Team Beto Is Tired of the Media's 'Bullshit' Narrative

[Indygram]

Beto O’Rourke’s team and supporters think the narrative around their campaign is bunk.

When the Texas Democrat jumped into the race, he was tagged as a political vanity project come to life on the campaign trail; a candidate whose paper-thin résumé made little sense next to the glossy coverage he received. And so, his team set about changing it. For weeks, O’Rourke has been introducing policy papers and sticking to a meet-everyone, go-everywhere plan that initially sidestepped some high-profile media hits.

But instead of earning kudos, or even recognition, from the press corps, his standing in the Democratic presidential primary has dropped. And, increasingly, those in and around the campaign are starting to get fed up that the narrative has lingered.

“The media bashed this guy because he didn’t do their bullshit dog and pony show,” Boyd Brown, a former South Carolina Democratic state lawmaker who backed O’Rourke early told The Daily Beast. “Morning Joe, they want you to do their circuit. They repeat the stuff they hear at their cocktail parties in Greenwich and the Hamptons over the weekend. And they come back and think everybody’s going to agree to all the inside-the-beltway bullshit that they listen to day in and day out.”

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The press and fellow Democrats have begun to notice, especially as O’Rourke has begun incorporating more national media hits to his daily schedule of campaign events and participated in a well-received and substantive CNN town hall.

“I went to that CNN town hall of his and I thought it was chock-full of policy discussion and was sort of short on platitudes. And I think that’s what he’s been doing at a lot of these meetings around the state,” Jeff Link, an Iowa Democratic strategist told The Daily Beast. “The point right now is not to be in front, the point is to be on everyone’s consideration list.”

O’Rourke has introduced a climate plan calling for net zero emissions by 2050, an immigration platform including a new visa category to allow for religious congregations to sponsor refugees, a voting rights plan that seeks to vastly boost turnout and turn Election Day into a national holiday and a reproductive justice platform that includes codifying Roe v. Wade with federal legislation.
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"Beto is building the grassroots infrastructure to win, putting forward the bold policy proposals voters are looking for on the issues that matter most to them, and—most importantly—connecting with Americans where they live and speaking with them face-to-face about their concerns, their ambitions and their values,” Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, O’Rourke’s campaign manager, told The Daily Beast. “We’re more energized every day by the overwhelming grassroots response to Beto’s vision for a future where every American shares in our successes and opportunities."

Despite the projection of confidence, there is still an evident desire among the campaign staff to prove doubters wrong. Recently, some were tweeting a New Republic article from the ground in Iowa, arguing that O’Rourke was in a better position than his poll numbers suggest.

That’s what Linda Nelson, the former chair of the Pottawatomie County Democrats in Iowa, seems to think. She saw him at an event in Council Bluffs recently and was impressed even as she hasn’t yet made an endorsement. And the perception of a flailing campaign did not match what she had seen.

“I don’t know what they’re talking about. To me, that’s like what 45 would call ‘fake news,’ she said of dismissive media coverage of O’Rourke. “It was a huge crowd, the enthusiasm was incredible. The way he connected to people and took questions from folks he didn’t know. He was on his toes and very quick to respond and very sincere and the enthusiasm was incredible.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/beto-orourkes-team-is-tired-of-the-medias-bullshit-narrative?ref=scroll

[dalton99a]

1. America has suffered enough!

Beto fatigue, Beto overload,... Beto on every magazine cover, and every talent show

Go away, go back to Texas, and stay in Texas!

BTW No policies, no specifics. Terrible horrible no good public speaker, not ready for prime time

[genxlib]

2. They are not mutually exclusive

A vanity project with a thin resume can still have substantive policy positions.

I don't necessarily believe this is the case but I just point that out.

Frankly, in the end, better than half of the contenders will be vanity projects. Ultimately, getting into the upper tier will be the only thing that changes that.

[comradebillyboy]

3. What will Beto do to remedy the situation?

[cwydro]

4. Well, he seems to be trotting around to all the dog and pony shows now.

Perhaps it will work.

[comradebillyboy]

6. Sometimes it's hard to relight the fire. Good luck to Beto.

[left-of-center2012]

5. He's had his 15 minutes of fame

He's just not ready for the big leagues.