# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/141 "2018-03-06T15:08:44Z")
Cute article last night from NPR. > **[Texas Democrat's Underdog Bid To Unseat Ted Cruz Picks Up Momentum](https://www.npr.org/2018/03/05/590709857/texas-democrats-underdog-bid-to-unseat-ted-cruz-picks-up-momentum)** > > It has been 25 years since a Democrat has represented the Lone Star State in the Senate, but Rep. Beto O'Rourke believes he can beat the odds by campaigning in every part of Texas. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/142 "2018-03-07T14:38:23Z")
Beto got a surprisingly anemic [62% of the Dem primary vote](https://apps.texastribune.org/elections/2018/primary-election-results/). Also, 1.5 million people voted in the GOP primary, and [only about 1 million voted in the Dem primary](https://www.texastribune.org/2018/03/07/texas-primary-elections-2018/). ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/143 "2018-03-07T17:25:40Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Beto got a surprisingly anemic [62% of the Dem primary vote](https://apps.texastribune.org/elections/2018/primary-election-results/). > > Also, 1.5 million people voted in the GOP primary, and [only about 1 million voted in the Dem primary](https://www.texastribune.org/2018/03/07/texas-primary-elections-2018/). I mean, the last two Senate primaries had less than 500K Dems voting, so it’s a good sign, but I doubt it will make a huge change. ---
**Author:** ![Ambrosio\_Spinola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@Ambrosio\_Spinola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambrosio_Spinola)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/144 "2018-03-07T19:59:09Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I mean, the last two Senate primaries had less than 500K Dems voting, so it’s a good sign, but I doubt it will make a huge change. Yes, if the same number of Republicans voted in the general election for Senate as voted for John Cornyn in 2014, the Democrats would need to have almost twice as many votes as _they_ got in that election to win, which is . . . sort of difficult to imagine. That said, it looks like one of O’Rourke’s biggest challenges is [lack of name recognition](https://www.texasobserver.org/inconsistent-showing-democratic-primary-raises-questions-beto-orourke/) since people who aren’t from El Paso or are political junkies have never heard of him. Fortunately, Rafael “Ted” Cruz may be seeking to help O’Rourke solve this particular problem through his favorite pasttime of [being a smarmy asshole](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/7/17091094/controversy-beto-orourke-robert-name-ted-cruz). ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/145 "2018-03-07T21:24:46Z")
> [@Ambrosio\_Spinola](#): > > Fortunately, Rafael “Ted” Cruz may be seeking to help O’Rourke solve this particular problem through his favorite pasttime of [being a smarmy asshole](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/7/17091094/controversy-beto-orourke-robert-name-ted-cruz). He does have a particular talent in that direction, bless his heart. ---
**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:** [March 8, 2018, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/146 "2018-03-08T02:20:10Z")
Even aside from the hypocrisy of Raphael Cruz criticizing O’Rourke for using a nickname, the ad isn’t even coherent. He knew he couldn’t fit in with a name like “Robert”, so he changed his name to “Beto”? Is that even supposed to make sense? ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/147 "2018-03-08T07:08:29Z")
Whatever the case, Cruz seems to be taking a page from the Trump playbook (and God knows, he has plenty of experience being on the receiving end of that), and I’m sure it will work. Humor and mockery were never the Republicans’ strong suit, but Trump turned all that upside down with his own mean-spirited brand of it, and now they’re running with it. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/148 "2018-03-09T14:13:31Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Even aside from the hypocrisy of Raphael Cruz criticizing O’Rourke for using a nickname, the ad isn’t even coherent. He knew he couldn’t fit in with a name like “Robert”, so he changed his name to “Beto”? Is that even supposed to make sense? The smarmy implied message of the contrast is to rev it up as a culture war. Cruz, of Hispanic heritage, has embraced a specific sort of White identity (and values). O’Rourke is, per the implied narrative, a liberal fourth Irish-American pandering to Hispanics. If there was a Pocahontas name for that he’s use it too. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/149 "2018-03-11T15:14:27Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > The smarmy implied message of the contrast is to rev it up as a culture war. Cruz, of Hispanic heritage, has embraced a specific sort of White identity (and values). O’Rourke is, per the implied narrative, a liberal fourth Irish-American pandering to Hispanics. If there was a Pocahontas name for that he’s use it too. [I liked Beto’s response of posting a (very cute) picture of him as a child wearing a sweater with his nickname on it](https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/971467245477081092). He’s not someone who adopted a Hispanic nickname as an adult to run for office, he’s had it most of his life. I’m in Texas and well aware that Beto’s candidacy is still a longshot, but he definitely has a chance. And there’s still a good amount of time until the election in November, a lot more time for Beto to get name recognition and higher approval. And I appreciate that while Beto could very easily just continually attack Cruz and get a lot of cheers, he instead mainly focuses on the positive things he could do as senator. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/150 "2018-03-11T15:34:53Z")
A clever strategy, at least in the early going. Cruz is an odious turd who generates his own oppo, all the qualities of a rattlesnake but lacking the warmth. Any informed Texan who still supports him is beyond the reach of reason and argument, Beto most likely already has as much of the anti-Cruz support as anyone is going to get. As a recovering Texan, I firmly support my lefty/lib pals and gals from way up here. _Sic 'em_, ya’ll! ---
**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:** [March 11, 2018, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/151 "2018-03-11T16:28:58Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > … > As a recovering Texan, I firmly support my lefty/lib pals and gals from way up here. _Sic 'em_, ya’ll! Will do, Bubba! 🙂 ---
**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:** [March 21, 2018, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/152 "2018-03-21T20:04:02Z")
It’s a developing story and I’m not sure how it’s going to pan out, but could Ted Cruz’s ties to Cambridge Analytica become a campaign issue? He’s at least mildly concerned or he wouldn’t be issuing statements about it. > [@](#): > > “Cambridge Analytica was an outside vendor that the campaign hired to assist in data analysis and online advertising, and they worked for the campaign, pursuant to contract,” Cruz told The Texas Tribune. “Cambridge Analytica represented to the campaign that all data in their possession were legally obtained and that they were in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, and the campaign relied on those representations.” [Ted Cruz says Cambridge Analytica told his presidential campaign its data use was legal](https://www.gosanangelo.com/story/news/politics/2018/03/20/ted-cruz-says-cambridge-analytica-told-his-presidential-campaign-its-data-use-legal/442239002/) ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/153 "2018-03-22T15:49:07Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > It’s a developing story and I’m not sure how it’s going to pan out, but could Ted Cruz’s ties to Cambridge Analytica become a campaign issue? He’s at least mildly concerned or he wouldn’t be issuing statements about it. I believe he issued the statement because his opponent took a shot at him. Maybe it will be a campaign issue - guilt by association is a time-honored tradition in politics. It will have to be pretty carefully focused, and that’s hard to do in a campaign. Once it spins into “data mining is unethical” it’s over. Because both sides do it. And O’Rourke is a three termer - sooner or later some ties will be found for him to some company that did something shady. Regards, Shodan ---
**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:** [March 22, 2018, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/154 "2018-03-22T18:10:46Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > It’s a developing story and I’m not sure how it’s going to pan out, but could Ted Cruz’s ties to Cambridge Analytica become a campaign issue? He’s at least mildly concerned or he wouldn’t be issuing statements about it. > > [Ted Cruz says Cambridge Analytica told his presidential campaign its data use was legal](https://www.gosanangelo.com/story/news/politics/2018/03/20/ted-cruz-says-cambridge-analytica-told-his-presidential-campaign-its-data-use-legal/442239002/) “We accidentally hired da bad guys, but it’s not our fault, 'cause dey tole us dey was da good guys!” ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/155 "2018-03-22T20:20:37Z")
[This is just the break that the Romney campaign needs](http://thehill.com/opinion/technology/379245-whats-genius-for-obama-is-scandal-when-it-comes-to-trump)! Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/156 "2018-03-22T23:46:41Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > [This is just the break that the Romney campaign needs](http://thehill.com/opinion/technology/379245-whats-genius-for-obama-is-scandal-when-it-comes-to-trump)! > > Regards, > Shodan Riiiiiiight, because Obama’s data mining company [used bribery and sex workers to entrap politicians, too](https://www.channel4.com/news/cambridge-analytica-revealed-trumps-election-consultants-filmed-saying-they-use-bribes-and-sex-workers-to-entrap-politicians-investigation)… Oh, wait, no they didn’t. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/157 "2018-03-23T14:57:57Z")
