Latest news with #BetoO'Rourke
The Guardian
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Biden ‘failed this country' by seeking second term, says Beto O'Rourke
Joe Biden 'failed this country in the most important job that he had' by deciding to run for another term as US president before dropping out of the election that returned Donald Trump to the White House, where he has unflinchingly assaulted democratic norms, the former representative Beto O'Rourke said recently. 'We might very well lose the greatest country that this world has ever known,' the Texan who has unsuccessfully run for the presidency and his state's governorship said on Pod Save America. 'And it might be in part because of the decision that Biden and those around him made to run for re-election.' O'Rourke's remarks made him only the latest of Biden's fellow Democrats to lambast the former president for initially seeking to retain the Oval Office. Fresh criticism for Biden has poured in after a new political book, Original Sin by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, asserted that he and his inner circle doomed the Democratic party's chances of denying Trump a second presidency by hiding that his mental acuity had deteriorated until it was too late. Biden dropped out less than a month after a disastrous 27 June 2024 debate performance in Atlanta against Trump, from whom he had taken the presidency four years earlier. He endorsed his vice-president, Kamala Harris, to succeed him – but, with less than four months to campaign, she lost both the electoral and popular votes to her Republican foil, Trump. Trump's second presidency has since been marked by brutal budget and staffing cuts to the federal government, detentions and deportations related to immigration, funding freezes aimed at institutions that his administration perceives to oppose its agenda, trade wars that have destabilized financial markets and verbal attacks against judges whose rulings have impeded his wishes, among other things. In his comments to Pod Save America, O'Rourke maintained that Democrats' decision to run Biden – who turned 82 in November – despite polling showing many voters considered him too old to serve as president was a catastrophic miscalculation. Voters in 2024 evidently did not have the same concerns about Trump, who is only three years younger than Biden and in January became the oldest person ever inaugurated as US president. 'To literally run the oldest guy who many people, accurately … said, 'I just don't think he is capable of doing this' … I think that credibility problem is going to persist up until when Democrats say: 'We fucked up and we made a terrible mistake,'' O'Rourke told the podcast. Top Harris campaign aide David Plouffe, who managed Barack Obama's winning charge to the presidency in 2008 with Biden as his running mate, is at least one Democrat who has said as much. He told the authors of Original Sin that Biden 'totally fucked us' by waiting until late July 2024 to bail on his ambitions for an electoral rematch with Trump. A Biden spokesperson recently issued a statement reported by multiple news outlets that countered second-guessing about his decision to begin campaigning for a second Oval Office term by saying 'evidence of aging is not evidence of mental incapacity'. 'We are still waiting for someone, anyone, to point out where Joe Biden had to make a presidential decision or make a presidential address where he was unable to do his job because of mental decline,' the statement said, in part. After being a member of the city council of El Paso, Texas, O'Rourke served three two-year terms in the US House beginning in 2013. The 52-year-old unsuccessfully ran for the US Senate in 2018, sought the Democratic White House nomination clinched by Biden in 2020 and lost Texas's gubernatorial election to Greg Abbott in 2022.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Young Dems blame Biden and their own party for losing in 2024 as they distance themselves from the old-guard
The Democratic Party is finally saying the quiet part out loud: "Biden should not have run again." Revelations about President Joe Biden's cognitive decline and his administration's alleged cover-up have returned to the national conversation ahead of next week's release of CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios political correspondent Alex Thompson's book, "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again." Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., a 2024 presidential campaign surrogate for President Joe Biden, and considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, acknowledged on Wednesday that Biden should not have run for a second term. And Beto O'Rourke, one of Biden's 2020 Democratic primary competitors and the former congressman from Texas, joined the criticism this week, accusing Biden's re-election campaign of failing future generations of Americans. Rep Ro Khanna Tees Up 2028 Rivalry During Pointed Speech In Jd Vance's Home State When pressed by Martha MacCallum on "The Story" on Wednesday about campaigning for Biden in 2024, Khanna said he hadn't had the full picture of Biden's health and mental acuity ahead of his disastrous debate performance, but he admitted, "We should be honest as a party that we made a mistake." Read On The Fox News App Dem Rising Star Eyes Vance As Key Long-term Threat: 'Needs To Be Defeated' "I do think it's important that, given what has come out, that we take accountability," Khanna said. "Obviously, he should not have run," Khanna said. Responding to a series of interview clips from early 2024, when Khanna affirmed Biden's intention to run for re-election and described the president as "fully coherent," Khanna said he had been telling the truth. "Of course, I didn't have the full picture," Khanna added. O'Rourke took Khanna's call for Democratic accountability a step further on "Pod Save America" this week, calling Biden's decision to run for re-election in 2024 a "terrible mistake." "Just to be clear: Biden should not have run again. And to be even more clear: He failed this country in the most important job that he had," O'Rourke said. "In fact, the entire rationale for his presidency the first time, and the rationale he tried to sell us on for his attempt to run for re-election, 'Only I can stop Donald Trump.' And he failed to do that, and it's not just you and me, but our kids and grandkids and the generations that follow that might have to pay the price for this. We might very well lose the greatest country that this world has ever known," O'Rourke said. An excerpt from Tapper and Thompson's book released by Axios this week revealed that Biden's declining health was "so severe that there were internal discussions about putting the president in a wheelchair, but they couldn't do so until after the election." In hindsight, Khanna and O'Rourke agreed that Democrats should have had an opportunity to launch their own presidential bids. And now that President Donald Trump has returned to the White House, and an already crowded field of potential 2028 Democratic candidates are mulling presidential campaigns, they said it's important to take accountability for 2024. "Obviously, there should have been an open primary. And, I don't think that's very difficult that Democrats should just be straight up that he should not have run, now that we have all the facts. There should have been an open primary. I think to move on and move forward, it's important to take accountability and be straightforward with the American people," Khanna said. O'Rourke said America's future could be in the balance "in part because of the decision that Biden, and those around him, made to run for re-election instead of having an open primary where the greatest talent that the Democratic Party can muster could be on that stage to have a competition of ideas, and track-record and vision and really excite, not just Democrats, but the people of this country who did want change. I mean, if anything was clear coming out of 2024, they wanted change." The once-2020 Democratic presidential candidate, who is 52 years-old, said the Democrat's Biden failure creates a credibility problem. "I think that credibility problem is going to persist up until when Democrats say, 'We f---ed up, and we made a terrible mistake,'" O'Rourke said. Despite O'Rourke's comments this week, he said in an email to supporters through his voting rights organization, Powered by People, last February that, "Donald Trump is the single greatest threat to our democracy. Our best chance to defeat him is to support Joe Biden in this election." "Amy and I voted for him in the Texas primary . . . and are looking forward to voting for him again in November," he added. "This president has done an extraordinary job of improving our economy, confronting the climate crisis, reducing childhood poverty and fending off the very worst of Donald Trump and the Republican Party's mounting attacks on our most fundamental freedoms." Another young Democrat and Biden's former National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, continued to defend his former boss at Politico's Security Summit on Thursday, dismissing an allegation that Biden had forgotten his name, and defending his leadership as commander-in-chief. Click To Get The Fox News App "What happened in that debate was a shock to me," Sullivan admitted. "I think it was a shock to everybody." A Biden spokesperson did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Fox News Digital's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report. Original article source: Young Dems blame Biden and their own party for losing in 2024 as they distance themselves from the old-guard
Int'l Business Times
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Former Democratic Lawmaker Mocked for Claiming Biden 'Failed This Country' as Users Point to His Own Losses: 'Read the Room'
Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) criticized former President Joe Biden's short-lived 2024 election run, but his message failed to resonate on social media, where users were quick to point to his own failed campaign history. O'Rourke, a member of the Democratic party, served in congress between 2013 and 2019. In 2018, he ran a competitive — but ultimately failed — campaign for Senate against Republican Ted Cruz. In 2019, he announced his candidacy in the 2020 presidential election campaign in March, but withdrew by November. In Texas' 2022 election for Governor, O'Rourke lost to incumbent Greg Abbott who won 235 out of 254 counties. "Just to be clear, Biden should not have run again," O'Rourke said Thursday on Pod Save America. "He failed this country in the most important job that he had." "I think that credibility problem is going to persist," he continued, "Up until when Democrats say, 'We f--ked up, we made a terrible mistake.'" Online, users bristled at O'Rourke's condemnation of the Democratic party, interpreting it as disingenuous and unproductive. "Dude said nothing when it matters," a user wrote. "Now he's brave for saying it after the fact?" "Very brave to say after the fact. It's true, but where was he a year ago or two years ago?" asked one, with another demanding, "WHY DID HE NOT SAY THIS BEFORE THE ELECTION?" Others dismissed his opinion based on his political losing streak. Representational image (Source: Pixabay / ValynPi14) "Perpetual loser Beto O'Rourke has some thoughts about people who shouldn't have run again," a comment read, with another simply writing, "Loser says what?" "Ah yes, let's all take political advice from a guy who managed to lose three major races in just four years," one wrote. "Dude should really focus on learning how to actually win an election before criticizing one of our most successful presidents who was the only one to beat Trump," an apparent Biden-supporter said. "The guy can't win an election, is going to run again, and is out here lecturing Biden on how he shouldn't have run again. Never change, Beto," another comment read. Many users were seemingly fed up with Democrats criticizing Democrats. "This is exactly why we lose!! Bowing down to right wing propaganda is the dumbest strategy you can do!!" an exasperated user wrote. "Don't they realize they have even less credibility by taking this tone," said another. "Missed your moment to come out with this," one user said. "Irrelevant now, trust is lost." O'Rourke hasn't responded publicly to the backlash, nor has he officially announced his candidacy for upcoming elections. He is however, rumored to be eyeing a 2026 Senate run and holding town hall meetings across the state. "I'm going to do whatever is most helpful for the people of Texas," he told WFAA. Originally published on Latin Times
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Beto O'Rourke to host Amarillo town hall, says Panhandle must be taken seriously
Former U.S. Congressman Beto O'Rourke will hold a town hall meeting Saturday at the Amarillo Civic Center as part of a statewide tour aimed at encouraging civic engagement, highlighting key policy issues, and showing up for communities often overlooked by political campaigns. 'This thing is open to everybody — and I mean everybody,' O'Rourke said in an interview ahead of the event. 'We've been coming to Amarillo for a really long time, but it's important that we show up for each other not just when our name's on the ballot.' The town hall is scheduled for 1 p.m. and is free to attend. O'Rourke emphasized that people of all political ideologies are encouraged to come, ask questions and participate in the discussion. 'We've had Republicans, Democrats, independents — folks of all kinds — showing up to these events,' he said. 'It's not about party. It's about listening, understanding, and realizing we're going through many of the same challenges together.' He cited public school vouchers, rural hospital closures, and proposed cuts to veterans' services as top concerns he's heard from Texans in recent months. 'We're going through some really big changes as a country, and I would argue communities in and around Potter and Randall counties are seeing some of the biggest impacts,' he said. O'Rourke pointed to the school voucher bill advancing through the Texas Legislature now signed into law, warning it will harm rural communities that already lack educational alternatives. Many Panhandle counties — including those in Texas' 13th Congressional District — have few or no private schools. Students in rural areas may be forced to travel long distances to urban centers like Amarillo to even attempt to use the proposed education savings accounts, and only if private institutions agree to accept them. 