Texas is a white whale for Democrats and I refuse to play Captain Ahab. I have some friends who are enthusiastic, nay giddy, about El Paso Congressman Beto O’Rourke’s challenge to Tailgunner Ted Cruz. As a firm believer in the 50-state strategy, I’m pulling for him but it’s an uphill struggle since Cruz is taking nothing for granted. It’s apt to be one of the most entertaining races in the country, especially since Beto is such a punworthy name.
Team Cruz has fired the opening salvo in its general election campaign. They’re out to Beto their opponent into submission with a radio ad, which informs us to a country Beto that you “if you’re gonna run in Texas, you can’t be a liberal man.”
The ad implies that O’Rourke adopted the nickname to pander to gun-grabbers and illegal aliens since Beto is a Hispanic nickname for Robert, which is the candidate’s given name. Without missing a Beto, the congressman told CNN that he was called Beto since he was a wee laddie as you can see from this tweet:
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) March 7, 2018
I hope he’s learned how to tie his shoes…
This tempest in a Texas sized teacup is, of course, ridiculous since Rafael Edward Cruz goes by the nickname of Ted. I guess the point of this stupid ad is to show that real men and/or manly conservatives don’t have nicknames or some such shit. If that’s so, I call bullshit on Cruz who has been a profile in political cowardice since he caved to the Trumpers. Like most wingnuts, Cruz is a fake he-man who is terrified of the Republican base and Trumpy.
The whole thing is extra-ridiculous because it clashes with two myths beloved by Texas right-wingers: the Alamo and John Wayne. The two myths converged in the bad 1960 movie directed by the Duke who played Davy Crockett:
Just think, we’ve gone from a movie star with a dead raccoon atop his head to a reality teevee star with a dead nutria atop his head. So much for progress.
Country music has long been used by Texas politicians back to the days of Pass The Biscuits Pappy O’Daniel who was elected Governor in 1939 and Senator in 1941. Are you ready for a biscuity hoe-down?
If the Cruzites want to get really vicious, they could adapt a Kinky Friedman classic and use it against Beto O’Rourke:
The downside is that the Kinkster, who ran for Governor against Rick Perry in 2006, is unlikely to give them permission to use his tune. Besides, the real asshole in the race is Tailgunner Ted.
Whatever happens, the Texas Senate race will be a real barn burner. (Uh oh, I’m showing signs of John Neely Kennedy fake hick syndrome.) I’m sure I’ll write about it again since I have only begun to pun. The last word goes to (who else?) The Who:
Outstanding.
All right, I heard you.
I’m one of the folks who traveled to hear Beto live. He impressed me. Thoroughly.
Way before he got into tailgunner Rafael Edward Cruz’s Canadian/Cuban-refugee sights.
The young man looks like a Kennedy grown too tall, speaks Spanish like a native (which he would be, of la ciudad El Paso del Norte) and wants to lead, as opposed to snipe at everybody he doesn’t see in his mirror every morning. To that end, knowing that suicide among vets in the community around Ft. Bliss (El Paso’s mega-sized Army base) needed attention, Beto set out to do something for those vets. He worked with an actual Republican (as opposed to a trumpetista piece of trash like tailgunner teddy) to get a bill through the House aimed at just that.
https://medium.com/@RepBetoORourke/passing-two-bills-to-support-our-veterans-d230e40f6791
https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/15/politics/el-paso-va-reform/index.html
And I want somebody to ask Randy Owen whether Ted Cruz paid the royalties / got permission to use “If You’re Gonna Play In Texas” from Alabama. My bet is he didn’t.