I don't mean to insult anyone's candidate preferences,

[cilla4progress]

but right now O'Rourke seems awfully thin against Mayor Pete!!

[BannonsLiver]

1. What does that mean? Elaborate.

[Agschmid]

2. He's taller so they may actually be the same weight, but Beto appears more thin.

That’s my guess.

...

[crazytown]

4. Pete's put on a little weight since he got back from Afghanistan

maybe that’s it.

[Agschmid]

7. Must be...

I mean Trump has put on some weight since he went to...

Oh wait.

Nevermind.

#GoPete

[crazytown]

12. Vietnam?

Came back in defeat. Flash backs and snack attacks.

[cilla4progress]

3. Haha.

What I mean is substance. Pete feels far more substantial to me. His resume. His eloquence, while speaking plainly. His depth, simply.

My impression so far.

I'm changing my candidate preference from undecided to Pete today!

[RLG]

19. I think he's a dream candidate, but I have to put emphasis on the word "dream".

Right now, he's moving up in the polls. But I don't trust the American electorate. I know they said the same things about Obama, but this is different.

As for O'Rourke lacking substance, listen to this podcast with David Axelrod:

https://player.fm/series/the-axe-files-with-david-axelrod-2046673/ep-319-beto-orourke-tv|

[UniteFightBack]

23. Well he would make a fine VP I would think. How great to have him on the campaign trail all the

time. YES !

[FM123]

33. I would love to see him take down that idiot pence on the vp debate stage!

[rzemanfl]

28. I have to fold socks. BBL. n/t

[Drunken Irishman]

37. Typically, candidates who rise early are the first to fade...

I think Pete could have staying power but I was there for the Summer of Dean back in 2003, rode that wave all the way to its inevitable end when he crashed and burned in Iowa (god that was my first political loss I remember and it was so goddamn painful). It's why surging at this point is almost irrelevant.

Dean went from 1% in Dec., 2002 to 8% at the end of January, 2003 to 15% in June to leading in the polls with 23% in July. Prior to that, Dick Gephardt was the front-runner.

Dick Gephardt!

[cwydro]

67. This is "different?"

How so?

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

27. You're dead on in your analysis. It's simply a matter of substance vs platitudes.

Same reason, like Mayor Pete, that Bernie is steadily rising in the polls.


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[True Dough]

30. Glad to have you on Team Pete, cilla4progress!

Pete's doing the heavy lifting for us, but let's keep spreading the word!

[Indygram]

5. Interesting, because the opposite is true for me

But to each his or her own.

[elleng]

6. but I will anyway.

[cilla4progress]

35. Wow -

surprised you found my carefully worded post insulting.

Chilling.

[oldsoftie]

8. Since i'm on neither team, (yet), i'd have to agree. Robert isnt going to have staying power IMO

Pete will. I put Elizabeth in the same category; wont have the staying power. Harris will top both her and Robert.
Of course, this coming from a Biden poster. But i'm gonna call it as i see it.
The only thing that matters is everyone in the same boat at the end.

[BannonsLiver]

11. It's possible to peak too early

Mayor Pete runs that risk.

[oldsoftie]

15. Certainly. I remember Howard Dean! But i think Petes military experience will carry him further.

The others, i think, wont handle the constant pressure. The thing that made me question O'rourke was how quick he rushed to apologize for his simple "joke" about his wife doing more work than he does. That was ridiculous. EVERY real man will give credit to his wife, unless you're a man like Trump. And apologizing for every little thing is not going to make you look presidential.

[BannonsLiver]

24. Yeah a lot of people felt that way

Others were demanding an apology. We’ll see how it goes for Pete when it’s his turn to be vetted, when the media decides they’re bored with the rosy feel good stories that he’s only had so far. It’s coming. I have no idea how he’ll hold up.

[marylandblue]

32. He'll hold up very well. He has a well thought out media strategy.

That goes something like, "yeah it's crazy that a guy like me is running, but here we are. This isn't about me, it's about America, so let's talk about America."

I think that's brilliant.

