PoliFact | Beto O'Rourke says that Texas, you n be 'too gay' to adopt a foster child

Contents:

• WHY BETO O'ROURKE'S GAY MARRIAGE IA LLAPS UNR SCTY
• O'ROURKE SAYS CHURCH AGAST GAY MARRIAGE SHOULD LOSE TAX BENEFS, DRAWS BACKLASH
• WHY BETO O'ROURKE'S GAY MARRIAGE IA LLAPS UNR SCTY
• BETO O'ROURKE SAYS RELIG STUTNS SHOULD LOSE TAX-EXEMPT STAT IF THEY OPPOSE GAY MARRIAGE
• “YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN TO DEAL WH THEM”: HOW THE MEDIA FELL OUT OF LOVE WH BETO O’ROURKEPARSG THE THE FACTORS (PRIVILEGE, TERSECTNALY, MORE PRS SCTY, STRATEGIC MISLCULATN, MULTIPLE OPPONENTS, VANY FAIR) THAT NTRIBUTED TO O’ROURKE’S EARLY-SEASON SWOON.BY PETER HAMBYMAY 15, 2019BY STT EISEN/GETTY IMAG.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEYOU KNOW YOUR PRS HASN’T BEEN GREAT WHEN THE BT PIECE WRTEN ABOUT YOUR MPAIGN SOME TIME WAS BYLED BY YOUR EX-GIRLIEND. BUT THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED TO BETO O’ROURKE LAST WEEK. THE WASHGTON POST MAGAZE PUBLISHED A LENGTHY SAY WRTEN BY O’ROURKE’S LLEGE GIRLIEND SASHA WATSON, ABOUT THEIR VERY 1990S RELATNSHIP, PLETE WH VTAGE PICTUR OF THE NOW-PRINTIAL NDIDATE LOOKG EXACTLY AS YOU’D EXPECT AT THE TIME: HOLDG A GUAR, BAGGY JEANS, A BUZZCUT, AND THE KD OF BROODG FACE HE PROBABLY WORE WHILE LISTENG TO PAVEMENT ALBUMS AND SCRIBBLG HIS JOURNAL. NOTHG THE PIECE WAS OUTWARDLY CRIL. IT WAS A MEDATN ON THE STRANGE EXPERIENCE OF GROWG DISTANT OM AN EX AND THEN WAKG UP ONE DAY TO REALIZE THAT PERSON IS NOW A CREDIBLE NDIDATE FOR PRINT OF THE UNED STAT. IF CRICS WERE MG THE STORY FOR EVINCE OF SNDAL OR RETRIBUTN, THEY WEREN’T GOG TO FD .BUT WORRY NOT, BETO HATERS! THERE IS PLENTY MORE ON THE INTER FOR YOU. SCE ANNOUNCG HIS MPAIGN FOR PRINT MID-MARCH, JT TWO MONTHS AGO, O’ROURKE HAS GONE OM THE MEDIA DARLG WHO ALMOST BEAT TED CZ TEXAS TO THE SIGNATED PUNCHG BAG OF THE PUND CLASS. HARRY SIEGEL OF THE DAILY BEAST LLED BETO A “MANCHILD” ON TWTER, WHILE SHARG A LACERATG PIECE OM THE LUMNIST MARGARET CARLSON, WHO WROTE ABOUT “HER UNSCIENTIFIC POLL ASKG EVERY WOMAN I SEE” AND THE NCLN THAT O’ROURKE, THE MARRIED FATHER OF THREE WHO ENJOYS MAKG SUNDAY MORNG PANK FOR HIS FAY, REMDS THEM OF “THE WORST BOYIEND THEY EVER HAD.” OTHER OPN-HAVERS DOGGED O’ROURKE FOR SHARG MPAIGN VIO OF HIS VIS TO YOSEME NATNAL PARK, ASSUMG THE NDIDATE WAS THERE JT TO CHILLAX AND TAKE THE GOOD VIB. “AND THE POT OF THIS IS.... WHAT? LET’S GO HIKG WH O’ROURKE?” TWEETED CLY HABERMAN, THE FORMER NEW YORK TIM LUMNIST. IN FACT, O’ROURKE WAS THERE DOG A ROUTE MPAIGN PHOTO-OP ON THE DAY HE ANNOUNCED HIS $5 TRILLN CLIMATE PLAN, TOURG THE NATNAL PARK WH TWO ENVIRONMENTALISTS WHO CHATTED WH HIM ABOUT THE LOL IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.THE PRS MENTARY SWIRLG AROUND O’ROURKE HAS BEEN LIKE THIS FOR MONTHS—MOCKERY FIRST, RE-TWEETS SEND, SOBER ANALYSIS THIRD. “THERE’S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JOURNALISM AND PILG ON TO NDIDAT FOR SPORT/RETWEETS, AND NOT ENOUGH FOLKS REALIZE THAT,” TWEETED WILLIAM O’MALLEY, THE SON OF FORMER PRINTIAL NDIDATE MART O’MALLEY, WHO WAS ROUTELY DISMISSED DURG THE 2016 MPAIGN AS LTLE MORE THAN A “BORG WHE GUY” SPE WHATEVER IAS HE BROUGHT TO THE RACE. IT’S A MEDIA MS OF O’ROURKE’S OWN DOG, NOT JT BEE HE ENTERED THE MPAIGN WHOUT A CLEAR REASON WHY, BUT ALSO BEE HE ASSUMED THAT HIS SEAT-OF-THE-PANTS, D.I.Y.-STYLE MPAIGNG TEXAS WOULD TRANSLATE NEATLY TO THE HOTHOE OF A NATNAL MPAIGN, AGAST A DIFFERENT SET OF OPPONENTS AND AN ALWAYS-ON PRS RPS THAT’S AS RPONSIVE TO THE MANDS OF PROGRSIV ON TWTER AS THEY ARE TO VOTERS NASHUA AND COUNCIL BLUFFS. “A PRINTIAL MPAIGN IS SEVERAL UNIVERS AWAY OM A STATEWI MPAIGN,” SAID REPUBLIN STRATEGIST KEV MADN, A FORMER ADVISER ON BOTH OF MT ROMNEY’S PRINTIAL MPAIGNS. “IT’S 10 TIM HARR. THE SCTY IS JT SO MUCH GREATER. YOUR WORST DAY ON CAPOL HILL OR THE STATEHOE OR ON A SENATE MPAIGN IS THREE TIM WORSE EVERY DAY ON A PRINTIAL MPAIGN. YOU START OFF WH A PRS SCM NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND THEN YOU MAKE A FUND-RAISG STOP BOSTON, AND YOU SPEND YOUR EVENG AT AN EVENT SOUTH CAROLA. IN EACH PLACE THERE IS AN ENTIRE NEWS CYCLE STARTG EVERYWHERE YOU GO. YOU N’T PE THE MEDIA. YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN TO AL WH THEM.”O’ROURKE IS TRYG TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE THIS WEEK, STOPPG BY NEW YORK GREENROOMS THAT’S HE’S SO FAR BEEN SHUNNG, MAKG APPEARANC ON THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW AND THE VIEW. AND AS HE DID DURG HIS SENATE N, HE’S ALSO BOOKED AN APPEARANCE AT A CNN TOWN HALL, A FORMAT THAT’S PROVEN TO BE A RATGS AND FUND-RAISG BONANZA FOR NDIDAT LIKE ELIZABETH WARREN AND PETE BUTTIGIEG. HBO WILL RELEASE A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT O’ROURKE’S SENATE MPAIGN LATER THIS MONTH. O’ROURKE HAS ALREADY SAT DOWN WH OPRAH, NDUCTED A UNIVISN TERVIEW WH JE RAMOS ENTIRELY SPANISH, AND TALKED TO SDS OF LOL MEDIA THE 124 CI AND 14 STAT HE HAS VISED ON ONE OF THE BIT DEMOCRATIC ERARI. BUT HE NCED TO MADDOW ON MONDAY THAT HE MT “DO A BETTER JOB” TAKG HIS MSAGE TO A NATNAL DIENCE, AN ADMISSN THAT YOU N’T TOTALLY END-N THE NATNAL MEDIA AND STILL MAKE TO THE WHE HOE, EVEN THE SMARTPHONE ERA THAT HELPED LNCH O’ROURKE AS A POLIL PHENOMENON THE FIRST PLACE.IT WAS O’ROURKE’S TUDAY APPEARANCE ON THE VIEW THAT CUT RIGHT TO THE BIGGT MISSTEP OF HIS EARLY MPAIGN, A EIC ROLLOUT THAT BEGAN WH A VER STORY THIS MAGAZE FEATURG HIS NOW-FAMO QUOTE, “I’M JT BORN TO BE .” O’ROURKE APOLOGIZED FOR THE QUOTE AND THE CISN TO BE PROFILED BY VANY FAIR AFTER BEG TRACKED DOWN BY WRER JOE HAGAN, WHO’D ALREADY ASSEMBLED A RICH BGRAPHIL STORY. “I THK RERC THAT PERCEPTN OF PRIVILEGE,” HE TOLD THE HOSTS. “AND THAT HEADLE THAT SAID ‘I WAS BORN TO BE THIS,’ THE ARTICLE I WAS ATTEMPTG TO SAY THAT I FELT THAT MY LLG WAS PUBLIC SERVICE. NO ONE IS BORN TO BE PRINT OF THE UNED STAT OF AMERI.” THOUGH ’S HARD TO IMAGE ANY PRINTIAL NDIDATE WHO DON’T HARBOR SOME VERSN OF THIS SENTIMENT, THAT SGLE QUOTE READ TO MANY AS AN EMBLEM OF WHE MALE PRIVILEGE A DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY THAT WAS ALREADY PULSG WH INTY POLICS. IT HIGHLIGHTED A CERTA GUILELSNS, A MPAIGN STACKED WH MORE EXPERIENCED, MORE DIVERSE NDIDAT WH EP POLICY CHOPS. O’ROURKE ALSO SEEMED UNPREPARED FOR THE FACT THAT HE WAS ENTERG A MPAIGN BEG VERED BY A POLIL PRS RPS STARRG MORE FEMALE REPORTERS AND JOURNALISTS OF LOR THAN AT ANY POT AMERIN HISTORY. SO WHILE O’ROURKE’S EEWHEELG EARNTNS WAS A KEY TO HIS STRATEGY AGAST TED CZ, A NATNAL PRIMARY AGAST 21 OTHER QUALIFIED DEMOCRATS, SENT HIM THE WRONG DIRECTN.