Managing to break all fundraising records, midterm sensation Beto O’Rourke is reportedly eyeing a 2020 presidential run. But as previously reported by the Inquisitr , progressive groups have warned the Democrats against throwing their support behind the Texas Democrat.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders supporters, in particular, have issued out alarming warnings, citing Beto’s reluctance to come out in support of free college, universal healthcare, and other progressive policies. A number of media outlets have criticized the Texas Democrat’s ties to the oil industry and stances of the environment, with some dubbing him “Hillary Clinton 2.0.”
But wealthy donors love O’Rourke. Some of the Democratic Party’s most prolific fundraisers have pledged to raise money for the Texas Democrat who lost to Ted Cruz earlier this year and lost to Donald Trump in 2016.
But so-called “Betomania” has not subsided, it seems, and Bernie Sanders supporters are being accused of running coordinated online campaigns against O’Rourke, questioning and challenging his alleged support for progressive policies.
According to reporting from the Hill , supporters of the Vermont senator deny that there exists a coordinated campaign to discredit O’Rourke. Norman Solomon, who was a delegate for Sanders at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, vehemently denied the allegations but made sure to warn American progressives and Democrats not to get carried away.
“I think this week can be understood as a kind of turning point, where — for the first time really — millions of Americans are seeing pieces that look underneath the superficial gloss of projections onto Beto.”
But the Bernie Sanders 2016 delegate also noted that, while a “step up” for the red state of Texas, O’Rourke would be a “big step down” for Democrats nationwide. “If we buy the Beto package, we’re gonna have buyer’s remorse later on,” he said.
Sanders-affiliated campaigners deny to have participated in coordinated attacks on Beto’s reputation, but such smear campaigns seem redundant, even unnecessary given O’Rourke’s voting record.
The Guardian ‘s analysis of the Texas Democrat’s six-year record in Congress demonstrates that O’Rourke does not vote like a progressive. Beto, in fact, frequently votes for Republican legislation. According to the analysis, the Democrat has frequently opposed his own party, boosted Donald Trump’s brutal immigration policies, and the fossil fuel industry.
Beto O’Rourke frequently voted for Republican legislation, analysis reveals https://t.co/DF1v67wL80
— The Guardian (@guardian) December 20, 2018
“O’Rourke’s votes for Republican legislation — which at times put him at odds with a majority of Texas Democratic lawmakers in Congress – underscore his membership in the New Democrat Coalition, the faction of House Democrats most closely aligned with business interests,” the publication wrote.
O’Rourke has a mixed record on financial issues and on consumer protection issues as well. Many of O’Rourke’s votes, according to the Guardian , have been cast in opposition to the majority of the Democratic Party.
