By constantly deflecting to the idea of having a debate, O’Rourke wraps his evasiveness in the populism of the moment. While avoiding taking a position on immigration, he assures the Post that once the people have the facts, they will reach the right decision.

This is the infantile political philosophy of Anakin Skywalker. In reality, politics exists precisely because good people often have differing beliefs about what the right policy is on a given issue. O’Rourke either does not understand this essential point or presumes that his followers do not. (He could be right about that.)

In this regard, O’Rourke’s non-positions reflect part of the appeal of populism, which is stronger in offering a critique or inviting a debate than in offering new solutions. If O’Rourke runs for president, however, he should have to do better than asking questions. There’s this thing called leadership that voters might desire in an aspiring president. Say what you want about the merits of a border wall, but at least it’s a policy.