Not Even Republicans Can Stand Ted Cruz-- And Everyone Loves BETO

Digby penned the Blue America letter today-- for a candidate that all of us like a lot, Beto O'Rourke-- and we've known Beto longer than almost anyone outside of El Paso, having endorsed him in 2012 when he first ran for Congress and ousted a corrupt conservative incumbent. This time around, Beto had raised an historic $23,332,950 by June 30 (and appears to have brought in over $38 million since then)! Cruz brought in almost exactly the same out as of June 30, but less than a third of what Beto did in the last quarter. Cruz is counting on a network of shady right-wing SuperPACs to bail him out and, indeed, they have already spent $4,822,400 smearing Beto. (The DSCC has spent exactly ZERO in Texas and the only PACs attacking Cruz have spent a grand total of $113,282.)

Let's Pull On Beto's Bootstraps
by Digby

Every once in a while a politician comes along who captures the imagination of voters in such a way that everyone knows from that moment on that he or she is clearly bound for greater things. I'm sure you all recall a certain night back in 2004 when a young first-time Senate candidate from Chicago electrified the Democratic convention-- and four years later went on to capture the White House. From the beginning, it was clear that Barack Obama had that "x-factor" that makes a politician embody the hopes and dreams of his followers.

This year there are dozens of stories of progressive candidates inspiring voters all over the country, motivating average folks to get off their couches and volunteer, call, canvass and donate. But there is one who has assumed the spotlight in a way that has the whole country paying attention. That would be Congressman Beto O'Rourke of Texas who is giving the odious Ted Cruz a run for his money. And when I say a run for his money, I mean big, big money.

Beto's campaign reported that they set a new record in US Senate races, raising 38.1 million dollars in the last three months. 60% of it came from small Texas donors, the rest from progressives around the country.  This is widely being reported as "more than Jeb Bush raised for his presidential campaign" which you'll recall was considered a record haul at the time. Cruz brought in 12 million, most of it from desperate big donors worried about losing their gravy train if the Senate turns blue.

Money doesn't mean a win, of course. But it doesn't hurt. And the reason Beto has been so successful at raising money and generating enthusiasm is because he has been running a strong progressive values-based campaign. He's from a red state but he doesn't run from the controversies or calculate how to split the difference in the culture war. 

"Non-violently, peacefully, while the eyes of this country are watching these games, they take a knee to bring our attention and our focus to this problem to ensure that we fix it, that is why they are doing it. And I can think of nothing more American than to peacefully stand up, or take a knee, for your rights, any time, anywhere, in any place."

His explanation of why he supports the NFL players taking a knee went viral because millions of people are yearning to look to the future again instead of wallowing in nostalgia for a past that never was.

He makes unabashedly traditional American arguments about fairness, equality, and justice which evoke a kind of patriotism that a lot of people, even some conservatives, would like to be able to feel again. They certainly haven't been hearing it from Republicans.

Regardless of the outcome of this Texas Senate race, Beto O'Rourke has proven to be a leader of the future, a progressive with a skilled way of preaching beyond the choir. He's been a Blue America leader since his first congressional race and we've been proud to support him all along the way.

   However, we are not going to ask you to donate to his campaign. He's obviously got enough money to carry him through! We are, instead, going to ask you to give to the other progressive candidates in Texas who will help Beto lead a progressive delegation to Washington.

Please give what you can to Turn Texas Blue!

[Note to DWT readers: by all means, contribute to Beto on that page too if you want to. I believe that we can expect to see a tidal wave of Adelson, Mercer and Koch money flooding  into Texas in the next three weeks-- and with no DSCC help, Beto could get swamped. Believe me, as Señor Trumpanzee would say, Adelson, Mercer and the Kochs are not giving up on Ted Cruz without a real fight.]


UPDATE: Mike Siegel (TX-10)

"Thousands of Texans are putting their lives on hold to make a stand for democracy in the United States, and though the polls may not always show it, we are on the brink of shocking the world. With Beto in the Senate, and several more Texas Democrats in the House, we will have what it takes to stop the Trump Republican agenda in its tracks, protect the safety net and Dreamers, investigate the Department of Homeland Security and the President, and propose real solutions to our most pressing problems: health care, climate change, infrastructure, campaign finance, criminal justice reform, and more. In the tradition of LBJ, we will help bring the South to the table in restoring justice and common decency to our country.”