Other than Beto, which candidates have recently faced a truly volatile race?

[Indygram]

(EDIT for clarification: I am speaking political races against a Republican candidate where they were the target of VILE attack Ads by Republicans NOT media criticism or scandals or typical primary competition.)

We all know how nasty the election is going to get. It is CRUCIAL that we know how the candidates react to that level of volatility, attacks and nastiness for months on end. Do they get defensive and stumble when attacked? Do they avoid uncomfortable confrontation? Do they get defensive and reactionary? Can they block out the noise and keep working? How battle tested are they?

This is another reason why I believe that Beto is the right candidate, he doesn't let the hatefulness, nastiness and nonsense distract him from the job at hand...he just continues to work his tail off and does NOT back away from difficult questions. He addresses them with the courage of his convictions and does not get all defensive and insecure. Those character strengths are exactly what Democrats need to go up against Trump.

We all saw that hitting back doesn't work. Trump can't say Beto is low energy or little and he certainly can't imply he has health issues with him running all these 5k races. A young vibrant energetic calm and rational rock star who is both taller than Trump and quite handsome. Great ideas, charismatic, and able to inspire and motivate and bring people on board and who can shoot down EVERY Trump lie about the border and immigration because no one knows the issue better than Beto. A candidate who both appeals to progressives yet does NOT scare off moderates. A perfect balance.

Logically speaking, there couldn't be a more perfect candidate if you could created one specific to the task at hand.

An example of how Beto dealt with nasty, hateful and volatile attack ads:

Link to tweet

[Turin_C3PO]

1. Beto's currently my #3.

Behind Biden and Warren. Everything you say about him is true and, depending on how the debates go, he could move up in my list.

[Indygram]

3. I'm glad you are open to being won over

I really believe that he is our next president. I've never been more convinced of any race in my life.

[33taw]

2. My guess is Bernie Sanders would say his race with Hillary was volatile.

Joe Biden had a race against McCain/Palin. As far as I am concerned, Palin started the trend of snarky politics.

[Indygram]

5. Hillary didn't attack Bernie at all that I recall

and Biden wasn't the one being attacked, it was Obama. He's not a candidate.

[33taw]

14. First, I am not a Bernie supporter and getting into previous election battles is kind of pointless.

However, Bernie alleged that a lot of backroom politics impacted his race. So, in answer to your question, I believe that both Bernie and Biden have been involved or believe the have been involved volatile campaigns. This is simply my opinion. Of Biden, Bernie and Beto - only Biden prevailed in his campaign as the running mate of Obama.

[Indygram]

17. I edited my original post to clarify what I meant about recent volatile races

I was talking about what candidates have faced a volatile race with Republicans with the vile attack ads from the GOP and PACs. I was not talking about primaries or the media or scandals or part leadership manipulation. I am specifically talking about races against Republicans where they were the candidate or target of vile GOP/Republican attacks. Competing with others on the same team for the leadership role just is not the same thing.

[marylandblue]

18. I don't think being a running mate is good as campaign experience.

The top of the ticket makes all the decisions and that's mostly who people vote for. Biden could not win on his own, and even now, he is only able to run because Obama gave him a chance.

In the current campaign, I think the sniping among candidates is good for our side. The winner will need to be able to take punches and keep fighting, because Trump will be 10X worse than anything we do to each other.

[33taw]

20. Beto did a good job against Cruz. Sadly, he fell short. Crus fell short to Trump.

Biden had many successful state campaigns as a US Senator.

[marylandblue]

22. Biden won in a small blue state where he became a fixture.

In two national campaigns on his own, he fell flat. The best I can say is that I hope he learned a lot from Obama.

[Indygram]

25. Biden got 257,484 votes the last time he won his own election

Beto got 4,045,632 votes.

Hell, Beto got almost twice as many Republican votes in his last race than Biden got in total for his last election.

[33taw]

37. I hope he does well in the primaries.

[dalton99a]

42. +1

[George II]

7. It was, but it was unidirectional.

[SouthernProgressive]

10. He did run a very shady campaign. NT

[33taw]

11. Who ran a shady campaign?

[SouthernProgressive]

12. I was referencing your subject line. NT

[Agschmid]

47. I would say his race against Tarrant was also rough...

Yes he was most likely going to win, but the campaign was messy.

[irisblue]

4. VP debate, October 2012. Biden slapped Ryan into low earth orbit

A most excellent American political night

[cwydro]

21. Boom.

Thank you.