'This voucher program doesn't expand choice for rural Texans — it just pulls public funds away from their local schools,' O'Rourke said. In a February 2025 post, O'Rourke warned that the legislation would lead to 'fewer teachers, more school closures, and higher property taxes' as districts are forced to make cuts to compensate for reduced funding. The funding problem is already hitting home in Amarillo. Amarillo ISD already announced it will close three elementary schools at the end of the current school year. District officials cited declining enrollment and long-term budget pressures as key reasons. O'Rourke said voucher-driven divestment could force more difficult decisions in the future. He also warned that proposed cuts to Medicaid could accelerate rural hospital closures. One in four rural hospitals in Texas is currently at risk of closing, he said, and the state already leads the nation in closures. O'Rourke expressed concern over the Department of Veterans Affairs' plan to cut approximately 83,000 jobs, noting that about one-quarter of VA employees are veterans themselves. 'These aren't partisan issues,' he said. 'They're issues that hurt people — and we need to come together to talk about them.' O'Rourke criticized the Democratic Party's failure to run candidates in deeply Republican areas, saying it leaves voters without a real choice and undermines the democratic process. 'In the last election, nobody even ran against Ronny Jackson,' he said, referring to the Republican congressman who ran unopposed in 2024 for re-election to represent Texas' 13th Congressional District, which includes Amarillo. 'I understand the odds are long, but it's not about winning every race — it's about giving people a choice. If there's no contest, there's no conversation about ideas, no debate, no accountability.' He said communities like Amarillo deserve attention, resources, and viable candidates from all sides of the political spectrum. 'Democrats aren't going to win states like Texas until they start taking places like Amarillo seriously,' O'Rourke said. 'And that means showing up, listening, and supporting local leaders year-round — not just in election season.' O'Rourke said he's held about a half-dozen similar town halls in recent weeks in places like Mansfield, Wichita Falls and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with more scheduled across Texas. Although O'Rourke has not formally announced any future campaign plans, he said he's committed to being present in every part of the state and helping where he can. 'If the answer is holding town halls, running voter registration drives, or just listening — then that's what I'm going to do,' he said. 'And if it turns out the best way I can help is by running for office again, then I'll do that too.' O'Rourke said he hopes Saturday's town hall will empower attendees to take action — whether by voting, volunteering, or even considering a run for office. 'Amarillo always shows up,' he said. 'And I always leave more optimistic than when I came.' This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Beto O'Rourke brings town hall to Amarillo to discuss education, rural issues
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrat Beto O'Rourke says he'll run for Senate if Texans want him to
Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, a Democrat, indicated that if Texans want him to run for the U.S. Senate, he will mount another election bid. "But if it comes to pass that this is what the people of Texas want, that it's the highest and best use of what I can give to you, then yes I will," O'Rourke said while responding to someone at a town hall event who asked the former lawmaker if he would run. O'Rourke served in the U.S. House of Representatives from early 2013 through early 2019, but he has fallen flat in bids for U.S. Senate, president, and governor. Who Is Beto O'rourke? He lost a 2022 Lone Star State gubernatorial bid to incumbent GOP Gov. Greg Abbott. The Democrat announced but later dropped a presidential bid in 2019. Read On The Fox News App He lost a 2018 U.S. Senate contest to incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Cornyn's Re-election Campaign Sparks Questions On Both Party Flanks As Dems Chase 'The Ghost Of A Blue Texas' Responding to a post on X regarding O'Rourke's comment that he would run if that's what Texans want, GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah tweeted, "They don't." Texas state Rep. Mitch Little, a Republican, tweeted, "'THIS SUMMER…from the producers who brought you 'BETO' and 'BETO,' you'll fall in love—again—with 'BETO.'" Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who has served in the Senate for more than two decades, is up for re-election in 2026. Texas Ag Ken Paxton Announces Run For Us Senate Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has mounted a Republican Senate primary challenge against article source: Democrat Beto O'Rourke says he'll run for Senate if Texans want him to