“THE HUBRIS OF BETO’ O’ROURKE,” WENT A HEADLE OM THE LEFT-LEANG SPLTER, TYPIL OF THE VERAGE THAT WEEK. KATHLEEN PARKER WROTE THE WASHGTON POST THAT HIS MPAIGN WAS “A YOUTHFUL FOLLY.” THE TWEETS, TOO, WERE ROUGH. “MY SENSE IS THAT BETO O’ROURKE DON’T WANT TO BE PRINT AS MUCH AS HE WANTS TO BE AN DIE MOVIE ABOUT A GUY NNG FOR PRINT,” SAID CHIGO TRIBUNE LUMNIST REX HUPPKE. O’ROURKE’S “BORN TO BE ” QUOTE WAS SGLED OUT BY REPORTERS AS EVINCE OF A CLEAR DOUBLE STANDARD: ULD A FEMALE NDIDATE EVER GET AWAY WH SAYG THIS? ACRDG TO DATA OM ZIGNAL LABS, AN TELLIGENCE FIRM SAN FRANCIS, RPONSE TO THE MAY 13 VANY FAIR STORY GENERATED ROUGHLY 21,000 TWEETS OM VERIFIED “BLUE CHECKMARK” ERS ON TWTER, A MOMENTO SPIKE ELE SOCIAL TRAFFIC. (FOR PARISON, BUTTIGIEG, THE CURRENT MEDIA DARLG THE FIELD, PEAKED AT 10,500 VERIFIED TWEETS AT THE HEIGHT OF HIS MEDIA BUZZ MID-APRIL.) ON TWTER, A MEDIA NARRATIVE ABOUT O’ROURKE OSSIFIED OVERNIGHT: ENTLED WHE DU RUNS FOR PRINT.MOST POPULARDONALD TMP’S PLAN TO GET REELECTED AND PARDON HIMSELF WAS JT DEALT A SER SETBACKBY BS LEVJOE MANGANIELLO DEBUTS DIVORCE INKBY KASE WICKMANMSNBC IS HAVG ITS SUPER BOWL WH DONALD TMP’S INDICTMENTSBY CHARLOTTE KLETHE IA HAD ALREADY BEGUN TO PERLATE BACK JANUARY, WHEN O’ROURKE EMBARKED ON A POST-MPAIGN ROAD TRIP THROUGHOUT THE WT, TALKG TO STUNTS, IMMIGRANTS, SMALL-BS OWNERS, AND VETERANS. HE CHRONICLED HIS JOURNEY ON MEDIUM WH A KD OF T.M.I. EARNTNS—“HAVE BEEN STUCK LATELY. IN AND OUT OF A FUNK”—THAT AT FIRST SOUND REHG WHEN PUT UP AGAST THE UAL PABLUM G OM POLICIANS. BUT HIS DIARI WERE TONALLY AT ODDS WH THE SNARK AND CYNICISM THAT PERVAS WASHGTON GROUPTHK, PECIALLY THE AGE OF TWTER. “I THK BETO’S SORT OF THE BLD SPOT FOR JOURNALISTS WHERE HE SHAR A LOT MON WH THE MODAL JOURNALIST MOGRAPHILLY (46-YEAR-OLD FATHER WHO WENT TO COLUMBIA AND ONCE PLAYED A BAND) BUT ISN’T SEEN AS SHREWD/CYNIL ENOUGH AND THAT LEADS TO SOME UNRTIMATN,” THE POLLG ANALYST NATE SILVER WROTE AT THE TIME. HIS MEDIUM POSTS ALSO ME OFF AS TONE-AF TO MANY THE WASHGTON MEDIA, PECIALLY AS TIMATNS ABOUT RACE AND GENR POLICS WERE CHANGG THE WAKE OF 2018, WHICH SAW AN ARMY OF WOMEN ELECTED TO FERAL OFFICE. “BETO’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE DRIPS WH WHE MALE PRIVILEGE,” CNN ANALYST NIA-MALIKA HENRSON WROTE AT THE TIME, ARGUG THAT O’ROURKE’S TRIP WAS “A LUXURY NO WOMAN OR EVEN MORY POLICS ULD EVER HAVE.”EVEN IF O’ROURKE WAS JT BEG HIMSELF, RIVG ENERGY OM REGULAR PEOPLE AND SHARG HIS THOUGHTS REAL TIME, THE PROJECT CHIPPED AWAY AT THE “KENNEDYQUE” REPUTATN HE VELOPED BACK HOME EL PASO. THE CNN POLIL ANALYST KIRSTEN POWERS REMEMBERS HAVG DNER WH O’ROURKE AND HIS WIFE TEXAS BACK 2016. “I FOUND HIM TO BE SMART, GROUND, AND POLICY-MD, AND OBVLY HE KNEW A LOT ABOUT IMMIGRATN,” POWERS RELLED. “AND I THOUGHT, YEAH, HE SHOULD N FOR PRINT AT SOME POT. BUT WHEN HE STARTED DOG THAT EMO, FEELG-SORRY-FOR-HIMSELF, GOG-ON-THE-ROAD THG, WAS LIKE, ‘WHAT IS HE DOG?’ IT WAS VERY CHILDISH. NO WOMAN ULD DO THAT. HE WAS MOCKED FOR , AND HE SERVED . IT WAS LIKE, ‘YOU LOST THE SENATE RACE, BUT NOW YOU’RE FAMO. EVERYONE WANTS YOU TO N FOR PRINT. BARACK OBAMA LERALLY WANTS TO MEET WH YOU. LIKE, WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?’ AND MA ME WONR IF HE ULD TAKE ON TMP.”TWO MONTHS LATER, THE VANY FAIR VER LAND, ENSHRG THE NARRATIVE. IT WAS EXACERBATED THE VERY NEXT DAY, WHEN O’ROURKE POSTED A FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT VIO BEFORE SHG TO IOWA, AS HIS WIFE, AMY, LOOKED ON SG BUT SILENT. “I AM SO SICK OF WIV BEG FORCED TO SILENTLY GAZE!!! WHY EVEN CLU HER?” TWEETED AUDREY GELMAN, C.E.O. OF THE WG. “WHEN I N FOR PRINT MY HBAND WILL BE THE BACKGROUND FEEDG OUR TS.” AS HIS TEEM ELE CIRCL LLAPSED, AND AS RIVAL MPAIGNS FLOOD THE ZONE WH QUTNS ABOUT O’ROURKE’S RERD CONGRS AND ON THE EL PASO CY COUNCIL, BEME EASIER TO TEASE O’ROURKE ON TWTER FOR THE VERY THGS THAT MA HIM REHG TEXAS: WAVG HIS ARMS AROUND DURG SPEECH, STANDG ON THGS R.F.K.-STYLE WHILE TALKG TO CROWDS, SKATEBOARDG OR LISTENG TO DIE ROCK. AT THE SAME TIME, TWO DISVERI ABOUT O’ROURKE ME TO LIGHT: THAT HE’S A FAN OF THE LEGENDARY D.C. PUNK BAND FUGAZI, AND THAT HE ONCE BELONGED TO THE FLUENTIAL HACKER LLECTIVE CULT OF THE DEAD COW. BOTH ARE UNQUTNABLY TWO OF THE OLT THGS EVER REVEALED ABOUT A PRINTIAL NDIDATE, B TRAS THAT WOULD LAND HIM A 9.9 REVIEW ON PCHFORK. BUT WASHGTON, THOSE THGS ME TO BE LUMPED TO AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT BOX: BETO’S JT WEIRD.THE MOST OBV REASON FOR BETO’S BOOM-AND-BT MEDIA CYCLE IS THAT NNG AGAST A REVILED REPUBLIN TEXAS IS A FAR CRY OM NNG A DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY AGAST A BEVY OF QUALIFIED OPPONENTS, MANY OF WHOM HAVE VOTED FOLLOWGS VAR RNERS OF THE LEFT. “IT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO NOT BE TED CZ ANYMORE,” SAID REPUBLIN MEDIA STRATEGIST MATT GORMAN. “IN A STATE, YOU HAVE A BASELE OF PARTY SUPPORT THAT’S