[George II]

6. Have you been following the news about the way Joe Biden has been attacked?

[Skya Rhen]

29. Even right here on DU, over foolishness...

[brooklynite]

8. Hickenlooper won CO-GOV in 2014 by 3 (49-46)

Steve Bullock won MT-GOV in 2016 by 4 (50-46)

[Indygram]

9. Thanks for mentioning these as I am not familiar with either of them

Last edited Sat Jun 15, 2019, 09:29 AM - Edit history (2)

Did you follow either race closely enough at the time to know if it was anywhere near as vicious and vile as the way Beto was attacked by Cruz and all the Republican PACs that will undoubtedly be back at it again this time? I think they actually already ran attack ads in Iowa before he even entered the race...that is how much they fear him.

[cwydro]

40. I think you mean vicious. "Viscous" has a completely different meaning, different word.

Are you saying the Republicans are running attack ads in Iowa against Beto?

Can you link to one?

[Indygram]

43. Thanks, fixed it...and as far as I know they ran it, if not they planned to

Here is a link to the article...and you will mention some of the same Republican talking points the GOP has been spreading have been repeated right on this site, whether people doing it realize or not. So the GOP is behind all the attacks and misinformation that has been spread about Beto that has actually bought into by some progressives who have repeated it and told others not to support Beto.

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/10/beto-orourke-2020-attack-1214805

[33taw]

13. Honestly, there are so many candidates that it is likely many have had difficult campaigns.

I simply do not know all of the candidates well enough to know the difficulty each has had in various races. I personally believe that Joe Biden has the most experience running for an office at the level of POTUS. While Hickenlooper did have a challenging 2014 race against Bob Beauprez, I don’t think State or Local races can compare to the pressure of a national race.

I plan to vote for whomever the nominee is regardless of previous contests. For the primary I will likely make my choice based on the debates.... Right now, I am open to all of them.

[peggysue2]

15. O'Rourke needs another breakout moment

Either during the debate, a memorable, repeatable soundbite, or something similar to the NFL moment that generated so much excitement. He needs to remind the public why he was regarded as a rock star in the first place. He earned the position while running in Texas. He needs to do that again.

I've said before: if he recaptures that lightening in a bottle, he'll zoom to the top tier. He has the capability and charisma. He just needs to jolt the public consciousness again. If he does that the press will be forced to follow.

[marylandblue]

16. You make a good point about Beto, but I don't think we need a full campaign to test them.

I think Buttigieg and Warren both have demonstrated similar abilities to run effective campaigns but not in the same way Beto has. I don't think running a statewide campaign is the only way to judge someone's talents.

[essadaw]

19. This is one reason I support Beto

I think he is the only candidate who has weathered the Republican attack machine on full force. Biden got a little, but the full force was on Obama during their campaign.

And he still proudly championed progressive values and didn't change his message. Before Beto, it was considered insanity for a blood red State Democratic candidate to campaign on sensible gun control, abortion right, LBGTQ rights, climate change, etc... He single-handedly strengthened the Texas Democratic party and turned Texas into a battleground state--TEXAS!

I know he isn't doing great in the polls right now--but history shows that polls right now are often meaningless. The people paying attention now are die-hard partisans who will vote no matter what. Beto's strength in Texas was inspiring non-and infrequent voters--and nationwide, these non-political people are not paying attention now. We will need these voters to decisively beat Trump and have nationwide coattails.

It is no surprise to me that the only candidate the Republicans have bothered to launch attack ads against so far in the presidential campaign is Beto

[Indygram]

23. Exactly...the Republicans attacked him before he even entered the race didn't they?

They are scared shitless of Beto...and they should be. He is literally a political nightmare for them. They don't want to have to defend Texas and if he is the nominee they will have to. I honestly do think that much of the support for Biden is soft support and up for grabs.

[dalton99a]

35. +1. If he is a 2% loser, why are they so afraid of him?

The trolls are relentless in their attacks on social media

[Indygram]

36. Yes, the attack ad on Beto that ran in Iowa before he got in was from Right Wingers

They absolutely mangle reality, making it sound like the attacks are coming from the left and manipulated Democrats into repeating it.

Republicans do NOT want to go against Beto because they know he can take Texas and they NEED it for any chance. If Republicans lose Texas they will never win the presidency again anytime soon.

[dalton99a]

48. And some Democrats are all too happy to repeat the misinformation

and the misleading headlines

[TexasBushwhacker]

24. Beto has crossover appeal

Not only did he motivate 1 MILLION people to register to vote for the first time, voter turnout for the midterm election was almost as big as 2016. Cruz got 400K fewer votes than Gov Greg Abbot. Those Republican and independent votes went to Beto. If Beto or Castro are on the ticket, Texas will be in play.

[Indygram]

26. Castro doesn't have the same impact, imo

Beto has something special.

