# 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:** 37
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/721 "2018-10-22T19:06:00Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > … Remember, this is also the state whose proudest historical moment is getting their asses whupped in an unnecessary battle. I think that has been superseded by JR getting shot. ---
**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:** [October 22, 2018, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/722 "2018-10-22T19:26:50Z")
Yeah, well I come from a state whose proudest moment was repealing the constitutional article the prohibited minorities from moving there and now live in the state whose proudest moment was producing the stuff that flattened Nagasaki. We just kind of sit here in the corner, watching the rest of the country tear itself apart. ---
**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:** [October 22, 2018, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/723 "2018-10-22T20:02:36Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Texas has always been that way. They’re loud precisely because they have so little to be proud of. Remember, this is also the state whose proudest historical moment is getting their asses whupped in an unnecessary battle. :rolleyes: No, we actually do have a lot to be proud of, that have nothing to do with the Alamo or the Confederacy or any of that ‘good old days’ crap. We have a good economy, diverse and progressive urban areas, world-class museums, universities and hospitals, great food, music, natural beauty, etc. That’s what’s depressing. We have so much good going on here but, yes, there are an awful lot of backward-thinking idiots, too. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/724 "2018-10-22T20:15:23Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > We have a good economy, diverse and progressive urban areas, world-class museums, universities and hospitals, great food, music, natural beauty, etc. And you also have a few thousand square miles _outside_ of Austin. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/725 "2018-10-22T20:39:33Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > And you also have a few thousand square miles _outside_ of Austin. DFW, Houston, San Antonio and El Paso can hardly be described as backwards hickvilles full of shoeless rubes. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/726 "2018-10-22T20:43:20Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > :rolleyes: No, we actually do have a lot to be proud of, that have nothing to do with the Alamo or the Confederacy or any of that ‘good old days’ crap. We have a good economy, diverse and progressive urban areas, world-class museums, universities and hospitals, great food, music, natural beauty, etc. > > That’s what’s depressing. We have so much good going on here but, yes, there are an awful lot of backward-thinking idiots, too. Yeppers, and the bad-ass “Don’t Mess With Texas!” slogan is actually an anti-littering campaign (how Liberal!), but don’t tell that to any of those good ole boys. ---
**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:** [October 22, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/727 "2018-10-22T20:45:52Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > And you also have a few thousand square miles _outside_ of Austin. Yes, there’s also Dallas, Houston (most ethnically diverse area in the nation), San Antonio, El Paso… like I said, “progressive urban areas.” Well, relatively progressive. 🙂 ---
**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:** [October 22, 2018, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/728 "2018-10-22T20:56:43Z")
> [@](#): > > No, we actually do have a lot to be proud of, that have nothing to do with the Alamo or the Confederacy or any of that ‘good old days’ crap. We have a good economy, diverse and progressive urban areas, world-class museums, universities and hospitals, great food, music, natural beauty, etc. Yes, in a state that’s three times as big as everything. I have all of those things right in my own _county_. ---
**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:** [October 22, 2018, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/729 "2018-10-22T20:57:27Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > DFW, Houston, San Antonio and El Paso can hardly be described as backwards hickvilles full of shoeless rubes. Yeah! _\_ What he said! ---
**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:** [October 22, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/730 "2018-10-22T21:00:46Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Yes, in a state that’s three times as big as everything. I have all of those things right in my own _county_. Me, too. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/731 "2018-10-22T21:07:44Z")
Yeah, living in Houston I was surprised how many people I met who were visiting for medical treatment. I think most people who shit on Texas know jack about it. ---
**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:** [October 22, 2018, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/732 "2018-10-22T21:12:47Z")
I mean, I totally understand the sentiment. Texas gets a lot wrong. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn are prime examples. Even if he loses, Beto’s popularity at least shows that we are far from being a monolithic red state. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/733 "2018-10-22T21:19:11Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Yeah, living in Houston I was surprised how many people I met who were visiting for medical treatment. I think most people who shit on Texas know jack about it. I haven’t heard anyone dissing Texas who brought up their medical facilities. One of the most repulsive parts of Texas, if you must know, is the bragging and brutality. It’s like a part of the world that remained a middle school boys’ gang. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/734 "2018-10-22T21:30:36Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > I hadn’t considered this. You could end up having Democratic House candidates in Texas riding Beto’s coattails to victory. _Even if Beto himself loses._ I live in Texas 32 myself, and most every Beto sign I see also has a Colin Allred sign next to it, along with in my area, a John Turner (Texas House candidate) next to it. And for what it’s worth, they outnumber the Ted Cruz / Lisa Luby Ryan / Pete Sessions signs about 3:1. I’m pretty optimistic that we’ll get at least one of the three Democrats elected, and cautiously optimistic that we’ll see 2 of the 3 elected. I have a feeling Turner has an uphill fight though. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/735 "2018-10-22T21:39:31Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > I mean, I totally understand the sentiment. Texas gets a lot wrong. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn are prime examples. > > Even if he loses, Beto’s popularity at least shows that we are far from being a monolithic red state. That, in turn, would depend upon how much he loses by if he does lose. O’Rourke’s got a lot of things going for him in this race that other Democratic nominees for offices voted on by the whole state didn’t have (e.g., he’s charismatic, likable, and is running against an incumbent who’s detested by people in both parties). If he loses and his margin of defeat is within the range of Wendy Davis’s, the Texas State Democratic Party might forget about ever winning a state-wide office for at least another 20 years and fold up its tent. ---
**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:** [October 22, 2018, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/736 "2018-10-22T22:46:44Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > Me, too. Me too. /Dallas ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/737 "2018-10-23T00:02:34Z")
I remember Ann Richards and Lloyd Bentsen. What the hell happened to Texas? ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/738 "2018-10-23T03:32:42Z")
> [@](#): > > The Houston Chronicle described the turnout on the first day of early voting in Texas as “shocking.” - [Kyle Griffin](https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1054571865333628929) ‏ ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/739 "2018-10-23T04:18:34Z")
Gertrude Stein is alleged to have said that Houston has the attitude of Oakland and the climate of Calcutta. That’s not a bad line, so I kinda doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/740 "2018-10-23T06:48:37Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Gertrude Stein is alleged to have said that Houston has the attitude of Oakland and the climate of Calcutta. That’s not a bad line, so I kinda doubt it. But is there a _there_ there? [reference](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakland,_California#%22There_is_no_there_there%22): > [@](#): > > Gertrude Stein wrote about Oakland in her 1937 book _Everybody’s Autobiography_ “There is no there there,” upon learning that the neighborhood where she lived as a child had been torn down to make way for an industrial park. The quote is sometimes misconstrued to refer to Oakland as a whole. > > Modern-day Oakland has made steps to rebuke Stein’s claim with a statue downtown titled “There.” In 2005 a sculpture called HERETHERE was installed by the City of Berkeley on the Berkeley-Oakland border at Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The sculpture consists of eight-foot-tall letters spelling “HERE” and “THERE” in front of the BART tracks as they descend from their elevated section in Oakland to the subway through Berkeley. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987.md?page=36) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987.md?page=38)