As a manager, and previous business owner, there are some truths about leading a team or group of employees to be successful. These Democratic debates, especially night two of the second debate turned into who could be most like Donald Trump, and less about the command of the subject matter. As a leader, one must be of the servant attitude, concise, knowledgeable and Statesmanlike. When one looks at the vast majority of the Democratic candidates, one would be hard-pressed to find an energetic, honorable, integrity-driven respectful Statesman. One candidate stood out. One candidate is well informed of what the American people want. One candidate is not competing for the Democratic version of Donald Trump.

One leads through their actions and deeds, not by being the loudest bully in the room. Picture working for a bully who yells at you and in politically correct language calls you dumb, or something worse. How long would you feel comfortable working under those conditions? Are you happy with the bullying, ignorance, and fool heartedness of Donald Trump? Do you want a Democratic version of Donald? The majority of Americans are running as fast as they can away from those candidates and looking for inspiration, hope, and integrity.

When you are combining teams or departments, what has ever been accomplished by bullying or bad-mouthing the better contender? You lose credibility, and many no longer want you in charge. To be a strong leader, whether on the battlefield of a business or as a candidate for President, if you cannot offer your own agenda and methods, then you will sink to accusatory and biased name-calling. You don’t take your best player and send them to the minor leagues because he is younger, taller, better looking, more inspirational, more pragmatic in offering ideas that may help a huge portion of the team. This should be the same in Politics. If your champion does not suggest for you as a supporter to be courteous, and respectful, what are they going to expect from you if they are elected? A regurgitated Trumpian?

The viewers of both nights of debates saw rudeness, interruptions, unfounded accusatory statements, hogging the time, and screaming. This is not by any stretch of the imagination, respectful, courteous, integrity-driven or statesman. From Bernie Sanders being Bellicose to Elizabeth Warren bullying the time, to Joe Biden spending his time defending his 40 years of political service to arguments on the left and right, only Beto O’Rourke stood for those qualities that any American would cherish in their next president. We heard him speak succinctly, with purpose and with force, and his comments represented those that he has visited and listened to on the road. Beto made it plain he would not insult any other candidate, and he Kept his Promise. Beto was poised, intelligent in responses, forceful when needed while staying respectful to all, honorable to all, honest broker of an agenda that will encompass America and not one small segment, and finally that Statesman that America has been crying for.

Former Texas representative and presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke would trounce President Donald Trump in the Lone Star State in 2020, according to a new University of Texas poll. Among registered voters in Texas, the survey found that 49 percent would vote for O'Rourke in next year's general election while only 38 percent would choose Trump.
This unusual advantage for a Democrat in Texas is owed to O'Rourke's support in the poll among independents, who break for him by wide margins over Trump.

This favorability among independents also provides a critical edge to other Democrats who, the poll found, in hypothetical matchups could best Trump in Texas. Senator Elizabeth Warren earned 41-percent support in the poll, three points ahead of Trump in a potential head-to-head. At 39 percent, Senator Bernie Sanders came out two points in front of Trump, and at 40 percent, Senator Kamala Harris came out on top by one point. The margin of error was calculated at 2.6 percentage points.

Former Vice President Joe Biden was among the lowest-performing candidates in the survey, coming into a statistical tie with Trump in Texas at 37 percent. While Biden earned a higher share of support among Texas Democrats than some of the other candidates, independents were not enthused about him, failing to break for his candidacy strongly enough to overcome the electoral advantage for Republicans in the state.

South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg was the only candidate of the six measured to lose in a potential matchup, and by six points, according to the University of Texas survey.

Throughout his life, his mother said O'Rourke has followed a pattern when facing hardships: Take a step back at first, assess the situation carefully, and then push forward with renewed resiliency, focus and determination. She says this routine is a trademark of his own familial upbringing in this underdog border city, which "always recharges him, nourishes him" with renewed energy.
"So he doesn't make every decision correctly, but 99% of the time he does. I think he learned from that and moved on, and that's what he does. He learns from mistakes and moves forward."

Now that he's faced some early struggles in the campaign head on, Melissa think her son is more relaxed and free spirited. In short, he's more prepared to "kick some ass" in the debate.
"He doesn't cave in. He's a quick learner," said Melissa, who plans to be in Detroit on Tuesday to watch the first of the two second-round Democratic battles. "He knows there are some things he can improve on from the first and he's been working on that. He's going to really shine."


"The attacks against him can be vicious and so hateful. I once told him, 'Don't do this to yourself,' because I knew what the life would be like," she said. "But this is his time. He's able to draw people from all political sides. He knows the issues well, whether the border, immigration, climate change, and that is increasingly coming through to people.
"The bottom line is, he's doing this, running for president, for the right reasons. He wants to unite people and his centrist theme is key in bringing the country together."

"He has such empathy, compassion, patience for people who have disadvantages. Maybe it was growing up with a sister (Erin) who has disabilities. She inspires him. She inspires all of us to be better."
One thing that hasn't changed during his bid for the presidency is the need "to talk to people, to listen carefully and to carry their message. His did this as a city councilman, as a congressman, as a candidate for the U.S. Senate and now for president. That's what drives him, being out there talking with people, figuring out how to solve their problems, how to make this country better for everyone."

Jerald Mokros drove through the Saturday morning thunderstorm from his Sioux Falls, S.D. home to attend the O’Rourke town hall event.
The 18-year-old graduated high school this spring, and he plans to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln this fall.

“I really like how he’s willing to compromise and work with anyone,” he said of O’Rourke. “It’s really nice to see someone who will actually work with both sides and get something done.”

Before this event, he favored President Donald Trump for 2020.

“I still kind of do, but if Beto did run against Trump, I don’t know,” he said, with a chuckle. “I’d have to wait. I do agree with Trump. If I could have voted in 2016, I would have voted for Trump. But Beto has definitely made it a hard choice.”

The hiring of this woman, Jen O’Malley Dillon, is the one thing that’s unquestionably gone his way since his campaign launch in March. Nearly every other presidential candidate courted her. But she has chosen to move her husband, twin daughters and 15-month-old son two time zones to the west, from suburban Maryland to El Paso.

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Obama has been in touch with O'Rourke, as he has been with other Democratic candidates. In December, The Washington Post reported the former president met with O'Rourke not long after the Senate campaign ended. Multiple sources tell the Tribune that the former president recommended O'Malley Dillon to O'Rourke. But just as tellingly, O'Malley Dillon received word that the former president thought she should take the job, according to two people with knowledge of the communication. A spokesman for Obama declined to comment.

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“She is one of the best political operatives of my generation,” said C.R. Wooters, a longtime Democratic hand who is now a lobbyist. “She is an organizer at heart, brilliant and unflappable. She’s also a stone-cold killer when necessary.”

“Sometimes I get asked for career advice from young organizers," he said. "If the conversation turns to the Beto campaign, I immediately tell them that working for Beto means working with Jen, and that is not an opportunity they should pass up. It's usually followed up with something like, ‘Do whatever she tells you.’”