Beto O'Rourke supports uncommitted campaign in Michigan's Tuesday presidential primary

[RandySF]

Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) expressed support Friday for a campaign asking Democratic voters unhappy with President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war to vote “uncommitted” in Michigan’s Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday.

“I do think it makes sense for those who want to see this administration do more, or do a better job, to exert that political pressure and get the president’s attention and the attention of those on his campaign so that the United States does better,” O’Rourke said in a Friday interview with the Michigan Advance.

O’Rourke, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020 and later endorsed Biden, will visit northern Michigan on Saturday as part of a book tour.

O’Rourke said he read an opinion piece by Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud endorsing the campaign that was published in the New York Times this week, which he said was “well-written and well-argued.” The campaign has also been endorsed by U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) and former U.S. Rep. Andy Levin (D-Bloomfield Twp.).


https://michiganadvance.com/2024/02/24/beto-orourke-supports-uncommitted-campaign-in-michigans-tuesday-presidential-primary/

[All Mixed Up]

1. Who?

Beto...sounds familiar. I think he won something of note years ago.

[question everything]

19. I think that he was jumping on a sofa while on Oprah..

[Walleye]

2. Former representative? When was the last time he ran for anything

My opinion this is a stupid move and I don’t know what they’re trying to accomplish.

[Polybius]

4. A couple of years ago against Abbott

He loses every time.

[Walleye]

10. Maybe he loses because he doesn't understand elective politics

When he said he would take their guns, he played right into their hands

[Bucky]

17. That explains a lot more than him being a liberal in Texas

No amount of pandering to the lunatic right is going to win a Democrat votes in this state. If we hold true to our values, we lose and we're castigated for being too liberal. If we nominate a moderate, we lose and we're castigated for offering "Republican lite".

[TwilightZone]

5. As noted, they want attention.

They claim that they want to get the president's attention, but the president seems quite aware of the situation, so I can only conclude that the attention they seek is for themselves.

I always find it odd when people act as though they're the only ones who understand a situation, particularly when it's one of which everyone is aware. I liken it to the articles that "progressive" bloggers write when they insist that they're the only ones who are aware of something blindingly obvious like Trump being an authoritarian. That kind of attitude just bothers the hell out of me.

That being said, I like Beto and it annoys me that he's hopped on this particular bandwagon. It's a meaningless gesture.

[DFW]

8. It's sad when good people lose their relevance

It's depressing when they don't know how to reclaim it, try to reclaim it anyway, and then act like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car while trying.

I'm glad that Wendy Davis hasn't fallen into the same trap.

It's NOT the attention, people--it's what you do when you've got it.

MAN am I glad I never went into politics!

[Walleye]

9. Yeah they act like we are unaware of the carnage in Gaza

[UTUSN]

3. Last two paragraphs:

********QUOTE******

.... While O’Rourke voiced support for the uncommitted campaign in the Democratic primary, he said he would be open to campaigning for Biden in the general election, once his book tour ends. Short of that, O’Rourke said he will be working on voter registration in Texas “and doing our best within the environment of voter suppression and voter intimidation to help people get on the rolls, and then help those who are on the rolls to actually cast a ballot.”

“I support the president; I want him very badly to beat Donald Trump,” O’Rourke said. “I don’t want to do anything that weakens his ability to do that, because for whatever legitimate concerns people have about President Biden’s response to the war in Gaza, we do know for a fact that, under President Trump, it would be much worse. And so, yes, let’s help him, let’s push him, let’s apply pressure where we can, but let us in no way undermine his ability to win in November.”

******UNQUOTE********

[bluesbassman]

7. Sounds passive aggressive. Not helpful if he really wants to see Biden win. n/t

[UTUSN]

11. Yeah, I thought about posting the things below but didn't want to be accused

of not supporting Dems.

* Good grief, Beto.

* Will be Uncommitted about buying your book.

* Not another one.

[brooklynite]

22. "Once his book tour ends"

Priorities.....

[JustAnotherGen]

6. He cannot get over the finish line

Good thing is - we won't have that onus around our necks in Texas this year.

Colin Allred just might put Ted Cruz down. In a crowded primary - THAT is the guy Cruz is afraid of.

And I wrote what I did believing Texas is a lost cause for statewide elections.

If Allred wins - Beto becomes completely irrelevant. He's not even a king maker in Texas.

[LudwigPastorius]

12. Beto may be a nice guy, but...

his political instincts can be spectacularly wrong.

[JohnSJ]

13. Idiots. Let's see if we can do a 2016 Deja vu, because that is the only thing this

will accomplish

With all those calls through the media that Biden should step aside, letting the convention determine the Democratic nominee, this is nuts.