The point is that it really is true that everyone does it, and everyone relies on the assurances of the company that they are doing it legally. Obama did it, Cruz did it, O’Rourke did it, Trump did it, Hillary did it. Regards, Shodan ---
**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:** [March 24, 2018, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/158 "2018-03-24T14:55:22Z")
And yet, none of the Democrats accidentally hired the bad guys. Maybe they aren’t just relying on the company’s assurances, and doing a little bit of independent double-checking? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2018, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/159 "2018-03-24T16:01:56Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > The point is that it really is true that everyone does it, and everyone relies on the assurances of the company that they are doing it legally. Obama did it, Cruz did it, O’Rourke did it, Trump did it, Hillary did it. > > Regards, > Shodan Not the same really. > **[Comparing Facebook data use by Obama, Cambridge Analytica](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2018/mar/22/meghan-mccain/comparing-facebook-data-use-obama-cambridge-analyt/)** > > As news reports surfaced of Cambridge Analytica and the Donald Trump campaign, conservatives pointed to what seemed a do > [@](#): > > The real divergence is in the way each campaign accessed the data. > > The Obama campaign created a Facebook app for supporters to donate, learn of voting requirements, and find nearby houses to canvass. The app asked users’ permission to scan their photos, friends lists, and news feeds. Most users complied. > > The people signing up knew the data they were handing over would be used to support a political campaign. Their friends, however, did not. > > The people who downloaded the app used by Cambridge Analytica did not know their data would be used to aid any political campaigns. The app was billed as a personality quiz that would be used by Cambridge University researchers. > > \*\*Aleksandr Kogan, one of the Cambridge researchers involved in the project, sold the data to the upstart political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. The company then sold its services not only to the Trump campaign, but to the presidential campaign of Sen. Ted Cruz and the senatorial campaign of Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., among others. > > When Facebook discovered a developer had shared users’ data without their consent in 2015, it asked both the original app and the consultancy to delete the data. That didn’t happen.\*\* > > “The thing that is true is that every Facebook app you downloaded back then was getting access to your entire friends list,” said David Karpf, an associate professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University. “When tech people were trying to raise outrage about it they were being ignored. Now, everyone is outraged. \*\*But what (McCain) is wrong about this is that Kogan then sold it, and for a much creepier purpose.” > \*\* > \*\*How it was used > \*\* > > Obama operatives used Facebook data to get users to send their messaging for them, according to Eitan Hersh, a Tufts professor who wrote Hacking the Electorate, a book on Obama’s microtargeting strategies. > > **Facebook friends lists, tags and photos allowed Obama operatives to identify a person’s close friends, which they then matched with offline public records. (Was this person likely to vote for Obama, but unlikely to get out to vote?) They then told the app users which of their friends they should send campaign messages to.** > > Cambridge Analytica dialed up what Karpf called the creepiness factor. They combined the survey results with the Facebook data to create psychological profiles they then sold to campaigns. The idea was, if the firm could discover how these people thought, they could target ads toward them. > > They then sent targeted ads to the users on the database. The friends of the app users weren’t being targeted by their friends, but by the campaign itself. In other words, the consenting middle man was gone. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2018, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987/160 "2018-03-24T16:09:38Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And yet, none of the Democrats accidentally hired the bad guys. Maybe they aren’t just relying on the company’s assurances, and doing a little bit of independent double-checking? Don’t suppose you have a cite for that. Regards, Shodan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-beto-orourke-have-a-chance-to-oust-ted-cruz/807987.md?page=9)