# Liberty Movement > Liberty Campaigns >  New Democrat Rep from El Paso. I kinda like this guy.

## 1836

Not sure there are any Democrats I totally love, but I'm very impressed with some of the things that are coming out of this new fellow who is almost certainly going to be representing El Paso, TX in Congress come November: *Beto O'Rourke*.

If nothing else, you have to give the guy some serious credit for ousting someone who seemed, up until now, to be essentially unbeatable. Silvestre Reyes has not always been the most tactful representative, but has maintained a power base in the hugely important hispanic community in El Paso, and seemed like one of those guys who'd be there forever. Then this Beto O'Rourke ran an incredibly powerful campaign and managed to beat him. Impressive! The liberty movement needs to learn from people like this, who unthinkably oust an incumbent in a primary (statistically, an extraordinarily difficult thing to do).

Hard to tell where he stands on everything but it's not for his lack of trying as much as his lack of a record. His website is fairly thorough for issues, compared to most congressional candidates. Here's a few things I think are worth keeping an eye on, as liberty-minded people.

His "End Corruption" platform is below:




> Term limits. Congressional work should be a job, not a lifestyle or a gravy train paid for with your tax dollars. I support term limits.
> 
> Constituent Support. My local constituent office will focus on your needs, not electioneering. Expect attentive service and great results.
> 
> Accountability and Transparency. I will hold regular town hall meetings to ensure you have a Congressman you can talk to - not over the phone via expensive, taxpayer-funded telephonic "town halls".


I am especially impressed with his support of term limits, something that really sticks your neck out in the Democratic party.

Then he has a platform page called "Who's the True Democrat" where he lays out his record. To be honest, most of the stuff is about economics and entitlements. Unfortunately, he's very much a regular old progressive on these issues, nothing for us there. However, then there's this nugget (something he was roundly criticized for by Silvestre Reyes):




> Social Justice: I have spoken directly and passionately about the toll the drug war takes on Juarez and on the disproportionate impact it has on communities of color in the United States. I will continue to fight for what is best for El Paso and the U.S.-Mexico border.


That takes balls.

He has a "Congressional Reform" page with these issues once you dig down:




> My first bill filed will be to propose a Constitutional Amendment to enact term limits for the U.S. Congress
> I will never use my congressional staff to campaign for my re-election.
> I will stop the "revolving door" syndrome in Congress - staffers in my office will be prohibited from lobbying Congress at any point after their time serving our district.
> I will be directly accountable. I will hold monthly town hall meetings in the district, and will not hide behind staffer-screened "telephone town hall meetings."
> My focus will be our district and our country -- helping grow the economy, control our budget and move past partisanship -- not on special interests or partisan games.


I'm not sure how he will prohibit staffers from lobbying after they serve in his office, but that's an admirable thing to try for. Without a doubt, this is a reform that can be done voluntarily by members of Congress in the sense of _discouraging it_ and that he's going to do that is not insignificant.

Finally, I'll leave you with this rather impressive understanding of the unconstitutionality of the NDAA provisions:

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## FSP-Rebel

If he's for transparency then he must be on board with a FED audit and possible demolition. Also, if he's truly progressive, he'd also be an ally on the wars. Good stuff!

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## Hyperion

From reading his page I get the impression this guy will be absolutely awful on taxes,entitlements and spending. He's big on Obamacare and spending on Planned Parenthood. He doesn't think we spend enough on education. I see nothing about deficit reduction or foreign policy. 

 At least having someone open to ending the drug war and opposed to NDAA is a small positive.

I'd be interested to see what his stance is on the 2nd Amendment as that isn't mentioned.

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## kylejack

Looks pretty good. I'd much rather have a 50% ally than the 100% authoritarians that occupy most of the Congress.

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## kylejack

I see that his opponent was endorsed by Obama and Bill Clinton.

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## kylejack

He favors marijuana legalization. I'm honestly surprised he won.

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## Spoa

I don't support Mr. O'Rourke, but I'm glad he sent Reyes to retirement. That guy has been in Washington D.C. for too long. I appreciate Mr. O'Rourke's views on term limits and the NDAA though, and I hope he will improve congress.

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## Anti-Neocon

Bump

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## RonZeplin

Just Beto than Trump is not good enough, IMO.

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## timosman

..

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## Anti-Neocon

He is much more libertarian than Trump. I know we don't really care about that anymore, but just saying.

I found this Reason link (hyperlink) interesting.

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## Swordsmyth

> He is much more libertarian than Trump.


LOL

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## acptulsa

> LOL


Paid to deny it, but have no facts that dispute it?

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## Superfluous Man

> He is much more libertarian than Trump. I know we don't really care about that anymore, but just saying.
> 
> I found this Reason link (hyperlink) interesting.