WH YOU NO MATTER WHAT IF YOU’RE NNG AGAST A REPUBLIN. NOT A PRIMARY. HE NEEDS TO MAKE AN INTY FOR HIMSELF. WHEN HE IS ON THAT BATE STAGE, WHAT’S THE RATNALE AGAST KAMALA [HARRIS] OR MAYOR PETE OR JOE BIN? WHY BETO?” FORCE OF PERSONALY IS NOT ENOUGH TO RRY A MPAIGN WHOUT AN UNRLYG REASON FOR NNG, GORMAN SAID, PECIALLY A DEMOCRATIC PARTY FLH WH OPTNS. BUT HAVG A CLEARLY FED REASON TO N FOR PRINT—THAT SIMPLE THG LLED “A MSAGE”—IS WHAT RRI A MPAIGN FORWARD, OCULATG A NDIDATE OM THE DAILY TRAPS AND POTHOL OF THE PRINTIAL MEDIA STORMS. BUTTIGIEG IS ONE OF ONLY A HANDFUL OF DEMOCRATIC NDIDAT WHO IS G HIS MPAIGN TO TELL A STORY—HIS IS ABOUT GENERATNAL CHANGE—AND ’S ALLOWED HIM TO PARRY ATTACKS AND MOSTLY AVOID STEPPG MUD. EVEN THOUGH ’S DOUBTFUL THAT A HARVARD-TED POLYGLOT WHO N NAME EVERY RADHEAD B-SI SCE THE BENDS DON’T KNOW WHO ALED E. NMAN IS, BUTTIGIEG BSHED OFF TMP’S NAME-LLG THIS WEEK WH A SIMPLE, YOUTHFUL ASI: “I HAD TO GOOGLE THAT.” NEXT QUTN.WHAT’S O’ROURKE’S MSAGE? HIS AIS STRS THAT HE IS STILL LISTENG MO, LEARNG OM VOTERS ABOUT THEIR NCERNS AND RPONDG KD. BUT EVEN SOME OF HIS SUPPORTERS AREN’T SURE OF THE STRATEGY. “I GUS I STILL HAVEN’T HEARD THE TED KENNEDY ANSWER OM HIM,” SAID FORMER SOUTH CAROLA LEGISLATOR BOYD BROWN, AN EARLY O’ROURKE SUPPORTER THE PRIMARY STATE. BROWN WAS VOKG KENNEDY’S VASTATG FAILURE TO ANSWER CBS ANCHOR ROGER MUDD’S QUTN “WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE PRINT?” DAYS BEFORE HIS 1980 MPAIGN LNCH. STILL, BROWN, WHO IS 32, TOLD ME THAT O’ROURKE “PERSONIFI” AND “EMBODI” THE “VIEWS OF MY GENERATN,” POTG TO HIS CLIMATE-CHANGE PLAN AS THE MOST AMB OF ANY DEMOCRAT NNG. BUT HE ALSO BRISTLED AT THE NATNAL PRS FOR HARPG ON O’ROURKE’S PERSONALY AND MISSTEPS. “WHO THE HELL WANTS TO GO ON TV AND GET TALKED OVER AND LECTURED BY A BUNCH OF D.C. AND NEW YORK TYP? I’M OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER WHEN IENDS OF ME THE JOURNALISM PROFSN WOULD GO OUT OF THEIR WAY NOT TO SHOW BIAS. NOW FEELS LIKE THEY HAVE CHEAPENED THE OVERALL PROFSN BEE THEY WANT A LOT OF LIK AND RE-TWEETS ON TWTER. REPORTERS WANT TO BE WOKE ON TWTER AND GET THEIR 15 MUT OF FAME. IT’S VALUED JOURNALISM.”O’ROURKE’S RELENTLS FOC ON TOWN-HALL MEETGS AND LOL MEDIA HAS EARNED HIM PLENTY OF POSIVE PRS THE EARLY-PRIMARY STAT. BUT THE GRASSROOTS, LIVTREAM MENTALY THAT WORKED TEXAS AND BEGUILED NATNAL REPORTERS 2018 SEEMS TO HAVE DAMAGED HIS STANDG THE NATNAL MEDIA, AS HE IMPLICLY ADMTED TO MADDOW THIS WEEK. O’ROURKE HAS GIVEN HOURS OF TIME TO OUTLETS LIKE THE ROCK HILL HERALD AND DARTMOUTH COLLEGE RAD, BUT UNTIL THIS WEEK HE’S LARGELY CHEWED BLE NEWS AND BIG S-DOWN TERVIEWS WH HONCHO TV ANCHORS WHO GET CRANKY WHEN YOU IGNORE THEIR BOOKERS. MAR RUB FELT THE STG OF THIS RENTMENT DURG THE 2016 MPAIGN, WHEN HE CLED TO GO ON CNN FOR WEEKS AT A TIME, TO THE POT WHERE THE TONE OF THE WORK’S VERAGE ON TELEVISN AND ONLE TURNED AGAST HIM UNTIL HE PULATED. “THERE’S A SENSE THAT BETO IS ABOVE DOG NATNAL MEDIA,” SAID POWERS, THE CNN ANALYST. “SORRY, YOU NEED TO GO ON BLE TV. DO SOME MORE MEDIA. YOU HAVE TO TALK TO THEM.” THAT’S DOUBLY TE THE POST-TMP ERA, WHEN REPORTERS FEEL MORE EMBOLNED THAN EVER—AND PERSONALLY WOUND BY POLICIANS WHO TRY TO DODGE THEM.TWO OF O’ROURKE’S FG HABS—HIS PROPENSY FOR BROADSTG HIS TERACTNS WH REGULAR PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND HIS LONG-WD MANNER OF SPEAKG—ARE BADLY MATCHED FOR THE CHAOTIC TWTER ASSIGNMENT SK WHERE MOST REPORTERS GET THEIR RMATN. O’ROURKE WAS BTALLY MOCKED ONLE JANUARY FOR “LIVE-STREAMG” HIS NTIST APPOTMENT. IT WAS AN OMG FEEDG ENZY ON TWTER THAT WAS ALSO PLETELY ABSENT OF NTEXT, A LGH RT NDUCTED PRIMARILY BY JOURNALISTS. WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED? O’ROURKE POSTED AN INSTAGRAM STORY—NOT A LIVTREAM, THERE’S A DIFFERENCE—OM HIS VIS TO HIS NTIST EL PASO, PART OF A SERI OF TERVIEWS HE WAS NDUCTG WH LOLS ABOUT LIFE ALONG THE U.S.-MEXI BORR. A CNN REPORTER SCREEN-GRABBED THE ONE SPL-SEND MOMENT WHEN O’ROURKE HAD THE MERA TURNED ON HIMSELF, WH A CLEANG TOOL HIS MOUTH, AND POSTED THAT IMAGE TO TWTER, WHERE WENT VIRAL AND BEME A MISLEADG HEADLE FOR SR OF PUBLITNS RANGG OM THE WASHGTON POST TO THE GUARDIAN. “BETO O'ROURKE FILMED HIMSELF AT THE DENTIST FOR INSTAGRAM LIVE,” HEADLED BUZZFEED, ACCURATELY.MOST POPULARDONALD TMP’S PLAN TO GET REELECTED AND PARDON HIMSELF WAS JT DEALT A SER SETBACKBY BS LEVJOE MANGANIELLO DEBUTS DIVORCE INKBY KASE WICKMANMSNBC IS HAVG ITS SUPER BOWL WH DONALD TMP’S INDICTMENTSBY CHARLOTTE KLEMORE RECENTLY, REPORTERS TEASED O’ROURKE FOR A REMARK HE MA DURG A MPAIGN EVENT OUTSI LAS VEGAS, WHEN HE MENTNED “FARM TO TABLE” DG AS A SOLUTN TO THE FOOD SERT PROBLEM PLAGUG IMPOVERISHED URBAN CENTERS. THAT, TOO, WAS JOKED ABOUT ON TWTER AS EVINCE OF O’ROURKE’S ELIST WORLDVIEW, SPAWNG S OWN BATCH OF CLICKBA STORI THAT DID LTLE MORE THAN AGGREGATE SNARKY REPORTER TWEETS RATHER THAN O’ROURKE’S ACTUAL REMARKS, WHICH ARE STILL IMPOSSIBLE TO LOTE ANYWHERE ON THE INTER. THOSE TWEETS, RIPPED OUT OF NTEXT, BEME THE TAKEAWAY STORY OM THE TOWN HALL. BUT DAVE WEIGEL OM THE WASHGTON POST RRECTLY NOTED OM THE EVENT, O’ROURKE MA THE MENT DURG A LENGTHY ANSWER ABOUT NUTRN, BASG HIS “FARM TO TABLE” RIFF ON BONTON FARMS, A FARM HE DISVERED LAST YEAR THE MIDDLE OF SOUTH DALLAS THAT OFFERS JOBS TO LOLS AND, TURN, PROVIS H “FARM TO TABLE” FOOD FOR A MUNY THAT DON’T HAVE A GROCERY STORE. O’ROURKE WAS THROWG OUT AN TERTG IA, NOT ROLLG OUT A NATNAL PROPOSAL TO ENLIST JOSE ANDR AND APRIL BLOOMFIELD TO OPEN HIGH-END RTRANTS BLIGHTED CI ACROSS THE UNTRY. BUT YOU WOULDN’T KNOW THAT OM THE VERAGE.ONE JOURNALIST WHO EQUENTLY VERS O’ROURKE ON THE ROAD SAID THERE’S A GULF BETWEEN THE TONE OF THE NATNAL VERAGE—NSCENDG AND DISMISSIVE—AND WHAT REPORTERS WNS ON THE GROUND. O’ROURKE REGULARLY DRAWS LARGE CROWDS, EVEN ON WORKDAYS, WHEREVER HE SHOWS UP. HE GO EP ON POLICY. AFTERWARD, O’ROURKE TALKS TO PRS GAGGL, TAK ALL THEIR QUTNS, AND THEN REPEATS THE PROCS AT HIS NEXT MPAIGN STOP, SOMETIM UNTIL REPORTERS N OUT OF QUTNS. “BUT IF YOU ARE THE D.C. OR NEW YORK PRS AND YOU AREN’T GETTG ON A PLANE, HE IS NOT TALKG TO YOU,” SAID THE REPORTER, WHO DID NOT WANT TO BE NAMED. “HE IS NOT G TO YOUR GREENROOM AND STUD. THAT PISS PEOPLE OFF. HE IS STARTG TO PLAY THAT GAME A B, BUT MAYOR PETE STEPPED TO THAT SPACE AND SAID, ‘SURE, I’LL TALK TO YOU.’ PETE JT HAS A GREENROOM GOODWILL THAT BETO DON’T HAVE AT THIS POT.”BUTTIGIEG’S WILLGNS TO SAY Y TO EVERY TERVIEW HAS NOT ONLY BEEN RETURNED WH FLATTERY OM THE NATNAL PRS, BUT ’S ALSO CREATED AN ENDLS LIBRARY OF CLIPS THAT N BE SPRAYED ACROSS SCREENS, ON PHON, AND SMART TVS, ON YOUTUBE AND SNAPCHAT AND TWTER. ACRDG TO EMARKETER, MOBILE WILL SURPASS TV THIS YEAR AS THE MEDIUM ATTRACTG THE LARGT SHARE OF ENTERTAMENT MUT FOR U.S. VIEWERS. BUT PLENTY OF THAT MOBILE NTENT IS JT VIO RECYCLED OM TELEVISN. LIKE TMP 2016, BUTTIGIEG SEEMS TO HAVE FIGURED OUT THAT EARNED MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA N SNOWBALL TO AN ENDLS FEEDBACK LOOP OF VIO NTENT IF PROPERLY TEND TO. O’ROURKE’S BET TEXAS WAS THAT SOCIAL MEDIA ALONE ULD RRY THE DAY, A PROPOSN THAT SEEMS DUB A NATNAL ELECTN. “PRINTIALS ARE MEDIA CIRC AND ATTENTN SPANS ARE LISENDS LONG,” SAID GORMAN, WHO WORKED FOR JEB BH HIS 2016 PRIMARY. “WHEN YOU ARE NNG AGAST A LARGE FIELD A PRIMARY, YOU DON’T HAVE TIME TO WASTE. YOU HAVE PLENTY OF NDIDAT TO TAKE ATTENTN OM YOU. THE MORE TIME YOU SPEND LISTENG, LIKE BETO IS, THE MORE PASSIVE YOU ARE. ALL THAT DO IS GIVE MORE PEOPLE TIME TO LOOK ELSEWHERE, AND NOT BEE PASSNATE ABOUT YOU. PEOPLE GET BORED VERY QUICKLY.”IF O’ROURKE’S FAVORABLE ATTENTN THE PRS DRIFTED ELSEWHERE, ’S TOWARD BUTTIGIEG, ANOTHER NDIDATE WHO EMBODI GENERATNAL CHANGE. “I PUT O’ROURKE AND PETE THE NEW-AND-YOUNG TEGORY,” SAID BARNEY FRANK, THE FORMER MASSACHETTS NGRSMAN. “THEY HAVE MUCH LS EXPERIENCE, BUT BOTH SUCCEED ATTRACTG A LOT OF FAVORABLE ATTENTN BEE OF THEIR NOVELTY. BUT I DO THK O’ROURKE MA A CISN EARLY ON THAT HE WAS GOG TO NOT BE VOLVED THE GBBIER ASPECTS OF THE MPAIGN, PART OF WHICH IS TALKG TO REPORTERS. BUTTIGIEG SAID THE OPPOSE. AND ON TOP OF THAT, BUTTIGIEG HAS ADVANTAGE OVER O’ROURKE BEE HE IS GAY, AND THERE IS A STRONG SENTIMENT AMONG DEMOCRATS AND SOME THE MEDIA TO SHOW A REPUDIATN OF ANTI-GAY SENTIMENT.” FRANK, WHO IS GAY, WAS GIVG A MORE DIPLOMATIC ANSWER THAN THE LE HE GAVE TO THE BOSTON GLOBE RECENTLY: “I THK BETO O’ROURKE MAY BE REGRETTG THAT HE’S STRAIGHT.”BEG A STRAIGHT WHE MAN OFFERS A LEG UP AMERIN LIFE EVERY NCEIVABLE WAY. FRANK, THOUGH, WAS SUGGTG THAT WH PARTS OF THE DEMOCRATIC ELECTORATE, MIGHT ACTUALLY BE A HURDLE. IT’S A WEIRD CLAIM TO MAKE WH BIN, A 76-YEAR-OLD WHE MAN, STG ON A 30-POT LEAD THE MPAIGN. BUT LOOKED AT THROUGH THE LENS OF BUTTIGIEG’S RISE AND O’ROURKE’S SLI, MAK SENSE. REPORTERS AND PUNDS ARE SWIMMG THE SAME POWERFUL TWTER WATERS AS PROGRSIVE ACTIVISTS, WHOSE MANDS ARE SHAPG THE JOURNALISM BEG PUMPED TO THE WORLD AT ANY GIVEN MUTE, NSC AND UNNSC WAYS. ACCATNS OF PRIVILEGE HAVE FORCED O’ROURKE TO APOLOGIZG FOR A LANY OF PERCEIVED TRANSGRSNS: HIS VANY FAIR TERVIEW, HIS WHENS, HIS CRGEY JOKE THAT HE “SOMETIM” HELPS AMY RAISE THEIR CHILDREN.“INTERSECTNAL” MAY BE A GOBBLEDYGOOK TERM FOR YOUR AVERAGE VOTER, BUT THE TERM RRI WEIGHT AMONG THOUGHT LEARS WHO SHAPE POLIL VERAGE THE EARLY DAYS OF THE DEMOCRATIC RACE. NOR SHOULD BE FOTTEN THAT THE LAST TWO DEMOCRATIC PRINTIAL NOME WERE A BLACK MAN AND A WOMAN, BOTH OF WHOM LEVERAGED THEIR INTY TO W THE HEARTS OF DEMOCRATS. BUTTIGIEG IS A WHE MAN, BUT HIS POLIL RISE FLOWS, PART, OM HIS SEXUALY AND THE PROMISE OF MAKG HISTORY AS THE FIRST GAY PRINT. ONE OF O’ROURKE BIGGT CHALLENG, REPUBLIN STRATEGIST TIM MILLER RECENTLY WROTE, IS THAT HE’S “NON-SECTNAL.” “BETO’S POLIL PROBLEM IS THAT THE APOLOGIAS TO THE SOCIAL-JTICE LEFT, EARNT OR NOT, WILL ONLY RERCE THE FACT THAT THERE ARE TERSECTNAL NDIDAT WHO OFFER THE SAME MSAGE HE DO WHOUT THE NON-SECTNAL BAGGAGE,” MILLER WROTE THE BULWARK. OR, AS POWERS TOLD ME, “BETO’S VOTERS ARE YOUNGER AND WOKER THAN, SAY, BIN’S VOTERS, WHO AREN’T ON TWTER AND DON’T RE ABOUT THAT STUFF. SO WHEN BETO SEEMS LIKE HE IS ACTG PRIVILEGED, N BE A PROBLEM FOR HIM, AND THEN HE JT ENDS UP APOLOGIZG ALL THE TIME.”MOST POPULARDONALD TMP’S PLAN TO GET REELECTED AND PARDON HIMSELF WAS JT DEALT A SER SETBACKBY BS LEVJOE MANGANIELLO DEBUTS DIVORCE INKBY KASE WICKMANMSNBC IS HAVG ITS SUPER BOWL WH DONALD TMP’S INDICTMENTSBY CHARLOTTE KLEWHETHER OR NOT HIS REPUTATN CHANG THE ELE PRS OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS—MOST HEADL AFTER THE VIEW APPEARANCE WERE ABOUT, SURPRISE, HIS LATT APOLOGY!—O’ROURKE HAS LEARNED PAFULLY HOW THE WHIMS OF THE POLIL MEDIA N TURN ON A DIME. PERVERSELY, O’ROURKE STILL HAS PLENTY OF TIME TO REVER, THANKS TO THE LOW MEDIA EXPECTATNS THAT TODAY SWIRL AROUND HIM. “THERE’S ONE THG THE PRS LOV EVEN MORE THAN A HOT NEW THG, AND THAT IS A EBACK,” SAID GORMAN.“IT’S ACTUALLY A GOOD THG THAT THIS PRIMARY IS SO LONG BEE ALLOWS FOR URSE RRECTNS,” SAID JS MCINTOSH, A DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST AND FORMER MUNITNS DIRECTOR FOR EY’S LIST. “NOT EVERYONE IS GOG TO GET RIGHT OM THE JUMP, AND THEY SHOULD HAVE TIME TO MAKE REPAIRS. BETO IS STILL THIS CREDIBLY CHARISMATIC NDIDATE WH GOOD IAS WHO ELECTRIFI PEOPLE.” AND OF URSE, SHE NOTED, HE’S ALWAYS GOT PRIVILEGE HIS RNER. “THE VERY FACT THAT YOU ARE WRG A STORY ABOUT HOW BETO IS NO LONGER BEG VIEWED AS A GOLN BOY IS ILLTRATIVE OF HOW HE IS, FACT, A GOLN BOY.”PETER HAMBY IS THE HOST OF SNAPCHAT’S GOOD LUCK AMERI.PETER HAMBY

