After narrowly losing his 2018 U.S. Senate campaign to Senator Ted Cruz, Beto O’Rourke began his 2020 White House run with a full head of steam in March. But, recently the liberal Texan has been dropping like a stone in early polling of the crowded 2020 Democratic presidential field. ??Perhaps, in an effort to ignite a spark into his campaign, O’Rourke unveiled a plan to redistribute wealth from rich, white Americans to poor, African Americans during a campaign event in New Hampshire last week.?
The Washington Examiner reported that the former U.S. Congressman made his comments while responding to an event attendee’s question about how he would address economic inequality. O’Rourke reportedly stated, “One very obvious opportunity — but it will be insufficient. When we look at the fact that there’s 10 times the wealth today in white America than there is in black America, and that families have been able to successfully pass on that wealth over time.” ??He added, “We know from our history of redlining and excluding African Americans from the ability to build wealth through home purchases, that opportunity does not exist for much of the country.”?
Continuing, the 2020 Democratic presidential contender said, “What if in the tax code we did a better job of breaking down that accumulated wealth, of taxing it so it is not producing the greatest income and wealth inequality that we’ve seen in our lifetimes, unseen since the Gilded Age of the 19th century? What if we decided that we would use the proceeds to invest in people, in education?” ??When someone inquired why O’Rourke, as a white man, is capable of leading the charge for “racial healing,” the former Congressman remarked, “I can choose to do this as a white man, to involve myself in this conversation. I can just as easily choose to back out of it.” ??According to the Washington Examiner, roughly 100 people attended the campaign event.?
Besides addressing economic inequality, O’Rourke is reportedly working on a “reintroduction” to his fledgling campaign.
According to Breitbart, “O’Rourke barreled into the 2020 presidential race with breakneck energy and a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants campaign style that saw him leap atop tables to address overflow crowds with the organic, off-the-cuff candor that had made him a Texas sensation.” The 2020 Democratic presidential contender reportedly raised around $6.1 million during the first 24 hours of his campaign. For the first day of campaign launches thus far, this impressive amount was second only to former Vice President Joe Biden’s, Democrat – Delaware, $6.3 million.
Unfortunately for O’Rourke, excitement for his campaign has seemingly waned in recent days. Breitbart reported that “He’s made few promises that resonated or produced headline-grabbing moments, instead driving around the country meeting with voters at mostly small events.” Regarding O’Rourke’s “reintroduction,” one of his campaign advisors said he “has entered an intentional ‘quiet period’ to build out campaign infrastructure.” This individual spoke to Breitbart about the 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful’s campaign strategy.
?Reportedly, the former Congressman has admitted he’s encountered difficulties on the campaign trail. After speaking to approximately 40 people at a recent event in Newton, Iowa, O’Rourke stated, “I think, in part, I was just trying to keep up when I first started out. I really feel like I’ve found my rhythm and my pace, and I just feel comfortable, and I feel like this is what I’m supposed to be doing.” ?
To reclaim solid footing in this insanely crowded race, O’Rourke better be “doing something” soon. And, if he desires to lure moderate Democrats, independents, or even conservatives to his tent, the liberal Texan might need to start with something other than wealth redistribution.??