I don't see anything libertarian about him in that article. On the other hand, it says this:



> On the other hand O'Rourke also recently called the Green New Deal "the best proposal that I've seen to ensure that this planet does not warm another two degrees Celsius," despite the plan's jaw-dropping cost and progressive grab-bagging.


Trump is horrible. Nobody who supports this website's mission will dispute that.

But I don't see any way to say that someone who supports the GND can be more libertarian than him.

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## Origanalist

I won't be doing the Beto Boogie.

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## Swordsmyth

> Paid to deny it, but have no facts that dispute it?


LOL

It's too obviously wrong to bother debating.

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## acptulsa

> LOL
> 
> It's too obviously wrong to bother debating.


Got no facts so you're pretending you don't need any.

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## Swordsmyth

> Got no facts so you're pretending you don't need any.


I've got plenty, I just don't need to debate whether it is daytime when the sun is in the sky.

If you want some proof talk to Superfluous Man.

Your shilling for Beto is hilarious.

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## acptulsa

> I've got plenty, I just don't need to debate whether it is daytime when the sun is in the sky.
> 
> If you want some proof talk to Superfluous Man.
> 
> Your shilling for Beto is hilarious.


Quote one nice thing I ever said about him.  Just one.  I dare you.

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## Swordsmyth

> Quote one nice thing I ever said about him.  Just one.  I dare you.


You are here defending the idea that he is more libertarian than Trump.
No matter what you think of Trump he has done quite a few things that are somewhat libertarian so if Beto is more libertarian that would be a very nice thing to say about him.

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## acptulsa

> You are here defending the idea that he is more libertarian than Trump.
> No matter what you think of Trump he has done quite a few things that are somewhat libertarian so if Beto is more libertarian that would be a very nice thing to say about him.


Neither one of them is worth a bag of Styrofoam peanuts to a libertarian.  Which is why you won't get into specifics.  You'll lose the argument, and if you're really as brainwashed as you pretend to be, you might lose your beloved state of denial.

In any case, accusing me of shilling for him is deliberate bull$#@! and you know it.

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## Swordsmyth

> Neither one of them is worth a bag of Styrofoam peanuts to a libertarian.  Which is why you won't get into specifics.  You'll lose the argument, and if you're really as brainwashed as you pretend to be, you might lose your beloved state of denial.


LOL

I post specific good things (and bad things) Trump does all the time and plenty of people (including one in this thread) post horrible things Beto does that are much worse than Trump all the time.

I don't have to debate whether it is daytime when the sun is in the sky.

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## acptulsa

> LOL
> 
> I post specific good things (and bad things) Trump does all the time...


Still pretending to be Mr. Fair And Balanced?




> Thank you, DJTvsg!

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## Swordsmyth

> Still pretending to be Mr. Fair And Balanced?


Truth is truth.
Truth is fair and balanced.

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## acptulsa

> Truth is truth.
> Truth is fair and balanced.


You're changing the subject.  We were talking about you.

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## Swordsmyth

> You're changing the subject.  We were talking about you.


LOL

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## loveshiscountry

> He is much more libertarian than Trump. I know we don't really care about that anymore, but just saying.
> 
> I found this Reason link (hyperlink) interesting.


Much more? This is a joke right? Why bring up the word when neither candidate is no where near libertarian?

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## Anti-Neocon

> Much more? This is a joke right? Why bring up the word when neither candidate is no where near libertarian?


It's not a joke, but yeah that's the point. Beto has a few libertarian leanings and Trump has a few less.

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## Swordsmyth

> It's not a joke, but yeah that's the point. Beto has a few libertarian leanings and Trump has a few less.


LOL

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## Anti Globalist

No the beta male does not have any chance taking on our alpha male president.

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## timosman



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## timosman



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## eleganz

LOL this might be the best thread on RPF.

OP found and fell in love with Beto before he became Beto~

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## timosman

> Paid to deny it, but have no facts that dispute it?

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## Swordsmyth

> 


Tulsa's closet leftism leaks out at the oddest times.

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## acptulsa

> Tulsa's closet leftism leaks out at the oddest times.


Whereas your love of a big government, big spending, neocon totalitarian ex-Democrat floods the forum eight hours a day, seven days a week.

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## timosman

> Tulsa's closet leftism leaks out at the oddest times.


Hail 2  @eleganz for reviving the thread.

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## timosman

> Whereas your love of a big government, big spending, neocon totalitarian ex-Democrat floods the forum eight hours a day, seven days a week.


Are you OK?

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## Swordsmyth

> Whereas your love of a big government, big spending, neocon totalitarian ex-Democrat floods the forum eight hours a day, seven days a week.


My support is for liberty promoting policies from whatever source they come from, you support government controlling political speech among other anti-liberty positions.

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