WHY BETO O'ROURKE'S GAY MARRIAGE IA LLAPS UNR SCTY

Is Beto O’Rourke Gay? No, Beto O’Rourke isn’t gay. Any relig group that do not support gay marriage should not be tax exempt, Democratic printial ndidate Beto O'Rourke argued Thursday night.

Whatever one thks about gay marriage — and tax exemptns for relig stutns, for that matter — this is a bad ia. If all the relig nonprofs wh doctral opposn to gay marriage lose their tax exemptns, vulnerable people will suffer as a rult. In fact, would almost certaly do tangible harm to some of the very gay Amerins whom O'Rourke purports to protect.

Wrg the Supreme Court majory opn legalizg gay marriage, Jtice Anthony Kennedy emphasized that “religns, and those who adhere to relig doctr, may ntue to advote wh utmost, scere nvictn that, by dive precepts, same-sex marriage should not be ndoned.

O'ROURKE SAYS CHURCH AGAST GAY MARRIAGE SHOULD LOSE TAX BENEFS, DRAWS BACKLASH

Senate nomee Beto O’Rourke ma a claim about gay rints beg kept om adoptg children need. 29, 2018: "In this state, wh 30, 000 kids the foster re system —a foster re system so unr-rourced that recently kids were sleepg on top of or unrneath the sks CPS (Child Protective Servic) offic— this state, they say that unr the guise of relig liberty that you n be too gay to adopt one of those children who needs a lovg home. We wonred: Can a Texan be "too gay" to adopt a child foster re?

WHY BETO O'ROURKE'S GAY MARRIAGE IA LLAPS UNR SCTY

" In this se, that would mean that a social service group that arrang adoptns uld refe to allow a gay uple to adopt a child through that group. Crics of the measure say that gay Texans are beg refed adoptn opportuni.

Backers of the legislatn and a state agency say the law do not keep any qualified adults, cludg gay rints, om adoptg. In Texas Hoe bate on the measure May 2017, the Texas Tribune reported, Democratic legislators warned that the plan would give groups license to discrimate agast gay — or Jewish or divorced — parents who want to foster or adopt.

BETO O'ROURKE SAYS RELIG STUTNS SHOULD LOSE TAX-EXEMPT STAT IF THEY OPPOSE GAY MARRIAGE

Still, he said, if "you were to ask a provir like Catholic Chari if beg jt a ltle b gay is OK wh them, you’d learn that they thk that ‘any gay’ is ‘too gay’ when to workg wh prospective adoptive parents. "For some licensed provirs Texas, cludg Catholic Chari, you n be too gay to adopt a foster child, " Smh wrote.

“YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN TO DEAL WH THEM”: HOW THE MEDIA FELL OUT OF LOVE WH BETO O’ROURKEPARSG THE THE FACTORS (PRIVILEGE, TERSECTNALY, MORE PRS SCTY, STRATEGIC MISLCULATN, MULTIPLE OPPONENTS, VANY FAIR) THAT NTRIBUTED TO O’ROURKE’S EARLY-SEASON SWOON.BY PETER HAMBYMAY 15, 2019BY STT EISEN/GETTY IMAG.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEYOU KNOW YOUR PRS HASN’T BEEN GREAT WHEN THE BT PIECE WRTEN ABOUT YOUR MPAIGN SOME TIME WAS BYLED BY YOUR EX-GIRLIEND. BUT THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED TO BETO O’ROURKE LAST WEEK. THE WASHGTON POST MAGAZE PUBLISHED A LENGTHY SAY WRTEN BY O’ROURKE’S LLEGE GIRLIEND SASHA WATSON, ABOUT THEIR VERY 1990S RELATNSHIP, PLETE WH VTAGE PICTUR OF THE NOW-PRINTIAL NDIDATE LOOKG EXACTLY AS YOU’D EXPECT AT THE TIME: HOLDG A GUAR, BAGGY JEANS, A BUZZCUT, AND THE KD OF BROODG FACE HE PROBABLY WORE WHILE LISTENG TO PAVEMENT ALBUMS AND SCRIBBLG HIS JOURNAL. NOTHG THE PIECE WAS OUTWARDLY CRIL. IT WAS A MEDATN ON THE STRANGE EXPERIENCE OF GROWG DISTANT OM AN EX AND THEN WAKG UP ONE DAY TO REALIZE THAT PERSON IS NOW A CREDIBLE NDIDATE FOR PRINT OF THE UNED STAT. IF CRICS WERE MG THE STORY FOR EVINCE OF SNDAL OR RETRIBUTN, THEY WEREN’T GOG TO FD .BUT WORRY NOT, BETO HATERS! THERE IS PLENTY MORE ON THE INTER FOR YOU. SCE ANNOUNCG HIS MPAIGN FOR PRINT MID-MARCH, JT TWO MONTHS AGO, O’ROURKE HAS GONE OM THE MEDIA DARLG WHO ALMOST BEAT TED CZ TEXAS TO THE SIGNATED PUNCHG BAG OF THE PUND CLASS. HARRY SIEGEL OF THE DAILY BEAST LLED BETO A “MANCHILD” ON TWTER, WHILE SHARG A LACERATG PIECE OM THE LUMNIST MARGARET CARLSON, WHO WROTE ABOUT “HER UNSCIENTIFIC POLL ASKG EVERY WOMAN I SEE” AND THE NCLN THAT O’ROURKE, THE MARRIED FATHER OF THREE WHO ENJOYS MAKG SUNDAY MORNG PANK FOR HIS FAY, REMDS THEM OF “THE WORST BOYIEND THEY EVER HAD.” OTHER OPN-HAVERS DOGGED O’ROURKE FOR SHARG MPAIGN VIO OF HIS VIS TO YOSEME NATNAL PARK, ASSUMG THE NDIDATE WAS THERE JT TO CHILLAX AND TAKE THE GOOD VIB. “AND THE POT OF THIS IS.... WHAT? LET’S GO HIKG WH O’ROURKE?” TWEETED CLY HABERMAN, THE FORMER NEW YORK TIM LUMNIST. IN FACT, O’ROURKE WAS THERE DOG A ROUTE MPAIGN PHOTO-OP ON THE DAY HE ANNOUNCED HIS $5 TRILLN CLIMATE PLAN, TOURG THE NATNAL PARK WH TWO ENVIRONMENTALISTS WHO CHATTED WH HIM ABOUT THE LOL IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.THE PRS MENTARY SWIRLG AROUND O’ROURKE HAS BEEN LIKE THIS FOR MONTHS—MOCKERY FIRST, RE-TWEETS SEND, SOBER ANALYSIS THIRD. “THERE’S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JOURNALISM AND PILG ON TO NDIDAT FOR SPORT/RETWEETS, AND NOT ENOUGH FOLKS REALIZE THAT,” TWEETED WILLIAM O’MALLEY, THE SON OF FORMER PRINTIAL NDIDATE MART O’MALLEY, WHO WAS ROUTELY DISMISSED DURG THE 2016 MPAIGN AS LTLE MORE THAN A “BORG WHE GUY” SPE WHATEVER IAS HE BROUGHT TO THE RACE. IT’S A MEDIA MS OF O’ROURKE’S OWN DOG, NOT JT BEE HE ENTERED THE MPAIGN WHOUT A CLEAR REASON WHY, BUT ALSO BEE HE ASSUMED THAT HIS SEAT-OF-THE-PANTS, D.I.Y.-STYLE MPAIGNG TEXAS WOULD TRANSLATE NEATLY TO THE HOTHOE OF A NATNAL MPAIGN, AGAST A DIFFERENT SET OF OPPONENTS AND AN ALWAYS-ON PRS RPS THAT’S AS RPONSIVE TO THE MANDS OF PROGRSIV ON TWTER AS THEY ARE TO VOTERS NASHUA AND COUNCIL BLUFFS. “A PRINTIAL MPAIGN IS SEVERAL UNIVERS AWAY OM A STATEWI MPAIGN,” SAID REPUBLIN STRATEGIST KEV MADN, A FORMER ADVISER ON BOTH OF MT ROMNEY’S PRINTIAL MPAIGNS. “IT’S 10 TIM HARR. THE SCTY IS JT SO MUCH GREATER. YOUR WORST DAY ON CAPOL HILL OR THE STATEHOE OR ON A SENATE MPAIGN IS THREE TIM WORSE EVERY DAY ON A PRINTIAL MPAIGN. YOU START OFF WH A PRS SCM NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND THEN YOU MAKE A FUND-RAISG STOP BOSTON, AND YOU SPEND YOUR EVENG AT AN EVENT SOUTH CAROLA. IN EACH PLACE THERE IS AN ENTIRE NEWS CYCLE STARTG EVERYWHERE YOU GO. YOU N’T PE THE MEDIA. YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN TO AL WH THEM.”O’ROURKE IS TRYG TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE THIS WEEK, STOPPG BY NEW YORK GREENROOMS THAT’S HE’S SO FAR BEEN SHUNNG, MAKG APPEARANC ON THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW AND THE VIEW. AND AS HE DID DURG HIS SENATE N, HE’S ALSO BOOKED AN APPEARANCE AT A CNN TOWN HALL, A FORMAT THAT’S PROVEN TO BE A RATGS AND FUND-RAISG BONANZA FOR NDIDAT LIKE ELIZABETH WARREN AND PETE BUTTIGIEG. HBO WILL RELEASE A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT O’ROURKE’S SENATE MPAIGN LATER THIS MONTH. O’ROURKE HAS ALREADY SAT DOWN WH OPRAH, NDUCTED A UNIVISN TERVIEW WH JE RAMOS ENTIRELY SPANISH, AND TALKED TO SDS OF LOL MEDIA THE 124 CI AND 14 STAT HE HAS VISED ON ONE OF THE BIT DEMOCRATIC ERARI. BUT HE NCED TO MADDOW ON MONDAY THAT HE MT “DO A BETTER JOB” TAKG HIS MSAGE TO A NATNAL DIENCE, AN ADMISSN THAT YOU N’T TOTALLY END-N THE NATNAL MEDIA AND STILL MAKE TO THE WHE HOE, EVEN THE SMARTPHONE ERA THAT HELPED LNCH O’ROURKE AS A POLIL PHENOMENON THE FIRST PLACE.IT WAS O’ROURKE’S TUDAY APPEARANCE ON THE VIEW THAT CUT RIGHT TO THE BIGGT MISSTEP OF HIS EARLY MPAIGN, A EIC ROLLOUT THAT BEGAN WH A VER STORY THIS MAGAZE FEATURG HIS NOW-FAMO QUOTE, “I’M JT BORN TO BE .” O’ROURKE APOLOGIZED FOR THE QUOTE AND THE CISN TO BE PROFILED BY VANY FAIR AFTER BEG TRACKED DOWN BY WRER JOE HAGAN, WHO’D ALREADY ASSEMBLED A RICH BGRAPHIL STORY. “I THK RERC THAT PERCEPTN OF PRIVILEGE,” HE TOLD THE HOSTS. “AND THAT HEADLE THAT SAID ‘I WAS BORN TO BE THIS,’ THE ARTICLE I WAS ATTEMPTG TO SAY THAT I FELT THAT MY LLG WAS PUBLIC SERVICE. NO ONE IS BORN TO BE PRINT OF THE UNED STAT OF AMERI.” THOUGH ’S HARD TO IMAGE ANY PRINTIAL NDIDATE WHO DON’T HARBOR SOME VERSN OF THIS SENTIMENT, THAT SGLE QUOTE READ TO MANY AS AN EMBLEM OF WHE MALE PRIVILEGE A DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY THAT WAS ALREADY PULSG WH INTY POLICS. IT HIGHLIGHTED A CERTA GUILELSNS, A MPAIGN STACKED WH MORE EXPERIENCED, MORE DIVERSE NDIDAT WH EP POLICY CHOPS. O’ROURKE ALSO SEEMED UNPREPARED FOR THE FACT THAT HE WAS ENTERG A MPAIGN BEG VERED BY A POLIL PRS RPS STARRG MORE FEMALE REPORTERS AND JOURNALISTS OF LOR THAN AT ANY POT AMERIN HISTORY. SO WHILE O’ROURKE’S EEWHEELG EARNTNS WAS A KEY TO HIS STRATEGY AGAST TED CZ, A NATNAL PRIMARY AGAST 21 OTHER QUALIFIED DEMOCRATS, SENT HIM THE WRONG DIRECTN.“THE HUBRIS OF BETO’ O’ROURKE,” WENT A HEADLE OM THE LEFT-LEANG SPLTER, TYPIL OF THE VERAGE THAT WEEK. KATHLEEN PARKER WROTE THE WASHGTON POST THAT HIS MPAIGN WAS “A YOUTHFUL FOLLY.” THE TWEETS, TOO, WERE ROUGH. “MY SENSE IS THAT BETO O’ROURKE DON’T WANT TO BE PRINT AS MUCH AS HE WANTS TO BE AN DIE MOVIE ABOUT A GUY NNG FOR PRINT,” SAID CHIGO TRIBUNE LUMNIST REX HUPPKE. O’ROURKE’S “BORN TO BE ” QUOTE WAS SGLED OUT BY REPORTERS AS EVINCE OF A CLEAR DOUBLE STANDARD: ULD A FEMALE NDIDATE EVER GET AWAY WH SAYG THIS? ACRDG TO DATA OM ZIGNAL LABS, AN TELLIGENCE FIRM SAN FRANCIS, RPONSE TO THE MAY 13 VANY FAIR STORY GENERATED ROUGHLY 21,000 TWEETS OM VERIFIED “BLUE CHECKMARK” ERS ON TWTER, A MOMENTO SPIKE ELE SOCIAL TRAFFIC. (FOR PARISON, BUTTIGIEG, THE CURRENT MEDIA DARLG THE FIELD, PEAKED AT 10,500 VERIFIED TWEETS AT THE HEIGHT OF HIS MEDIA BUZZ MID-APRIL.) ON TWTER, A MEDIA NARRATIVE ABOUT O’ROURKE OSSIFIED OVERNIGHT: ENTLED WHE DU RUNS FOR PRINT.MOST POPULARDONALD TMP’S PLAN TO GET REELECTED AND PARDON HIMSELF WAS JT DEALT A SER SETBACKBY BS LEVJOE MANGANIELLO DEBUTS DIVORCE INKBY KASE WICKMANMSNBC IS HAVG ITS SUPER BOWL WH DONALD TMP’S INDICTMENTSBY CHARLOTTE KLETHE IA HAD ALREADY BEGUN TO PERLATE BACK JANUARY, WHEN O’ROURKE EMBARKED ON A POST-MPAIGN ROAD TRIP THROUGHOUT THE WT, TALKG TO STUNTS, IMMIGRANTS, SMALL-BS OWNERS, AND VETERANS. HE CHRONICLED HIS JOURNEY ON MEDIUM WH A KD OF T.M.I. EARNTNS—“HAVE BEEN STUCK LATELY. IN AND OUT OF A FUNK”—THAT