[JustAnotherGen]

27. I don't think that will be something people will consider

He's never won a state wide race - correct? I get he came close - but it wasn't enough. This is why I don't mind the Senators being in the race - they've won a state wide race in large states with extremely diverse populations -

Thinking Warren, Cory and Kamala.

I think Beto falters in SC, NV and CA. I think the other three I just mentioned will each win one.

[Indygram]

34. Not a single one of the candidates could have done what Beto did in Texas

The down ticket gains were historical and it never would have happened without Beto. Regardless of what any polls say...no one but Beto can turn Texas Blue. All of those people came out for him because they believe in him and trust him. They won't mobilize like that for anyone else. If Texas goes blue there is NO PATH for Trump. The amount of money Republicans would have to use trying to defend Texas would open up even more red states for the picking off.

[JustAnotherGen]

38. I do not believe we can win Texas

Doesn't matter who the candidate is. Ditto Florida and possibly Ohio.

It's not because of the Democratic voters. The electoral systems in those states cannot be overcome in time for November 2020. Example - Brandon Peters told folks to expect a recount in Florida in 2020. I don't think it will be enough and the election will be certified. I remember 2000 - it will happen again. But I'm glad he's out the Maggot DeSantis on watch - his cheat better be flawless.


Thing is - WI and MI look a lot different this time in terms of election integrity.

It's great that folks in Texas believe in him and trust him.

I don't trust him to get the SALT Cap lifted.

[Indygram]

44. Texas will go blue if Beto is the nominee

You should go to his website and submit a question/comment about the SALT Cap. He is using input from voters to develop his policy plans. If Americans tell him it's a problem (and it is) then he will definitely incorporate it. That's how he does things. He's also talked about repealing most of Trump's tax plan.

[Bradshaw3]

28. Warren beat an incumbent in Scott Brown

Who had earlier beaten a woman for the seat. Yes it is Mass but she won by 53 percent of the vote in a state that has a history of not electing female candidates. She won re-election with 60 percent of the vote.

[Indygram]

30. Were there National GOP PACs running vicious attack ads against her?

I honestly am not familiar with that race. My point in the original post is that whoever is the nominee is going to face the same kind of barrage of hateful, disgusting attack ads that Beto faced in 2018. I am not aware of any other candidate running who has experience in that kind of race. I think it matters a lot and is something that really needs to be considered. If a candidate has not faced that kind of attack then we don't know how they are going to handle it. Beto is battle tested in that way, moreso than any of the others.

[dsc]

32. she was in a seat the GOP considered winnable in 2012

so I am sure she had ads run against her.

[Bradshaw3]

33. Karl Rove's group ran ads against her

Were they equal to Beto's ads? I don't know. I do know that she has shown an ability to fight back equal to or moreso than any candidate. And if we are using this experience in assessing a candidate, then we have to look at the many other kinds of experience just as important or moreso that goes into evaluating a candidate. Beto lags behind her and several others in this regard.

[marylandblue]

41. You have a point, but we don't necessarily need a "battle tested" candidate.

O'Rourke did face the nasty Cruz in a difficult campaign. But Cruz is not Trump. They can't be handled the same way. The rust belt is not Texas. What worked in Texas may not translate well elsewhere.

I've been warming up to O'Rourke in the last few weeks, but I'm still not convinced he's the one.

[Indygram]

45. The same PACs that helped Cruz in Texas will help Trump

They already put out an ad attacking Beto as if it were created by people from the far left. They didn't do that against any other candidate. They are terrified of Beto.

[marylandblue]

46. I never understood the logic of believing they are terrified of the right person.

It gives your enemy more control of your own thinking than is wise.

[Indygram]

49. That is what Politico and other sources reported

and at least in Beto's case it's actually very logical to realize that Republicans fear him. He almost beat Ted Cruz and in that race he actually caused historic losses for Republicans in the state of Texas by way of downticket races. Just Cruz had to spend over $45 million to just barely hold his seat. Beto already has a huge grassroots organization on the ground in Texas that he can mobilize in a split second. Trump would have to spend tens and tens of millions of dollars to try to hold Texas while also trying to hold the other states who are being crippled by his idiotic tariffs. All of the Puerto Ricans that are able to vote and are still in Florida because of Trump's cruel neglect after hurricane Maria...Florida will NOT go to Trump again. If Beto isn't the nominee then Republicans won't bother spending much in Texas because regardless of what the polls say...none of the others can win in Texas.

[marylandblue]

50. I understand what you are saying, I just don't think their fear is a factor.

They may be right, they may be wrong, but they don't have any more information that you don't have. And Politico is a political gossip rag, full of rumor and planted stories, some of which are sometimes even true.

