# 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:** 28
**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 21, 2018, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/541 "2018-09-21T23:47:29Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > I can hardly make myself listen to Cruz. I have the same reaction to hearing his voice as I have when I discover a large hairy spider is sharing my shower. I have the sound off and the closed captions on. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/542 "2018-09-21T23:49:28Z")
LOL, Beto just got in a good lick on Cruz about his absence from the State of Texas to spend his time in Iowa. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**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 21, 2018, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/543 "2018-09-21T23:49:46Z")
Iā€™m surprised Cruz is so weak. Heā€™s got nuttinā€™. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/544 "2018-09-21T23:52:17Z")
ā€œWhat do you admire about your opponent?ā€ :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/545 "2018-09-21T23:53:59Z")
ā€œTrue to form.ā€ Ooohh, burn. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/546 "2018-09-21T23:54:17Z")
Beto gives a sincere, unqualified answer. Cruz gives a backhanded compliment. Beto responds, ā€œTrue to form.ā€ ---
**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 21, 2018, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/547 "2018-09-21T23:55:40Z")
Whoa! Beto criticized Cruz for voting for the tax bill that made wealthy corporations wealthier and Cruz comes back with, "Well, when Beto was on the El Paso City Council, he voted to increase property taxes. So there! " ---
**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:** [September 21, 2018, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/548 "2018-09-21T23:57:10Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Whoa! Beto criticized Cruz for voting for the tax bill that made wealthy corporations wealthier and Cruz comes back with, "Well, when Beto was on the El Paso City Council, he voted to increase property taxes. So there! " Oh come on! He didnā€™t really say, ā€œSo there!ā€ Did he? Youā€™re makinā€™ stuff up! ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/549 "2018-09-22T00:00:19Z")
I wish Iā€™d seen more of it. I thought Beto was very strong, but itā€™s hard to gauge how Texans viewed it ā€“ which may be quite different from my liberal take. ---
**Author:** ![zwede](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ac91a4/32.png) [@zwede](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zwede)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/550 "2018-09-22T00:03:53Z")
Debates done and I donā€™t think either one did a very good job. I have allergic reactions to Cruz so itā€™s hard to be objective but I didnā€™t hear much from Beto that makes me think heā€™ll do the unthinkable and win. ---
**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 22, 2018, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/551 "2018-09-22T00:05:37Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > I wish Iā€™d seen more of it. I thought Beto was very strong, but itā€™s hard to gauge how Texans viewed it ā€“ which may be quite different from my liberal take. Excuse me, but many of us ARE liberals. All the counties in Texas from Austin southward went for Hillary. Please donā€™t paint us wuth the same brush. When asked what he admired about Beto, Cruz worked the S-word in again in reference to debating Bernie Sanders. The presidentā€™s name was not spoken. Did anyone follow the Tweet Truck? ---
**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:** [September 22, 2018, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/552 "2018-09-22T00:06:05Z")
OK, who else wants to see Beto challenge Rafael to a BBQ cook-off? ---
**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 22, 2018, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/553 "2018-09-22T00:09:22Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Oh come on! He didnā€™t really say, ā€œSo there!ā€ Did he? Youā€™re makinā€™ stuff up! He was thinking it. > [@zwede](#): > > Debates done and I donā€™t think either one did a very good job. I have allergic reactions to Cruz so itā€™s hard to be objective but I didnā€™t hear much from Beto that makes me think heā€™ll do the unthinkable and win. How could anyone possibly hope to predict a win or loss based on a one-hour presentation? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/554 "2018-09-22T00:12:57Z")
That fā€™n audience. What part of STFU do they not understand? Anyway, Beto did well, but I donā€™t think he did a good job of explaining why premiums went up in states that had republican govā€™s because they refused to participate in the expansion programs. Or TCā€™s straw man fallacy tactics. I mean, he touched on it, but I donā€™t know that it sunk in. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/555 "2018-09-22T00:17:13Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Excuse me, but many of us ARE liberals. All the counties in Texas from Austin southward went for Hillary. Please donā€™t paint us wuth the same brush. > > When asked what he admired about Beto, Cruz worked the S-word in again in reference to debating Bernie Sanders. > > The presidentā€™s name was not spoken. Did anyone follow the Tweet Truck? You took offense where none was meant, and I apologize if I was not clear. I simply meant that Texas is known for leaning Republican, and I wondered how the non-liberal folks heard Betoā€™s arguments. I mean, itā€™s not Oregon down there. If youā€™re done with Beto, weā€™d grab him up in a heartbeat. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/556 "2018-09-22T00:24:00Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > Question to Cruz about being humiliated by Trump. What was his answer to this? ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/557 "2018-09-22T00:44:23Z")
^He kinda dodged and spun it by saying he decided to look past Trumpā€™s insults in order to best serve his Texas constituents. ---
**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 22, 2018, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/558 "2018-09-22T00:56:08Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > ā€¦ > I mean, itā€™s not Oregon down there. If youā€™re done with Beto, weā€™d grab him up in a heartbeat. Apology accepted. The rest of the country tends to see Texas monolithically. Itā€™s hard, even for us, to grasp how big the state is. From El Paso to Orange (on the Louisiana border) across the middle is 762 miles. Actually, Austin IS Oregonā€¦ In fact, I think it was Oregon before Oregon was Oregon. Re the annoyance of audience noise: take a leaf from my book-- turn off the sound and put the captions on. BTW, what happened to thumpā€™s plan to hold a ginormous rally to support Rafael? Iā€™d love it if he would get Kyle Field and 1,000 people would show up. Seats 102,733. ---
**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 22, 2018, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/559 "2018-09-22T01:40:53Z")
Hereā€™s a summary from the Texas Tribune > **[Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke clash over immigration, Trump, guns during intense...](https://www.texastribune.org/2018/09/21/ted-cruz-beto-orourke-debate-watch-texas-senate/)** > > U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Democratic opponent Beto O'Rourke held a feisty debate Friday evening at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. A pretty balanced wrap-up from FOXnews [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/09/21/ted-cruz-beto-orourke-clash-in-first-debate-over-trump-immigration-and-supreme-court.html](http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/09/21/ted-cruz-beto-orourke-clash-in-first-debate-over-trump-immigration-and-supreme-court.html) ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/560 "2018-09-22T01:56:48Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Excuse me, but many of us ARE liberals. All the counties in Texas from Austin southward went for Hillary. Please donā€™t paint us wuth the same brushā€¦ Native Texan here so donā€™t take this the wrong way but [no, all the counties from Austin southward did not go for Hillary.](https://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/texas) In fact, none of the suburban counties around Austin went for Hillary. Harris and Fort Bend counties did and most of the counties south of San Antonio went for Hillary, but even there, not all of them did. I get it that Texas is gradually moving further to the left. I get that Beto is the most exciting Democratic candidate to run statewide in decades. But, the Texas Democratic Party is very weak and in a great deal of disarray. As much as I would be delighted to see Beto prevail over Grandpa Munster, I seriously doubt it will happen. In fact, if Beto loses by 9% or less of the vote on Election Day I will be surprised. Turning Texas blue will require a lot of community organizing and grassroots effort. I truly believe one of the most profitable things the national party could do heading toward 2020 is to pump millions into the state party for just this purpose. But it isnā€™t going to happen in the seven weeks remaining before Election Day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987.md?page=27) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987.md?page=29)