All Bets Off on Beto by J.E. Dean

What’s not to like about the next John F. Kennedy? After admittedly not following Beto’s every move in his unsuccessful but widely acclaimed race for Senate against Ted Cruz, I was interested in learning more about the “the most charismatic” candidate in the Democratic presidential race.  The more I learned, the more I see that interest in Beto reflects much of what is wrong with US electoral politics.

First, it is legitimate to wonder if anyone would take Beto seriously if he looked like, say, Mitch McConnell or Hillary Clinton.  Second, I found that the more I learned about him, the more skeptical I became.

Here’s why. While some, especially those much younger than I, may be intrigued by a “world-class hacker” running for President, I wonder what those actions say about Beto’s respect for law, or his true character.  Is it O.K. that he routinely hacked his way to free long-distance phone calls and expropriated “cracked” video games to avoid paying for them? Or that he did both those actions while having the wherewithal to pay his own way. Doesn’t such behavior suggest that Beto as President might be equally as comfortable in breaking rules (read laws) to further his own agenda?

And what exactly is his agenda?   When I reflect on Beto, I immediately think of his arms flapping up and down (and am ashamed because this innocent characteristic is how Trump chose to shame him), but then I realized I wasn’t aware of any of his own positions other than opening the borders, “Medicare for All” (minus any details about how to pay for it), and a general endorsement of “the Green Deal.”  Then I remembered his authorship of “violent fantasies” during his youth—the opus written under the pen name Psychedelic Warlord.  I wonder where reality starts and ends with this guy.

We now read about the “magic” of a Biden-Beto ticket (what happened to the far more qualified women candidates?) and that Beto is the key to the Generation X vote. Maybe the party would be just as well served with Justin Bieber (if he weren’t a Canadian) or a recent winner of American Idol. Seriously haven’t we learned anything from our previous mistakes?

Running the US as President should be seen as something other than the ultimate prize.  Sound and sane candidates are humbled by the responsibilities entailed. Is it possible that the right candidate will see running for President as a call to duty rather than an opportunity for a fabulous adventure?

Until I see signs of substance and maturity, Beto is not my man.  

J.E. Dean is a retired Washington, D.C. attorney and a current resident of Oxford, Maryland