# Does Beto O'Rourke have a chance to oust Ted Cruz? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 2, 2018, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987 "2018-02-02T00:12:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2018, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/361 "2018-08-29T16:20:40Z")
Lincoln invented the Herky Jerky, though detractors claimed it was only a failed attempt at the Funky Chicken. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2018, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/362 "2018-08-29T18:13:26Z")
Ted’s got lame.\* [https://twitter.com/JordanUhl/status/1034860566400122880?s=19](https://twitter.com/JordanUhl/status/1034860566400122880?s=19) \*stolen ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2018, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/363 "2018-08-29T18:20:37Z")
Man, I really didn’t need to see Ted Cruz in shorts right after lunch. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2018, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/364 "2018-08-29T20:53:42Z")
This is pretty funny. > [@](#): > > Here’s what ted cruz and beto o’rourke were doing to unwind during roughly the same period [https://twitter.com/ashleyfeinberg/status/1034829302955745280/photo/1](http://pic.twitter.com/yxsXGaaF0y) > > ``` > — Ashley Feinberg (@ashleyfeinberg) August 29, 2018 > > ``` Check out this picture of Beto, inexplicably tweeted by the Texas GOP, that even this old fogey thinks is pretty cool. Hint: he’s the one on the left in the flowered shirt. > [@](#): > > Maybe Beto can’t debate Ted Cruz because he already had plans… [https://twitter.com/TexasGOP/status/1034580157707759621/photo/1](http://pic.twitter.com/LdqKTh3yK4) > > ``` > — Texas GOP (@TexasGOP) August 28, 2018 > > ``` ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2018, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/365 "2018-08-29T21:02:51Z")
The Texas Senate race is now a real race. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2018, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/366 "2018-08-29T22:04:59Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > This is pretty funny. Well, at least now we know that Ted Cruz didn’t acquire his punchable face late in life. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2018, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/367 "2018-08-29T22:29:58Z")
Beto O’rouke - in a punk rock band. Has appeared on stage with Willie Nelson. Ted Cruz - enjoyed his time in Mime Club > ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2018, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/368 "2018-08-29T23:03:03Z")
[_Why_ is Ted persecuted here???](https://youtu.be/EbTcHpPDCu8) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2018, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/369 "2018-08-29T23:06:55Z")
So, why is Cruz running pro-O’Rourke campaign ads, now? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2018, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/370 "2018-08-29T23:13:47Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > The US in 1860 had no mass communication. > [@andros](#): > > I don’t want to get you wrong… Jesus Christ. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2018, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/371 "2018-08-29T23:41:16Z")
Oh, and… In the picture of Cruz that’s being contrasted with Rockstar O’Rourke, he’s smoking a cigar while wearing a Bush/Quayle 1992 shirt. Huh? Last I checked, smoking a cigar was traditionally done as a celebration. Just what would a Bush/Quayle supporter have been celebrating in 1992? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/372 "2018-08-30T02:59:35Z")
“If someone as dumb as Dan fuckin’ Quayle can come within one heartbeat from the Presidency, then I have a shot, Billy-Bob! A shot!” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/373 "2018-08-30T03:34:55Z")
> [@andros](#): > > No one _likes_ the Zodiac Killer. “I like Ted Cruz better than most of his Republican colleagues do. And I _hate_ Ted Cruz.” - Al Franken ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2018, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/374 "2018-08-30T19:03:52Z")
> [@andros](#): > > No one _likes_ the Zodiac Killer. _“And, you know, I want to be clear, because Ted Cruz is a nightmare of a human being. I have plenty of problems with his politics, but truthfully, his personality is so awful that 99 percent of why I hate him is just his personality. If he agreed with me on every issue, I would hate him only 1 percent less.”_ ~Ted Cruz former college roommate Craig Mazin ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2018, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/375 "2018-08-31T12:07:34Z")
On the front page of the \*online \*New York Times today: [Beto O’Rourke Dreams of One Texas. Ted Cruz Sees Another Clearly.](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/31/us/politics/beto-orourke-dreams-of-one-texas-ted-cruz-sees-another-clearly.html?imp_id=694942906) Long article–well done. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2018, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/376 "2018-08-31T19:15:12Z")
538 asks [how much trouble is rafael really in?](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-much-trouble-is-ted-cruz-really-in/) Being numbers-guys, they give us numbers. Not the weighted aggregate they put out for the WH approval rating, other stuff. Their central point is about August v. November, which they say has an average error (difference of margin) of around 8 percentage points, between as low as 5, up to 14. Of course, almost all the days of August are behind us, tomorrow is September, and you would expect the margins to be on a convergence. Though, two years ago, the numbers misbehaved rather badly. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/377 "2018-09-01T01:18:15Z")
Bad numbers! Sit! Bad numbers! ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/378 "2018-09-01T02:14:41Z")
WaPo chimes in. **Why so many people are coming to see Beto O’Rourke: A revolt against Trump and a demand for compassion** > **[Why so many people are coming to see Beto O’Rourke: A revolt against Trump and...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/a-demand-from-texas-voters-in-the-era-of-trump-compassion/2018/08/30/f26cc678-a077-11e8-83d2-70203b8d7b44_story.html)** > > The Texan’s U.S. Senate campaign is testing whether a more embracing approach or an angry fight will work best in 2018 and 2020 elections. > [@](#): > > … > Although Democratic enthusiasm has exploded across the country, few candidates have found the fervent level of interest O’Rourke has consistently attracted, drawing surprisingly large crowds in unexpected places. At a time when politics has become increasingly nasty and divisive — when President Trump has been blamed for ended friendships and a deterioration of civility — O’Rourke has laid down a potent counterargument: compassion. > > O’Rourke, 45, says he’s intent on running a positive campaign, one focused not on Trump or the famously acerbic Cruz but on soothing hot anger with a promise of something different. Even if he doesn’t often say their names, his supporters know his candidacy is a direct critique of those Republicans. > … ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/379 "2018-09-01T05:48:36Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > This is pretty funny. > Check out this picture of Beto, inexplicably tweeted by the Texas GOP, that even this old fogey thinks is pretty cool. Hint: he’s the one on the left in the flowered shirt. (Not a shirt, a sundress, apparently.) Honestly, I hope Beto’s acceptance speech (which I hope he gets to use) includes a thank you to Cruz’s campaign ‘I couldn’t have done it without you!’ ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2018, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/380 "2018-09-01T07:41:55Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Oh, and… In the picture of Cruz that’s being contrasted with Rockstar O’Rourke, he’s smoking a cigar while wearing a Bush/Quayle 1992 shirt. Huh? Last I checked, smoking a cigar was traditionally done as a celebration. Just what would a Bush/Quayle supporter have been celebrating in 1992? Rafael was involved in some arguing contests in '92, including at the national level and at the US v Canada level. He got some accolade-type thingies for his glibidity, so the cigar probably has something to do with that. I am guessing it would have been spring or early summer, before the actual election, so the shirt was just optimism. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987.md?page=20)