[JustAnotherGen]

39. This - and she has

The Financial Acumen and Credentials to set things right.

I've expanded my list of people I think could win from 5 to 7 and she is one.

[JanetLovesObama]

51. Beto is Still My Number

One. Pete is my second choice. Many people are going to be very surprised when Beto takes the lead. And he will.

[FBaggins]

52. Why is the question relevant to this race?

Surely it would be relevant if a candidate dealt well with the vitriol in a close race and actually won... but why compare candidates who won in races that didn’t include the same level of attack to those who arguably dealt well with that specific challenge but didn’t win?

[Indygram]

53. It's relevant because Beto is the only candidate who has experience with what will be unleashed

on whoever the nominee is. His loss to Cruz was also a MASSIVE and HISTORICAL win for Texas, Democracy and downticket Democrats. There isn't a single one of the other candidates who could have done what he did in Texas. Trump is more disliked in Texas than Cruz is. Beto also broke records (youth vote increase by 500%) during a midterm...he brought new voters in. He got more votes in Texas than ANY other Democrat EVER has...including Hillary Clinton, who won the popular vote AND Barack Obama who won two terms. If Beto can get MORE votes than Obama got and during a MIDTERM...just imagine what he can do nationwide. You will not find a candidate who works harder or goes more places to meet and win over more voters.

I challenge anyone who doubts what I say to watch Running With Beto on HBO, which can be streamed.

[FBaggins]

54. Again... why does that "experience" matter?

It didn't help him win... and there's no shortage of campaign staff with such experience (and on the national stage).

There isn't a single one of the other candidates who could have done what he did in Texas

I'm pretty sure that they all could have lost.

He did just fine in Texas in a state race. There's essentially zero chance of any Democrat winning the state in a presidential election year. Let's not forget that he garnered national support largely because if there was going to be ANY chance of taking back the Senate, he had to win in TX... so money flooded in from people who didn't even know who he was... just that he was the third-most-likely Senate pickup.

just imagine what he can do nationwide.

I'm pretty sure that the polls showing him at 3% are national polls. Why "imagine" anything until those change? He isn't even in first place in TX right now.

[DesertRat]

55. I agree with everything you said.

[Indygram]

56. The pile of Republican candidates corpses from 2016 left in Trump's wake

Some of the candidates don't have the temperament to be able to withstand an all out attack by Trump. Some have never been really vetted at all due to only having very easy races. Others have got loads of baggage that makes Hillary's emails look like a tea party.

Beto has PROVEN that he can withstand and survive that kind of scrutiny and attacks, only a few months ago. Everything is known about Beto.

There are some candidates who are extremely defensive who can't even tolerate tough questions or someone disagreeing with them and they react poorly. Trump is one of the worst narcissists I have ever seen. It is NOT easy to deal with someone like him. Anyone with a short fuse or who gets defensive will be easy prey for Trump. The best way to throw Trump off and force HIM to be the one at a disadvantage is to nominate someone who has already got a taste of what to expect, who is not easily shaken, who can ignore the static and just work hard AND most importantly...someone who he KNOWS is more "manly/masculine" (in Trump's view) than he is. Beto is taller than Trump, and height is really important to him. Beto is extremely healthy and energetic, with not an ounce of fat on him...and he runs. He's like the energizer rabbit. Beto neutralizes all of Trump's advantages that he perceives himself to have. It WEAKENS Trump before the race even begins.

THAT is why it matters.

[FBaggins]

57. You aren't helping your argument there

They are a "pile of Republican candidate corpses" because they lost.

I know we all consoled ourselves that Beto's 2.6% loss was some sort of a moral victory... but it wasn't an actual victory. For all we know, his poor handling of attacks cost him the election.

Beto has PROVEN that he can withstand and survive that kind of scrutiny and attack

Because he's still breathing? Again... why are they a "pile of corpses" but he's "proven" something? Both were attacked and both lost.

Almost nobody in politics has seen the kinds of attacks that Hillary has over decades... but that experience didn't help. The top three Democrats (currently) in this cycle have all faced attacks nationally and "survived" (if we define survival as you seem to be). Heck... since they all have 3-10 times his support, we could argue that they survived quite well by comparison.

Some of the candidates don't have the temperament ...

I'm not going to dignify that with anything more than pointing out that starting to attack other Democrats before there's even a first debate (as Beto has reportedly done recently) is not an encouraging sign.

Everything is known about Beto.

That's nonsense. The most likely attack against Beto is that he's dramatically underqualified to be President. Six years in the House is enough of a resume to run for Senate... but not the White House. Nor is it the case that someone who was attacked a couple years ago doesn't see new attacks coming his way.