My Thoughts on Beto by Thomas Mills

[TexasTowelie]

Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant.


The first thing I thought when I got into the Great Hall at UNC-CH to await Beto O’Rourke was, “Sure are a lot of white people here.” I am used to going to political events that have diverse crowds, but with the exception of maybe two or three African-American students and a handful of Asian students, the crowd of more than 500 hundred people was all white. As one person told me, “That’s a reflection of UNC more than anything.” That may be true but I think it also reflects Beto’s appeal.

Beto right now seems to be going after younger voters. He’s trying to build up a base of support in a crowded primary field. Before he was in North Carolina, he was at Clemson. After he was in North Carolina, he went to UVA. He understands that to survive a yearlong primary campaign, he’ll need to have small but unfailingly loyal group of supporters. Those young, mostly white, people give him that base.

Beto also brings the advantage of just coming off of a campaign. I was struck by the choreography of the event. He had rope lines and music. Everything was planned and he had staff that knew what they were doing. They looked like a top tier campaign even if he’s really just getting off the ground.

Beto likes to look surrounded, giving the impression of accessibility, which he’s really not. He brings his own soapbox to stand on. Instead of being on a stage in front of the crowd, he plops his box down in the middle of the crowd, giving the sense of being among them instead of in front of them.

Read more: https://www.politicsnc.com/my-thoughts-on-beto/

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

1. What?!..."Sure are a lot of white people here"!! Okay, so using the "Bernie Standard," that means...

Beto has NO chance to win the nomination, or as Bones would say... "he's dead, Jim."

Of course, the "Bernie Standard" has been concocted solely for purposes of bashing Bernie, so, I guess, forget what I said... Beto is fine.


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

[TexasTowelie]

2. At least I didn't sugarcoat it with only the most favorable snips.

Overall, I think the analysis is interesting and could well turn out to be on point.

[Funtatlaguy]

3. How did Beto perform in the debates with Cruz?

He seems more comfortable in small groups and one on one.
He speaks thru his arm and body movements. Not a criticism. I have to use my hands to talk.
I just wonder how that comes across standing motionless at a podium for two hours.

[TexasTowelie]

4. I agree that he does use an excessive amount of arm and body movements.

During the debates he still used a lot of hand movements which can be distracting, but he delivered his points very well. Some won't notice, others will find him more relatable, while others will be distracted. One certainty is that he is a few inches taller than the rest of the candidates on stage. I think he is past the wallflower phase of his life though (I'm 6' 1&quot . It should also be noted that Ted Cruz is considered to be a master debater, even if people don't agree with him.

[Funtatlaguy]

5. Studies show that people equate height with strength and power.

So in the debates, Beto should want to stand in between Pete and Amy. Lol.

[dalton99a]

6. He doesn't care - the crowd loved it

Asking him to stop would be like asking him to be shorter