He’s so honest–and yet so inspiring. As opposed to what we have now: so dishonest, and so angry and depressing.

Want to stop illegal immigration most effectively? Prosecute the employers of illegal immigrants, first–you’ll discourage dozens or hundreds or thousands for every single case, instead of just one.

PS: Donald Trump employs illegal immigrants, and always has.
PPS: It ain’t partisan to say so. It’s hypocritical not to call it out.

This ain’t about illegal immigration. If it were, we’d be obsessed with illegal immigration from our northern border, but we ain’t. If it were, we’d be obsessed with where most illegal immigration happens: via planes and overstaying visas, but we ain’t. We’re obsessed with the border, because this ain’t about illegal immigration (which most of our forefathers and mothers did, too)—it’s about racism. It’s about people who are different—that’s why we like to suppress voting rights in our own country, too, whether through BS voter id laws or gerrymandering. It’s about fear, and hate, and nationalism, and fascism. And it’s about classism—we don’t want poor folks, we want to give huge tax breaks to the 1%, and to hell with healthcare or anything our country’s citizens actually needs.

It ain’t hype to say the above. It’s silly not to call it out, as this guy just did. (see below video, if you haven’t yet).

I’m liberal, sure.

But honestly I’d vote for a Republican if they supported our environment, as the GOP used to, and they supported equal rights—from a conservative point of view, we shouldn’t want the State interfering in individual rights to marry, vote, earn a fair paycheck…

Given that no Republican seems interested in health care, equality, our environment…I vote liberal. That said, I respected McCain greatly, if not his campaign. And it’s important to me to be respectful to those I disagree with—unless, as James Baldwin noted, their view undermines someone’s right to exist.

All that said, I’ve donated to three candidates, thus far. I find it very important—as a journalist, as a democracy-lover, as an American—to get rid of this Nationalist, despotic sickness that is laying carnage to our country and tearing apart the fabric of our already frayed, but once more hopeful, society.

I’ve donated to Bernie. I love that he just speaks truth, and cares about the little guy. I love that he looks bored with politics, with drama, and just…cares.

I’ve donated to Warren. It’s time for this great country (great in our excess, great in our potential, great in our sins, and great in our accomplishments) to see a woman at the helm. And, she’s probably the smartest, most prepared candidate you could ever ask for.

I’ve donated, finally, and many times, to Beto. All three candidates are only taking money ethically—unlike, say, Trump or some others on the Democratic side. But here’s why I see Beto as the right choice for America, now, in 2020:

My two favorite things about Beto are:

1) strategically, you flip Texas and there’s no path to victory for President Trump, even if he won the other so-called battleground states.

2) Beto’s powerfully empathetic, positive, hopeful—a good counterstrategy to all those citizens sick of the “carnage”-rivening Trump message of fear and division and hate. And he’s shown he’s not wimpy in his goodness. In fact, he’s as if not more comfortable than any other candidate pointedly speaking truth to despotism.

3) Okay. One more: he’s a moderate, and a progressive, both. He’s a uniter. He will, given the opportunity, actually bring this divided country together—I love Warren and Sanders, but they’re not uniters, particularly.

~

Updates above and below–original text below.

Here’s the recent Pod Saves America–Beto’s reply after “I don’t know” with about 10 minutes left made my day/week/year.

 

Great read:

“Donald Trump has dumbed down our politics, diminishing the discourse to the point where a cry at a rally or a tweet passes for a statement of principle. This is the political game that Trump has chosen to play. And he has played it well enough to dominate the debate for four long years.

But he is getting beaten this week by a better man. Beto O’Rourke is not going low in the way that Trump does. He is bringing more nuance, insight, and honest emotion to the dialogue. But he is waging the debate on all the platforms that Trump uses. And O’Rourke is winning.

After a horrific mass shooting that left 22 men, women, and children dead in El Paso, killed by a white man who targeted Latinos and whose “manifesto” echoed Trump’s anti-immigrant hate speech, O’Rourke responded not as a 2020 presidential contender (or as the Senate candidate some would like him to be) but as a passionate son of his hometown.

The former El Paso City Council member and congressman held nothing back…”

…read the rest, here. Support journalism!

Still think he should run for Senate again, instead? Read this first, and last.

Correction: Sean was a shopper, not an employee.

Here’s President Obama’s statement on the shootings. A bit different in tone and content than our present President, hey? It’ll remind you of what’s real, and what’s best, both, about our fellow citizens and this troubled country.

“Until all of us stand up and insist on holding public officials accountable for changing our gun laws, these tragedies will keep happening.” ~ President Barack Obama

Beto’s appearance on Morning Joe  is riveting, insightful, powerful, even inspiring.

The rally in El Paso, Sunday night:

Beto’s asked point-blank: is Donald Trump a racist? Here’s his response.

See Beto O’Rourke’s reaction to the shooting in El Paso, hometown.

Don’t avoid “playing politics,” right now. Right now is the time to discuss gun safety solutions, not later. Later never comes, and nothing ever changes.

Gun violence is politics. Our inability to take commonsense action is politics.

On the issue of gun violence after El Paso mass shooting attack: “I think we need to focus more on memorials before we start the politics.” ~ Republican Texas Gov. Abbott

“Yes…we’ve had a rise in hate crimes every one of the last three years… he is a racist, and he stokes racism in this country … and it leads to violence.” ~ asked about President Trump’s rhetoric in relation to the El Paso mass shooting attack, El Pasoan and Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke

Donald Trump is a racist. Any president’s words have power. Thoughts and prayers won’t cut it. Don’t make the shooter famous. Fund mental health and commonsense gun safety solutions supported by 90% of Americans.

“Love this. Reporter asks Beto about what Trump can do to help. Beto’s response: “WTF?” Two Adults comment on the recent Shootings.

New video:

Watch the video: “I’m not sure the point you’re trying to make, Jake:”

To be fair to Jake Tapper, he was trying to make the point…well, watch the full bit here if so inspired:

If you watch one thing:

Bonus:

90% of Americans support background checks for all gun sales. It’s time to act, or see this violence continue.