They sure taught us a lesson in 2016 by refusing to vote for Hillary

If Trump wins in 2016 because idiots like this refuse to vote for Biden, and encourage others to do likewise, the first thing I will do is stop all my charitable donations to US charities, because from my perspective the people in this country do not deserve my contributions if that happens, and when abortion is banned nationally, woman’s rights, workers rights, civil rights are destroyed, Americans deserve it if for nothing else their stupidity from following this paradigm, like they did in 2016 where we lost the Supreme Court. That worked out real well, and if trump wins, I am through caring anymore, after 43+ years of caring

When Bill Clinton left office he was very close to a peace deal with Israel and the Palestinians, but bush won, with the help of Muslim Americans I might add, and instead of continuing where Clinton left off, the bush administration is ignored it, 9/11 occurred, and the rest is history

https://www.voanews.com/a/muslim-americans-drifted-democratic-party/3496782.html

[Oopsie Daisy]

14. Unbelievable. The disloyalty on display here is very disappointing. I thought he was better than this.

What bullshit! With this act of treachery, he disqualifies himself from EVER running "as a" Democrat again. This kind of treachery is harmful and divisive. It suppresses the vote. It gives people an "excuse" to not support Biden in the General Election. Because many nationwide were invested in him for his Texas political aspirations, he's well known... and the negative effects of this shitty announcement will spread much further. It's disgusting. I have no respect for him now. None. Zero. Nada.

I think Fetterman nails it when he says to Democrats who criticize Biden: "Might as well just get your MAGA hat, because you now are helping Trump."

[Jedi Guy]

27. "Might as well just get your MAGA hat, because you now are helping Trump."

I don't know that I'd agree that any criticism of Biden is helpful to Trump. He's fallible just like anyone else, though I think he gets it right vastly more often than he gets it wrong. When he does get it wrong, it's important that we should be able to acknowledge and express that. Biden isn't our king and we can criticize him, preferably in a constructive, respectful way.

Unfortunately, Tlaib has been neither constructive nor respectful in her criticisms of Biden, but after her behavior towards Hillary that's not much of a shocker. While I understand that she's passionate about the situation in Gaza, her accusations that Biden is supporting genocide are beyond the pale, and her whole "uncommitted" thing is even worse. For all intents and purposes, she's dead to me, not that I was a huge fan of hers to begin with.

I was also never a huge fan of Beto but he seems like a good guy. It's disappointing to see him tie his shoelaces to the railing of the Titanic that is Tlaib and her stupid rhetoric.

[Blue Idaho]

15. Remind me again what happened the last time

“We” decided to teach a sitting President a lesson by not voting?

[MistakenLamb]

16. Why do we keep giving room for these habitual losers like Beto?

[RandySF]

28. Much of the Sanders campaign remnants live in Michigan

2018: They fought the gubernatorial campaign and lost.
2020: Sanders lost.
2022: They lost the Haley Stevens/Andy Levin congressional primary.
2024: Uncommitted

[OilemFirchen]

18. Joe Biden will win the Michigan primary decisively.

Meanwhile, pandering is still a disgusting human trait.

[Cha]

20. I Hope So!! 💙🌊🕊️🕯️🇺🇸

[TwilightZone]

21. The fact that he'll win is exactly why they're doing it.

They can afford to because it's not going to change anything, of course, and they know that.

[Mossfern]

23. Actually

It can suppress the vote. It's a very dangerous game to play, and naive at best to think that grandstanding like this will have an effect on the way President Biden crafts his foreign policy.

[Cha]

30. I agree with you.. TY, Mossfern

[Oopsie Daisy]

29. I agree, but how many of those voters who were encouraged to vote "UNDECIDED" will bother to turn out for Biden?

My guess: NONE.

These people encouraging voters to choose "UNDECIDED" are poisoning the well.

FUCK THEM!

[LiberalFighter]

24. His style of talking is irritating.

[Pathwalker]

25. The last Texan I took poiitical advice from was Ann Richards, and Beto -

you're no Ann Richards. All 4 members of my Michigan family are RIDIN' WITH BIDEN!

[Freethinker65]

26. So using uncommitted to express disagreement on handling of war Biden has little control over. But will vote Democratic.

Let's see how many actually turn out and vote this way. Beto seems to believe this is a possible way to feel they have their voices heard. Pretty sure Biden understands their valid concerns but also understands there is not much he can do but exert pressure to come to some peace agreement. It really does little else as Biden will be the nominee.

I have no issue with Beto taking up this cause as he is not currently in government. He has returned to being a private citizen advocate/activist. I do have a problem with a sitting member of Congress encouraging this action. She has the opportunity to talk to colleagues and the administration directly.

[Happy Hoosier]

32. It's the usual delusional support of a "protest vote"

It never works, and almost always has adverse consequences, but some self-righteous folks convince themselves that it's a good idea anyway.

Thing is.... their self-satisfaction is going to hurt a LOT of people in this country.

[Happy Hoosier]

31. Very sorry to have supported him, then. NT