[Indygram]

25. Beto takes responsibility for mistakes and moves on

In the interview last night on Axe Files he did that regarding past votes he made that he would not make today. When he makes a mistake he owns it without getting defensive or blaming others. He welcomes criticism and listens and grows. Any candidate who thinks they have all the answers and knows everything and is unwilling to grow or learn is not for me.

[marylandblue]

34. Pete is a strategist. maybe because of his Intelligence officer background.

So he has a strategy for that. Right now, he is rolling on his media skills. He plans to start rolling out substance soon. Then we will stop talking about how impressive he is and start talking about what he wants to do.

[Indygram]

22. Why are you calling Beto Robert?

Beto is what he's gone by since he was a very young child. Here he is when he was 12, notice who the photo is addressed to?

[oldsoftie]

38. Because thats his given name. Thats the name he'd be sworn into office with.

[Indygram]

41. It's also a favorite immature dig of MAGA trolls

I'm just very surprised to see anyone using it here. Especially considering how completely and utterly gracious Beto has been towards all other candidates.

I think it's in very poor taste.

[oldsoftie]

48. Screw them. If his actual name is considered an insult, we're already in trouble. Take it back!

Using his real name takes away whatever power of insult you or others may give it. I dont see it as an insult at all. And i seriously doubt O'Rourke does either if he was ever asked! If i tell people i'm voting for Robert O'Rourke, they obviously cant say a damn thing negative about his name.
And while my tag is Biden, if he comes out on top it will be HIM.

[Indygram]

50. It's rude to refer to people in another way than they refer to themselves

Kind of like referring to a transgender woman as him or he just because she was born male.

I'll stick with Beto since that is what HE goes by. Doing otherwise is disrespectful.

That will be my last comment on the issue.

[Honeycombe8]

57. It's intentional and insults someone to call them by a name other than the one...

they choose to run under. If you notice, the DU listings of the candidates list him as "Beto."

Word to the wise: How a poster acts has an impression on others about the quality of the candidate a rude poster supports.

You can tell something about a candidate by the kind of supporters s/he has. Think about Trump and his supporters.

It matters that the first "accuser" of Biden was a prominent Bernie supporter, for example.

Do you call Biden "Joseph"? Or Mayor Pete "Peter Paul"? Or Bernie Sanders "Bernard"?

[dgauss]

63. Good points, but then why refer to Sanders as BS? He doesn't go by those initials.

[Honeycombe8]

71. Because "Sanders," which is how I sometimes refer to him can be confusing...

Sarah Sanders.

"Bernard" is the equivalent of calling Beto "Robert." No one refers to either of them that way.

It's a recognized way of referring to someone by their initials, although not that common. "AOC," for example. I call her Cortez.

So "BS" could be intentionally rude, but maybe not. But "Bernard" would be intentionally rude.

[WeekiWater]

51. Do you call Sanders Bernard?

Refer to Biden as Joseph?

Warren as Elizabeth?

[redstateblues]

52. It's goofy calling him Robert

[TwilightZone]

36. Let's not play the "Robert" game, please.

The flood of ads and social media posts from the Cruz campaign in the last cycle were quite enough of that. The man's been going by Beto for decades.

[Indygram]

42. A-freaking-men

EOM

[JI7]

9. how about Elizabeth Warren ?

[leftofcool]

16. Liz is fine but we need younger blood

And I say this as an old person who has about 5 more good years on this planet. When I shed my skin, I would like to think there is someone young running the country. The kids ( my granddaughter) is taking over and we/they don't need anymore 60-70 year old folks telling them what to do.

[oldsoftie]

18. She wont be able to outlast K. Harris.

Plus, too many mistakes early

[Kurt V.]

13. this past weeks bold statements by beto has moved him way up for me.

[shanny]

14. I agree.

Mayor Pete gets more impressive with closer inspection, Beto less.

[JI7]

17. don't underestimate him. Beto is very aware of who votes in the primaries

and his campaign is following the path to win those.

Harris is doing the same.

[RLG]

21. Plus, he's playing the long game.

Let the other candidates get the shine. He's working his way primary state by state with small town hall meetings, local media and house parties.