AT FIRST SOUND REHG WHEN PUT UP AGAST THE UAL PABLUM G OM POLICIANS. BUT HIS DIARI WERE TONALLY AT ODDS WH THE SNARK AND CYNICISM THAT PERVAS WASHGTON GROUPTHK, PECIALLY THE AGE OF TWTER. “I THK BETO’S SORT OF THE BLD SPOT FOR JOURNALISTS WHERE HE SHAR A LOT MON WH THE MODAL JOURNALIST MOGRAPHILLY (46-YEAR-OLD FATHER WHO WENT TO COLUMBIA AND ONCE PLAYED A BAND) BUT ISN’T SEEN AS SHREWD/CYNIL ENOUGH AND THAT LEADS TO SOME UNRTIMATN,” THE POLLG ANALYST NATE SILVER WROTE AT THE TIME. HIS MEDIUM POSTS ALSO ME OFF AS TONE-AF TO MANY THE WASHGTON MEDIA, PECIALLY AS TIMATNS ABOUT RACE AND GENR POLICS WERE CHANGG THE WAKE OF 2018, WHICH SAW AN ARMY OF WOMEN ELECTED TO FERAL OFFICE. “BETO’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE DRIPS WH WHE MALE PRIVILEGE,” CNN ANALYST NIA-MALIKA HENRSON WROTE AT THE TIME, ARGUG THAT O’ROURKE’S TRIP WAS “A LUXURY NO WOMAN OR EVEN MORY POLICS ULD EVER HAVE.”EVEN IF O’ROURKE WAS JT BEG HIMSELF, RIVG ENERGY OM REGULAR PEOPLE AND SHARG HIS THOUGHTS REAL TIME, THE PROJECT CHIPPED AWAY AT THE “KENNEDYQUE” REPUTATN HE VELOPED BACK HOME EL PASO. THE CNN POLIL ANALYST KIRSTEN POWERS REMEMBERS HAVG DNER WH O’ROURKE AND HIS WIFE TEXAS BACK 2016. “I FOUND HIM TO BE SMART, GROUND, AND POLICY-MD, AND OBVLY HE KNEW A LOT ABOUT IMMIGRATN,” POWERS RELLED. “AND I THOUGHT, YEAH, HE SHOULD N FOR PRINT AT SOME POT. BUT WHEN HE STARTED DOG THAT EMO, FEELG-SORRY-FOR-HIMSELF, GOG-ON-THE-ROAD THG, WAS LIKE, ‘WHAT IS HE DOG?’ IT WAS VERY CHILDISH. NO WOMAN ULD DO THAT. HE WAS MOCKED FOR , AND HE SERVED . IT WAS LIKE, ‘YOU LOST THE SENATE RACE, BUT NOW YOU’RE FAMO. EVERYONE WANTS YOU TO N FOR PRINT. BARACK OBAMA LERALLY WANTS TO MEET WH YOU. LIKE, WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?’ AND MA ME WONR IF HE ULD TAKE ON TMP.”TWO MONTHS LATER, THE VANY FAIR VER LAND, ENSHRG THE NARRATIVE. IT WAS EXACERBATED THE VERY NEXT DAY, WHEN O’ROURKE POSTED A FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT VIO BEFORE SHG TO IOWA, AS HIS WIFE, AMY, LOOKED ON SG BUT SILENT. “I AM SO SICK OF WIV BEG FORCED TO SILENTLY GAZE!!! WHY EVEN CLU HER?” TWEETED AUDREY GELMAN, C.E.O. OF THE WG. “WHEN I N FOR PRINT MY HBAND WILL BE THE BACKGROUND FEEDG OUR TS.” AS HIS TEEM ELE CIRCL LLAPSED, AND AS RIVAL MPAIGNS FLOOD THE ZONE WH QUTNS ABOUT O’ROURKE’S RERD CONGRS AND ON THE EL PASO CY COUNCIL, BEME EASIER TO TEASE O’ROURKE ON TWTER FOR THE VERY THGS THAT MA HIM REHG TEXAS: WAVG HIS ARMS AROUND DURG SPEECH, STANDG ON THGS R.F.K.-STYLE WHILE TALKG TO CROWDS, SKATEBOARDG OR LISTENG TO DIE ROCK. AT THE SAME TIME, TWO DISVERI ABOUT O’ROURKE ME TO LIGHT: THAT HE’S A FAN OF THE LEGENDARY D.C. PUNK BAND FUGAZI, AND THAT HE ONCE BELONGED TO THE FLUENTIAL HACKER LLECTIVE CULT OF THE DEAD COW. BOTH ARE UNQUTNABLY TWO OF THE OLT THGS EVER REVEALED ABOUT A PRINTIAL NDIDATE, B TRAS THAT WOULD LAND HIM A 9.9 REVIEW ON PCHFORK. BUT WASHGTON, THOSE THGS ME TO BE LUMPED TO AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT BOX: BETO’S JT WEIRD.THE MOST OBV REASON FOR BETO’S BOOM-AND-BT MEDIA CYCLE IS THAT NNG AGAST A REVILED REPUBLIN TEXAS IS A FAR CRY OM NNG A DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY AGAST A BEVY OF QUALIFIED OPPONENTS, MANY OF WHOM HAVE VOTED FOLLOWGS VAR RNERS OF THE LEFT. “IT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO NOT BE TED CZ ANYMORE,” SAID REPUBLIN MEDIA STRATEGIST MATT GORMAN. “IN A STATE, YOU HAVE A BASELE OF PARTY SUPPORT THAT’S WH YOU NO MATTER WHAT IF YOU’RE NNG AGAST A REPUBLIN. NOT A PRIMARY. HE NEEDS TO MAKE AN INTY FOR HIMSELF. WHEN HE IS ON THAT BATE STAGE, WHAT’S THE RATNALE AGAST KAMALA [HARRIS] OR MAYOR PETE OR JOE BIN? WHY BETO?” FORCE OF PERSONALY IS NOT ENOUGH TO RRY A MPAIGN WHOUT AN UNRLYG REASON FOR NNG, GORMAN SAID, PECIALLY A DEMOCRATIC PARTY FLH WH OPTNS. BUT HAVG A CLEARLY FED REASON TO N FOR PRINT—THAT SIMPLE THG LLED “A MSAGE”—IS WHAT RRI A MPAIGN FORWARD, OCULATG A NDIDATE OM THE DAILY TRAPS AND POTHOL OF THE PRINTIAL MEDIA STORMS. BUTTIGIEG IS ONE OF ONLY A HANDFUL OF DEMOCRATIC NDIDAT WHO IS G HIS MPAIGN TO TELL A STORY—HIS IS ABOUT GENERATNAL CHANGE—AND ’S ALLOWED HIM TO PARRY ATTACKS AND MOSTLY AVOID STEPPG MUD. EVEN THOUGH ’S DOUBTFUL THAT A HARVARD-TED POLYGLOT WHO N NAME EVERY RADHEAD B-SI SCE THE BENDS DON’T KNOW WHO ALED E. NMAN IS, BUTTIGIEG BSHED OFF TMP’S NAME-LLG THIS WEEK WH A SIMPLE, YOUTHFUL ASI: “I HAD TO GOOGLE THAT.” NEXT QUTN.WHAT’S O’ROURKE’S MSAGE? HIS AIS STRS THAT HE IS STILL LISTENG MO, LEARNG OM VOTERS ABOUT THEIR NCERNS AND RPONDG KD. BUT EVEN SOME OF HIS SUPPORTERS AREN’T SURE OF THE STRATEGY. “I GUS I STILL HAVEN’T HEARD THE TED KENNEDY ANSWER OM HIM,” SAID FORMER SOUTH CAROLA LEGISLATOR BOYD BROWN, AN EARLY O’ROURKE SUPPORTER THE PRIMARY STATE. BROWN WAS VOKG KENNEDY’S VASTATG FAILURE TO ANSWER CBS ANCHOR ROGER MUDD’S QUTN “WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE PRINT?” DAYS BEFORE HIS 1980 MPAIGN LNCH. STILL, BROWN, WHO IS 32, TOLD ME THAT O’ROURKE “PERSONIFI” AND “EMBODI” THE “VIEWS OF MY GENERATN,” POTG TO HIS CLIMATE-CHANGE PLAN AS THE MOST AMB OF ANY DEMOCRAT NNG. BUT HE ALSO BRISTLED AT THE NATNAL PRS FOR HARPG ON O’ROURKE’S PERSONALY AND MISSTEPS. “WHO THE HELL WANTS TO GO ON TV AND GET TALKED OVER AND LECTURED BY A BUNCH OF D.C. AND NEW YORK TYP? I’M OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER WHEN IENDS OF ME THE JOURNALISM PROFSN WOULD GO OUT OF THEIR WAY NOT TO SHOW BIAS. NOW FEELS LIKE THEY HAVE CHEAPENED THE OVERALL PROFSN BEE THEY WANT A LOT OF LIK AND RE-TWEETS ON TWTER. REPORTERS WANT TO BE WOKE ON TWTER AND GET THEIR 15 MUT OF FAME. IT’S VALUED JOURNALISM.”O’ROURKE’S RELENTLS FOC ON TOWN-HALL MEETGS AND LOL MEDIA HAS EARNED HIM PLENTY OF POSIVE PRS THE EARLY-PRIMARY STAT. BUT THE GRASSROOTS, LIVTREAM MENTALY THAT WORKED TEXAS AND BEGUILED NATNAL REPORTERS 2018 SEEMS TO HAVE DAMAGED HIS STANDG THE NATNAL MEDIA, AS HE IMPLICLY ADMTED TO MADDOW THIS WEEK. O’ROURKE HAS GIVEN HOURS OF TIME TO OUTLETS LIKE THE ROCK HILL HERALD AND DARTMOUTH COLLEGE RAD, BUT UNTIL THIS WEEK HE’S LARGELY CHEWED BLE NEWS AND BIG S-DOWN TERVIEWS WH HONCHO TV ANCHORS WHO GET CRANKY WHEN YOU IGNORE THEIR BOOKERS. MAR RUB FELT THE STG OF THIS RENTMENT DURG THE 2016 MPAIGN, WHEN HE CLED TO GO ON CNN FOR WEEKS AT A TIME, TO THE POT WHERE THE TONE OF THE WORK’S VERAGE ON TELEVISN AND ONLE TURNED AGAST HIM UNTIL HE PULATED. “THERE’S A SENSE THAT BETO IS ABOVE DOG NATNAL MEDIA,” SAID POWERS, THE CNN ANALYST. “SORRY, YOU NEED TO GO ON BLE TV. DO SOME MORE MEDIA. YOU HAVE TO TALK TO THEM.” THAT’S DOUBLY TE THE POST-TMP ERA, WHEN REPORTERS FEEL MORE EMBOLNED THAN EVER—AND PERSONALLY WOUND BY POLICIANS WHO TRY TO DODGE THEM.TWO OF O’ROURKE’S FG HABS—HIS PROPENSY FOR BROADSTG HIS TERACTNS WH REGULAR PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND HIS LONG-WD MANNER OF SPEAKG—ARE BADLY MATCHED FOR THE CHAOTIC TWTER ASSIGNMENT SK WHERE MOST REPORTERS GET THEIR RMATN. O’ROURKE WAS BTALLY MOCKED ONLE JANUARY FOR “LIVE-STREAMG” HIS NTIST APPOTMENT. IT WAS AN OMG FEEDG ENZY ON TWTER THAT WAS ALSO PLETELY ABSENT OF NTEXT, A LGH RT NDUCTED PRIMARILY BY JOURNALISTS. WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED? O’ROURKE POSTED AN INSTAGRAM STORY—NOT A LIVTREAM, THERE’S A DIFFERENCE—OM HIS VIS TO HIS NTIST EL PASO, PART OF A SERI OF TERVIEWS HE WAS NDUCTG WH LOLS ABOUT LIFE ALONG THE U.S.