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In another opinion/editorial piece by Jan Higgins Adam of Katy Texas:
Friday night's debate showed us everything we need to know about our Texas candidates for the Senate. Ted Cruz won't be able to get anything done for Texans because he simply can't have a decent, adult conversation. I know this was a "debate," but he continually veered from the truth. He simply came to attack instead of tell us where he wants to lead our country. Trump said it correctly: Cruz as senator ''has accomplished absolutely nothing'' for Texans." At this point in history, we need leaders who can come together to discuss the issues rationally.Friday night's debate between Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke left little doubt which candidate will strive to work across party lines, which candidate goes out of his way to listen to all views, which candidate has compassion for all people, which candidate has a grasp of the facts, and which candidate has the positive attitude and the personality to work toward solutions to our problems. That candidate is Beto O'Rourke.
Beto has run a clean and positive campaign- not attacking or demeaning his opponent. He did call out Cruz for misleading statements that distorted the words that Beto has used. No, Ted: Beto does not want open borders and doesn't want to decriminalize all illegal border crossings. No, Ted: Beto has not called for legalizing all narcotics. No, Ted, Beto did not say that the police officers embodied the new Jim Crow laws. No, Ted: Beto does not want to abolish the second amendment. And, no, Ted: Beto is not a socialist. Beto stood up to the experienced debater just as he will stand up to Trump to protect our democracy, and protect us from our enemies and protect those who can't protect themselves from bullies.
At the end, the moderator asked for each of them to say what he admired about his opponent. Beto was quick to list Cruz's devotion to his family and his patriotism. Ted struggled to say something nice. Beto said it best. "We are not running against anyone, we're not running against anything. We are running for this country, each and every single one of us.
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The Business Insider recent article from 8/22 by John Haltiwanger sums it all up pretty well:
Rep. Beto O'Rourke is quickly emerging as a national figure for the Democratic Party at a time when it's struggling to find a clear leader and overcome its somewhat stale image with voters nationwide. If O'Rourke defeats Cruz in November, it would be a shot of adrenaline for the beleaguered Democratic Party, which is desperate to make up for 2016's devastating loss by shattering the Republican majority in Congress in November's midterms. In this context, a victory could also push O'Rourke to the forefront of national politics and position him to rapidly rise in the ranks of the party.
See also: click here
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In Texas, it is not just Beto who manifests the shift to the Left:
From the Progressives Everywhere newsletter:
Miguel Levario is a 2018 Democratic candidate seeking election to the U.S. House to represent the 19th Congressional District of Texas. Born in El Paso, Texas, Levario earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of Texas at Austin, and teaching at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, one of the true conservative bastions in Texas, until recently.In order to truly rebuild a better Democratic Party, we need to work to build it everywhere. Too many states had been instantly surrendered to Republicans, which, along with enabling corrupt politicians to govern millions of people, had the effect of making our political map smaller and smaller.
There were far too many districts that didn't even field Democratic candidates for local and federal office in 2016 -- including Levario's northwest Texas district, TX-19, which includes cities like Abilene and Lubbock and major schools such as Texas Tech University.
Levario is the first Democrat to seriously run to represent the district since 2004, when Texas's extreme partisan gerrymander made it deep red. But between Texas's seismic and ongoing demographic shifts, the district's changing profile, and the wave of progressive energy sweeping a nation disgusted with GOP grifters, Levario figures he has a pretty decent shot at pulling off the upset. His opponent is against an unremarkable Republican, Rep. Jodey Arrington, who is running for re-election for the first time, improving his odds even further.
"In the 19 months we've been running, I've met more independents than in the first 11 years I lived here," Levario told Progressives Everywhere last month, laughing at the observation. "Before, everybody was proud to be a Republican and proud to be conservative and they didn't hide it. Now, whether it's because of the White House or Congress or just the divisiveness in society, I have Republicans telling me, 'I can't believe I'm meeting with a Democrat and I like you.'"
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