Beto wants Matthew McConaughey in his administration

[AntivaxHunters]

If elected, Beto O'Rourke has a job for Matthew McConaughey, the Texas political enigma
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/If-elected-Beto-O-Rourke-has-a-job-for-Matthew-17166184.php

Democrat Beto O’Rourke said if he wins the governor’s race in November, he absolutely sees a role for actor Matthew McConaughey on his team.

During an interview on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” O’Rourke said he’s not sure if the Academy Award winner is a Democrat or a Republican, but heaped praise on the Uvalde native for his work to help Texans in time of crisis. O’Rourke said after the 2021 winter storms and after the 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, McConaughey dropped everything and was helping raise money and support Texans in need.

“This guy’s a great Texan,” O’Rourke said after Meyers asked him if he’d try to bring McConaughey on in some capacity. “Beyond being an extraordinary actor, when the chips are down in our state, this guy shows up.”

O’Rourke later added, “so whatever he wants to do and whoever he can help, we want to turn him loose.”

[Scrivener7]

1. We've had enough of celebrity politicians.

Also, none of us knows McConaughey's party affiliation or views on issues other than gun control.

McConaughey already helps in his current status. Let's keep that going.

[SKKY]

6. Concur 100%. I like McConaughey. He seems like a sensible guy with good ideas...

...so let him do something in a Beto administration and work his way up. I'm tired of the US, as a country, chasing the shiniest object.

[Roy Rolling]

9. Shiny Object? Agreed.

The sun is a shiny object, so is a light bulb. It’s useful to have light where needed, light (media exposure) without purpose leads to celebrity hero worship and cultism.

The problem in 2022 is too much media exposure—everyone with a camera is filming themselves for broadcast to imaginary audiences.

McConaughey is a shiny object for sure, but in in a ironic and beneficial sense?

[JI7]

8. I think it can be a position where it's more to promote certain things

for the state. I don't think it has to be a regular administrative position where they have more power over policy .

[thomski64]

18. Ask him to endorse and campaign...

...for Beto if he cares about Texas.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

33. Yep. Start there.

I suspect he's a Republican or Republican who likes weed (AKA Libertarian.

[FarPoint]

14. I agree ..

We need Party Leaders ...

[Lonestarblue]

2. It would be great if McConaughey would campaign for Beto.

This race will be tight, and given the level of Republican cheating with partisan poll workers being trained to challenge and intimidate Democratic voters we don’t know how many people may just decide not to vote. Mail ballots are an issue, too, because of the changes in all the different places that have to be signed, including a specific place on the envelope not marked. I hope Democrats in major cities are getting out the word to their voters on how to fill mail ballots out properly because thousands were thrown out for essentially clerical errors in the primaries—enough to ensure an Abbott win if the same happens in the general. It’s much safer to vote in person to make sure your vote will be counted. My voting machines have paper backups, though I’m not certain that’s true in some of the poorer counties that don’t yet have new machines. Poorer counties are generally in areas with high Hispanic populations.

[LeftInTX]

21. We've been working hard in Bexar County

We had 2800 rejected mail ballots on March 1st
Only 15 rejects in the runoff....

But we will be getting new mail voters in November, so this is a concern....

[Paladin]

3. Beto has plenty to learn from Matthew McConaughey.

Maybe an experienced actor's chops were required to pull it off---but McConaughey delivered the most riveting, effective, pro-gun safety speech I've ever heard (and I've been listening to and reading such addresses for decades). This is in marked contrast to Beto's self-destructive "Yeah, you better believe we're going to take your AR-15's away" style of political messaging on guns, guaranteed to lose him tens of thousands of votes---votes of Texas residents who are looking for a halfway decent excuse to vote against dipshits like Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick.

Make no mistake, Beto has my vote, and his campaign has some of my money. He would be a monumental improvement over the destructive clowns who currently mismanage Texas. I just hope he studies McConaughey's speech carefully and learns from it.

[Brenda]

10. Good post

It's unbelievable that some people immediately discount him because he is a celebrity and "we don't know his party affiliation." Really?

That's the reason nothing ever changes. If he ain't a Dem WE DON'T WANT HIM TO HELP.

America needs to grow the fuck up.

[Paladin]

16. Back at ya.

Thanks for the compliment. And thank you for your well-put "grow the fuck up" comments.

[Brenda]

19. You're welcome

I hope that one day before I die the whole red/blue, left/right, binary to the core characterizations of this country will cease to exist.

