are heard, and he will likely be relevant on these issues for a generation or more.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden