While plenty of pundits have compared O’Rourke to President Obama on the basis of their charisma, rhetoric and appeal to younger voters, those comparisons don’t always extend to policy. O’Rourke took many stances contrary to the Obama administration, including opposition to arming Syria’s rebels . He also called the use of force in Libya a “factor in the destabilization of the Middle East and the rise of ISIS,” and opposed National Security Agency surveillance that occurred on Obama’s watch.
Of course, none of this resolves serious concerns about some of O’Rourke’s positions, as raised by journalist Zaid Jilani , columnist Elizabeth Bruenig and others. And we should heed journalist Jill Filipovic’s call to “examine the assumptions and biases that give us Beto-mania while conveniently ignoring or actively kneecapping the great many competent, talented, progressive women who could be just as exciting.”
Still, O’Rourke campaigned on actual policies and principles — not just rhetoric and charisma. He’s not the only candidate among the likely 2020 Democratic field to champion these policies, but O’Rourke has consistently and successfully raised the profile of these issues. He also proved he had the political courage to do so unabashedly in all 254 counties of Texas. As a presidential candidate, O’Rourke would rightly ensure that criminal justice reform, campaign finance reform and Medicare for everyone are prioritized by the Democratic Party. Perhaps most intriguing of all, O’Rourke could amplify the debate on ending the failed war on drugs in a field of former prosecutors and supporters of that war.
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