-MEXI BORR. A CNN REPORTER SCREEN-GRABBED THE ONE SPL-SEND MOMENT WHEN O’ROURKE HAD THE MERA TURNED ON HIMSELF, WH A CLEANG TOOL HIS MOUTH, AND POSTED THAT IMAGE TO TWTER, WHERE WENT VIRAL AND BEME A MISLEADG HEADLE FOR SR OF PUBLITNS RANGG OM THE WASHGTON POST TO THE GUARDIAN. “BETO O'ROURKE FILMED HIMSELF AT THE DENTIST FOR INSTAGRAM LIVE,” HEADLED BUZZFEED, ACCURATELY.MOST POPULARDONALD TMP’S PLAN TO GET REELECTED AND PARDON HIMSELF WAS JT DEALT A SER SETBACKBY BS LEVJOE MANGANIELLO DEBUTS DIVORCE INKBY KASE WICKMANMSNBC IS HAVG ITS SUPER BOWL WH DONALD TMP’S INDICTMENTSBY CHARLOTTE KLEMORE RECENTLY, REPORTERS TEASED O’ROURKE FOR A REMARK HE MA DURG A MPAIGN EVENT OUTSI LAS VEGAS, WHEN HE MENTNED “FARM TO TABLE” DG AS A SOLUTN TO THE FOOD SERT PROBLEM PLAGUG IMPOVERISHED URBAN CENTERS. THAT, TOO, WAS JOKED ABOUT ON TWTER AS EVINCE OF O’ROURKE’S ELIST WORLDVIEW, SPAWNG S OWN BATCH OF CLICKBA STORI THAT DID LTLE MORE THAN AGGREGATE SNARKY REPORTER TWEETS RATHER THAN O’ROURKE’S ACTUAL REMARKS, WHICH ARE STILL IMPOSSIBLE TO LOTE ANYWHERE ON THE INTER. THOSE TWEETS, RIPPED OUT OF NTEXT, BEME THE TAKEAWAY STORY OM THE TOWN HALL. BUT DAVE WEIGEL OM THE WASHGTON POST RRECTLY NOTED OM THE EVENT, O’ROURKE MA THE MENT DURG A LENGTHY ANSWER ABOUT NUTRN, BASG HIS “FARM TO TABLE” RIFF ON BONTON FARMS, A FARM HE DISVERED LAST YEAR THE MIDDLE OF SOUTH DALLAS THAT OFFERS JOBS TO LOLS AND, TURN, PROVIS H “FARM TO TABLE” FOOD FOR A MUNY THAT DON’T HAVE A GROCERY STORE. O’ROURKE WAS THROWG OUT AN TERTG IA, NOT ROLLG OUT A NATNAL PROPOSAL TO ENLIST JOSE ANDR AND APRIL BLOOMFIELD TO OPEN HIGH-END RTRANTS BLIGHTED CI ACROSS THE UNTRY. BUT YOU WOULDN’T KNOW THAT OM THE VERAGE.ONE JOURNALIST WHO EQUENTLY VERS O’ROURKE ON THE ROAD SAID THERE’S A GULF BETWEEN THE TONE OF THE NATNAL VERAGE—NSCENDG AND DISMISSIVE—AND WHAT REPORTERS WNS ON THE GROUND. O’ROURKE REGULARLY DRAWS LARGE CROWDS, EVEN ON WORKDAYS, WHEREVER HE SHOWS UP. HE GO EP ON POLICY. AFTERWARD, O’ROURKE TALKS TO PRS GAGGL, TAK ALL THEIR QUTNS, AND THEN REPEATS THE PROCS AT HIS NEXT MPAIGN STOP, SOMETIM UNTIL REPORTERS N OUT OF QUTNS. “BUT IF YOU ARE THE D.C. OR NEW YORK PRS AND YOU AREN’T GETTG ON A PLANE, HE IS NOT TALKG TO YOU,” SAID THE REPORTER, WHO DID NOT WANT TO BE NAMED. “HE IS NOT G TO YOUR GREENROOM AND STUD. THAT PISS PEOPLE OFF. HE IS STARTG TO PLAY THAT GAME A B, BUT MAYOR PETE STEPPED TO THAT SPACE AND SAID, ‘SURE, I’LL TALK TO YOU.’ PETE JT HAS A GREENROOM GOODWILL THAT BETO DON’T HAVE AT THIS POT.”BUTTIGIEG’S WILLGNS TO SAY Y TO EVERY TERVIEW HAS NOT ONLY BEEN RETURNED WH FLATTERY OM THE NATNAL PRS, BUT ’S ALSO CREATED AN ENDLS LIBRARY OF CLIPS THAT N BE SPRAYED ACROSS SCREENS, ON PHON, AND SMART TVS, ON YOUTUBE AND SNAPCHAT AND TWTER. ACRDG TO EMARKETER, MOBILE WILL SURPASS TV THIS YEAR AS THE MEDIUM ATTRACTG THE LARGT SHARE OF ENTERTAMENT MUT FOR U.S. VIEWERS. BUT PLENTY OF THAT MOBILE NTENT IS JT VIO RECYCLED OM TELEVISN. LIKE TMP 2016, BUTTIGIEG SEEMS TO HAVE FIGURED OUT THAT EARNED MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA N SNOWBALL TO AN ENDLS FEEDBACK LOOP OF VIO NTENT IF PROPERLY TEND TO. O’ROURKE’S BET TEXAS WAS THAT SOCIAL MEDIA ALONE ULD RRY THE DAY, A PROPOSN THAT SEEMS DUB A NATNAL ELECTN. “PRINTIALS ARE MEDIA CIRC AND ATTENTN SPANS ARE LISENDS LONG,” SAID GORMAN, WHO WORKED FOR JEB BH HIS 2016 PRIMARY. “WHEN YOU ARE NNG AGAST A LARGE FIELD A PRIMARY, YOU DON’T HAVE TIME TO WASTE. YOU HAVE PLENTY OF NDIDAT TO TAKE ATTENTN OM YOU. THE MORE TIME YOU SPEND LISTENG, LIKE BETO IS, THE MORE PASSIVE YOU ARE. ALL THAT DO IS GIVE MORE PEOPLE TIME TO LOOK ELSEWHERE, AND NOT BEE PASSNATE ABOUT YOU. PEOPLE GET BORED VERY QUICKLY.”IF O’ROURKE’S FAVORABLE ATTENTN THE PRS DRIFTED ELSEWHERE, ’S TOWARD BUTTIGIEG, ANOTHER NDIDATE WHO EMBODI GENERATNAL CHANGE. “I PUT O’ROURKE AND PETE THE NEW-AND-YOUNG TEGORY,” SAID BARNEY FRANK, THE FORMER MASSACHETTS NGRSMAN. “THEY HAVE MUCH LS EXPERIENCE, BUT BOTH SUCCEED ATTRACTG A LOT OF FAVORABLE ATTENTN BEE OF THEIR NOVELTY. BUT I DO THK O’ROURKE MA A CISN EARLY ON THAT HE WAS GOG TO NOT BE VOLVED THE GBBIER ASPECTS OF THE MPAIGN, PART OF WHICH IS TALKG TO REPORTERS. BUTTIGIEG SAID THE OPPOSE. AND ON TOP OF THAT, BUTTIGIEG HAS ADVANTAGE OVER O’ROURKE BEE HE IS GAY, AND THERE IS A STRONG SENTIMENT AMONG DEMOCRATS AND SOME THE MEDIA TO SHOW A REPUDIATN OF ANTI-GAY SENTIMENT.” FRANK, WHO IS GAY, WAS GIVG A MORE DIPLOMATIC ANSWER THAN THE LE HE GAVE TO THE BOSTON GLOBE RECENTLY: “I THK BETO O’ROURKE MAY BE REGRETTG THAT HE’S STRAIGHT.”BEG A STRAIGHT WHE MAN OFFERS A LEG UP AMERIN LIFE EVERY NCEIVABLE WAY. FRANK, THOUGH, WAS SUGGTG THAT WH PARTS OF THE DEMOCRATIC ELECTORATE, MIGHT ACTUALLY BE A HURDLE. IT’S A WEIRD CLAIM TO MAKE WH BIN, A 76-YEAR-OLD WHE MAN, STG ON A 30-POT LEAD THE MPAIGN. BUT LOOKED AT THROUGH THE LENS OF BUTTIGIEG’S RISE AND O’ROURKE’S SLI, MAK SENSE. REPORTERS AND PUNDS ARE SWIMMG THE SAME POWERFUL TWTER WATERS AS PROGRSIVE ACTIVISTS, WHOSE MANDS ARE SHAPG THE JOURNALISM BEG PUMPED TO THE WORLD AT ANY GIVEN MUTE, NSC AND UNNSC WAYS. ACCATNS OF PRIVILEGE HAVE FORCED O’ROURKE TO APOLOGIZG FOR A LANY OF PERCEIVED TRANSGRSNS: HIS VANY FAIR TERVIEW, HIS WHENS, HIS CRGEY JOKE THAT HE “SOMETIM” HELPS AMY RAISE THEIR CHILDREN.“INTERSECTNAL” MAY BE A GOBBLEDYGOOK TERM FOR YOUR AVERAGE VOTER, BUT THE TERM RRI WEIGHT AMONG THOUGHT LEARS WHO SHAPE POLIL VERAGE THE EARLY DAYS OF THE DEMOCRATIC RACE. NOR SHOULD BE FOTTEN THAT THE LAST TWO DEMOCRATIC PRINTIAL NOME WERE A BLACK MAN AND A WOMAN, BOTH OF WHOM LEVERAGED THEIR INTY TO W THE HEARTS OF DEMOCRATS. BUTTIGIEG IS A WHE MAN, BUT HIS POLIL RISE FLOWS, PART, OM HIS SEXUALY AND THE PROMISE OF MAKG HISTORY AS THE FIRST GAY PRINT. ONE OF O’ROURKE BIGGT CHALLENG, REPUBLIN STRATEGIST TIM MILLER RECENTLY WROTE, IS THAT HE’S “NON-SECTNAL.” “BETO’S POLIL PROBLEM IS THAT THE APOLOGIAS TO THE SOCIAL-JTICE LEFT, EARNT OR NOT, WILL ONLY RERCE THE FACT THAT THERE ARE TERSECTNAL NDIDAT WHO OFFER THE SAME MSAGE HE DO WHOUT THE NON-SECTNAL BAGGAGE,” MILLER WROTE THE BULWARK. OR, AS POWERS TOLD ME, “BETO’S VOTERS ARE YOUNGER AND WOKER THAN, SAY, BIN’S VOTERS, WHO AREN’T ON TWTER AND DON’T RE ABOUT THAT STUFF. SO WHEN BETO SEEMS LIKE HE IS ACTG PRIVILEGED, N BE A PROBLEM FOR HIM, AND THEN HE JT ENDS UP APOLOGIZG ALL THE TIME.”MOST POPULARDONALD TMP’S PLAN TO GET REELECTED AND PARDON HIMSELF WAS JT DEALT A SER SETBACKBY BS LEVJOE MANGANIELLO DEBUTS DIVORCE INKBY KASE WICKMANMSNBC IS HAVG ITS SUPER BOWL WH DONALD TMP’S INDICTMENTSBY CHARLOTTE KLEWHETHER OR NOT HIS REPUTATN CHANG THE ELE PRS OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS—MOST HEADL AFTER THE VIEW APPEARANCE WERE ABOUT, SURPRISE, HIS LATT APOLOGY!—O’ROURKE HAS LEARNED PAFULLY HOW THE WHIMS OF THE POLIL MEDIA N TURN ON A DIME. PERVERSELY, O’ROURKE STILL HAS PLENTY OF TIME TO REVER, THANKS TO THE LOW MEDIA EXPECTATNS THAT TODAY SWIRL AROUND HIM. “THERE’S ONE THG THE PRS LOV EVEN MORE THAN A HOT NEW THG, AND THAT IS A EBACK,” SAID GORMAN.“IT’S ACTUALLY A GOOD THG THAT THIS PRIMARY IS SO LONG BEE ALLOWS FOR URSE RRECTNS,” SAID JS MCINTOSH, A DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST AND FORMER MUNITNS DIRECTOR FOR EY’S LIST. “NOT EVERYONE IS GOG TO GET RIGHT OM THE JUMP, AND THEY SHOULD HAVE TIME TO MAKE REPAIRS. BETO IS STILL THIS CREDIBLY CHARISMATIC NDIDATE WH GOOD IAS WHO ELECTRIFI PEOPLE.” AND OF URSE, SHE NOTED, HE’S ALWAYS GOT PRIVILEGE HIS RNER. “THE VERY FACT THAT YOU ARE WRG A STORY ABOUT HOW BETO IS NO LONGER BEG VIEWED AS A GOLN BOY IS ILLTRATIVE OF HOW HE IS, FACT, A GOLN BOY.”PETER HAMBY IS THE HOST OF SNAPCHAT’S GOOD LUCK AMERI.PETER HAMBY

Advot of the law say don’t ter adoptns by gay Texans. State agency says gay adoptns not terred.

O’Rourke said at an At rally that Texas, "you n be too gay to adopt" a foster child "who needs a lovg home. Contrary to the implitn O'Rourke's statement, Texas has no law agast adoptn by gay parents. Still, O'Rourke is partially accurate that a 2017 Texas law allows sentially allows fah-based groups to refe to help gay Texans adopt.