Megan Mulls It Over

+JMJ

Does anyone else feel like things are pretty much the same after the midterms? In some ways, that’s good. Texas didn’t “go blue,” despite Beto O’Rourke’s star power (and a finishing that I think was higher than most, Democrat and Republican, expected). But if you are a regular reader of this blog, you might have guessed that I am a conspiracy theorist. And as a conspiracy theorist, I tend to be suspicious of a post-election climate that is this uneventful compared to the hype that led up to it.

O’Rourke ended up losing by less than three percentage points. There are candidates who have lost bigger than that and demanded recounts. And there are even more candidates who have lost bigger than that and raised huge stinks about voter suppression and other nefarious deeds. It’s not surprising to me that O’Rourke didn’t do either one of these things. Asking for a recount is always a risky move, particularly for someone who is trying hard to appear “moderate” and “unifying.” Informal stink-raising can be less risky, but by not going that route, O’Rourke once again ends up looking like a class act (just like when he criticized the hecklers who ran Ted Cruz out of a restaurant earlier this fall).

At the end of the day, I think that losing was O’Rourke’s preferred outcome. If he had won, he would have had to prove himself to a much broader base than his current constituency. By losing he maintains a certain underdog image. And because he lost by such a narrow margin, he is a viable underdog. Which is certainly an asset for any future White House bids. (Even though “viable underdog” may well be an oxymoron.)

The media seems pretty convinced that he will run for president. I agree, but I think that 2024 is more likely than 2020 to be El Año de Beto. If he does run in 2020, I don’t think (at this point) that he’ll win the nomination, much less the election. (For the record, I think Trump will win regardless of who the Democratic nominee ends up being. I don’t foresee him alienating his base beyond repair between now and 2020.)

My prediction at this point is that if O’Rourke is destined to be president, his course will mirror that of Obama. He will give a wildly popular introductory speech for the 2020 Democratic nominee (who I’m guessing will be an old white guy). The media will fall in love with him (again), and then he will be there in 2024 to rub soothing balm on the wounds of a hurting nation that has just survived eight years of Trump. We’ll also have survived eight years of identity politics from the Left and eight years of violence from “anti-fascists” who act more like fascists. But Beto will help us forget that part.

Because Beto’s not one of those crazy Democrats. He will tell sane America that Antifa has valid concerns and then tell Antifa to play nice. And if you’re still worried that Beto is a wolf in sheep’s clothing (like a certain woke progressive who emasculated a gay dissident), a legal joint will take the edge off those feelings. And then we can all take our universal basic Beto Bucks down to the porno-plex and enjoy a good laugh about how those Deplorables used to love their bread and circuses.

Verso l’alto,
Megan