[dalton99a]

29. +1. He's probably driving around in the boonies talking to truck drivers and waitresses

[BannonsLiver]

39. There's something to be said for the long game

My favorite football does that every year and they’re right in the mix every year at the end while fans from other teams stew in their own disbelief. I’m a big believer in the long game.

[RandySF]

20. Is there a point being made?

[stonecutter357]

26. Beto O'Rourke 2020 .

[Cha]

45. lol

Beto!

[BlueFlorida]

31. O'Rourke is still in exploratory mode

He is sizing up his strategy. O'Rourke has a far better name recognition.

[Blue_true]

40. Buttigieg has pretty much closed the recognition gap.

Every news show is having Buttigieg on it.

The true test will come with the first debate in June. I sort of expect Buttigieg to shine in that debate.

[BlueFlorida]

43. Beto has something that Mayor Pete doesn't

Texas

[Indygram]

44. Beto was also just vetted nationally, too

So there's that...

[Blue_true]

46. Beto ran a Texas race, how is that being vetted nationally?

I just don't get the association.

[Indygram]

47. The race was covered nationally by the media

Republicans went all out attacking him and it was reported nationally.

[Blue_true]

49. The same is happening with Buttigieg. So far no smoking gun has been found. nt

[redstateblues]

54. Pete is still a small college town mayor.

His speech today was based on that. It’s great and all that but Pete is really running for 2028.

[Blue_true]

60. And Abraham Lincoln.

Was a one term congressman who was defeated for reelection, lost two US Senate races before running for President, was a small time lawyer, lost a total of 12 races for public office.

BUT, will you argue that he was not the right person for what existed in 1860? No leader is born a leader and there is no "standard" amount of experience required to make a great leader. Some people learn massively by just observing, while others learn nothing even if being thrust time after time in the very heat of the battle. To say that Buttigieg is not ready to be President is pure conjecture. I would rather wait for him to convince me why he should take on Trump, just like Lincoln had to convince 1860 republicans (as opposed to today's garbage in that party) why he was the right person to deal with the monumental issues that existed in 1860.

[BannonsLiver]

66. So he's Abraham Lincoln now?

Wow!

[marylandblue]

68. Believe it or not, he actually has that potential.

I don't say that lightly. But I can see his strategy and it's working like a charm. He is like chess master thinking 5 moves ahead. Everyone else is playing checkers.

[Blue_true]

73. He does seem like a smart guy who learns quickly and uses words well. nt

[Blue_true]

72. I didn't make that claim. I WILL say that NONE of us know.

So why not relax and give him a chance to present his case?

[marylandblue]

65. No he is not running for 2028. He chose 2020 for a reason.

He is the only candidate who is running not because it his time(it isn't) but because it is America's time. He talked about how the shadow of Reagan has been dominating our politics for the last 40 years, and Trump ended that. The next 40 years will belong either to Trump(perish the thought!) or to a Democrat. I think Pete will win because he is the only candidate who understands this and is running his campaign under this assumption.

[Indykatie]

53. Then Don't.

[redstateblues]

55. Beto has a much more inspiring stump speech. Pete is a bit too low key.

[cilla4progress]

56. I agree,

much more low key.

No jumping up on counters!

[Indygram]

62. It's such a shame that you don't seem able to prop up Pete

without attacking Beto. Just sayin...

[cilla4progress]

64. It's only an attack if you see it that way.

I see it as a review, a comment, a preference, a conversation.

But that's Ok. We here can agree to disagree.

Amirite?

[redstateblues]

58. I want a little " Fired Up, Ready To Go"

Beto has got some of that..

[cilla4progress]

61. He does indeed.

ALL our candidates are GREAT! So proud of Dems!!!!!

[50 Shades Of Blue]

59. Pete over Beto for me, no contest!

[RLG]

69. To me, they're about the same.

Policy-wise that is.

[Gothmog]

70. Beto has done a great deal in the real world

El Paso is an actual city and not a town like South Bend. Being mayor of a town is not a great set of credentials