It's the only way forward.

[SergeStorms]

4. "Political enigma".

I imagine that's exactly where McConaughey wants to be or he would have thrown his hat toward one side or the other.

If he did commit to the Democratic party I believe he'd be a centrist or even a conservative Democrat. I don't see him as a liberal Democrat.

I hate to say this, but why would anyone with a career as lucrative as Matthew's want to get involved with Texas politics?

He's not your typical Hollywood blowhard. He's kept his personal life and his "movie star" life compartmentalized, and that would be blown to smithereens by plunging into Texas politics.

I don't see it happening, but I've been wrong about many things in my lifetime.

[TigressDem]

25. Because he cares about children in his hometown being murdered.

BUT he COULD be an INDEPENDENT Advisor to the new administration to ensure that the changes he believes in get enacted.

[IronLionZion]

5. If he gets more votes, then whatever works

Beto should also go after the Latino community more than Dems have been doing there. Appoint some Latinos to his administration and work for their votes. I saw a good news interview last night with Uvalde victims' families saying they have and like guns but want better regulations. I hope that attitude is more common than people realize.

[LeftInTX]

22. Yes..it appears a good portion of Uvalde is armed

This includes Democrats and Latinos

There's a big hunting culture over there
It also sits at the edge of the Hill Country..
The Hill Country is known for tubing on rivers, dude ranches and cowboy cosplay.

[sunnybrook]

7. He may be independent or a Dem

I phone banked with him and Beto during the presidential election. Beto had a GOTV phone bank operation and McConaughey was a guest on one night with the volunteers. I strongly doubt he is a Republican.

[Scrivener7]

15. But he won't say that. Which, to me, is a red flag.

[TigressDem]

27. He can be a Libertarian or Lincoln Party

As long as ON THIS SUBJECT he helps US get the job done, he can be a blue haired monkey voter the rest of his life.


Actors who keep their politics to themselves might just want to have their careers more open, rather than getting type cast.

[Scrivener7]

30. Yes, he can. Which means he should not hold any official appointed office in a Democratic

administration.

He is helping on this subject in his current capacity. A lot. Why mess with that?

Maybe be a "truthful gun information" czar of some kind, but unless he commits to our party, he should not hold an office in our party.

I agree on why he probably is mum, but that leaves him able to do some outrageous things in the future if he chooses.

[ancianita]

11. Beto can find out what he's made of as an adviser; MM's too inexperienced at governing.

[Hugin]

12. Why not?

Every administration needs someone driving around in a high-end suburban doing profound thinkering.

Just kidding.

I've been pleasantly surprised by McConaughey over the past few years and do believe that he is sincere in his convictions.

[Magoo48]

13. Setting the chaos of party politics and social disfunction aside for a moment,

the man gave a heart felt talk and a plea for the beginning of gun sanity.

[Master_Monstruwacan]

17. I dunno. I guess it helps to have popular celebs on your side

But IMO this guy is just a little too Jeebus-centric for me.

[SYFROYH]

20. I hope Beto was smart enough to clear that with McConaughey.

He really doesn't need McConaughey saying he wouldn't work for Beto.

[JI7]

26. He was just responding to a question asking him if he would have him in his admin if he became Gov

[TigressDem]

23. Ya' know? Sounds like a great idea.

“Beyond being an extraordinary actor, when the chips are down in our state, this guy shows up.”


Truth

[harumph]

24. MM needs to run in the future as an independent for Lt. Gov.

Texas is in a transitional state - and it's very hard for a self-avowed "liberal" to win. That said,
an independent like (MM) would do very well. There's no doubt in my mind that if he had chosen to
run against Greg Abbott, he would win in Nov.

Beto might win - but it is much much more of a long shot.
Understand also, that Texas is a weak governor type state unlike others. Real power is vested
in the Lieutenant Gov.

Accordingly, Beto as Gov. and Dan Patrick as Lt. Gov. is not going to change things much.

Texas is a weird bird.

[True Blue American]

28. Mathew toyed with the idea

Of running against Abbott., but decided no to! I think he will back Beto. I know he is much smarter than any Texas Republican.and Abbott. What a pair!

[Scrivener7]

31. Actors need to not step into politics at very high levels like Lt Gov. If he wants to be a

politician, he should get himself a little experience in being a politician and learn what it takes to run a municipality or, certainly, a state before we let him run one.

[ananda]

29. That is so cool!

Plus plus plus

[LetMyPeopleVote]

32. This is a good idea