Latino Columnist: 'Beto' is 'Another White Guy' Trying To 'Manipulate' Latinos
Writer slams 2020 hopeful Robert O’Rourke in scathing column
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2020 hopeful Robert “Beto” O’Rourke has come under fire from a Latino writer who claims he does not deserve support from Latino voters.
According to a USA Today commentary written by Ruben Navarrette Jr., the headline went; “For Latinos, ‘Beto’ O’Rourke is just another privileged white guy trying to manipulate them.”
In the scathing column, Navarrette wrote that O’Rourke is “trying to put one over on Latinos by tricking them into thinking he’s one of them.”
Navarrette noted that his take on the Democrat was different from the “the news media, run by white liberals who are fascinated by other white liberals.”
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He also noted that O’Rourke, just like President Bill Clinton surrounded black Americans into his presidential campaigns, O’Rourke seems to be embracing Latino voters in the same way.
“So is that the deal? Is O’Rourke aiming to become America’s first Latino president? Por favor. Please. Speaking as a Mexican-American, let me spare you the suspense: That zapato won’t fit. Sorry, Beto, you’re no Bill Clinton,” he wrote.
“What actual Latinos tell me is that they resent the presumptuousness of this supposed familiarity we’re told Beto feels with a community that he had done, at best, a mediocre job of representing when he had the chance,” he wrote.
“A Mexican-American woman who works in public relations told me O’Rourke seems condescending. Given his privilege, it is irritating that he seems to pretend that he knows and understands what bothers a demographic he’s not part of.”
Navarrette added that O’Rourke neither had a firm lead on immigration policy through his time in the House.
Nor did he reach out to Latinos in the 2018 Senate race he lost to Ted Cruz.
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He also implied that his common Spanish nickname of “Beto” doesn't mean a man born Robert Francis O’Rourke has any connection to the Latinos.
“The Beto backlash reminds of the idea of stolen valor, the righteous outrage felt by combat veterans when others who didn’t see action claim medals they don’t deserve,” he wrote.
The words “cynical and dishonest and manipulative” were also used by Navarrette to describe the fact that O’Rourke’s father gave him a nickname with Spanish-language connotations to assist in any possible political career.
“Upon hearing of the arrival of our savior, my first thought was: Why not wait until Cinco de Mayo? A fake Mexican holiday created by white people to sell beer is the perfect day to kick off the candidacy of a fake Mexican candidate adored by white liberals who don’t mind the hard sell,” he wrote.
Navarrette also wrote that O’Rourke is receiving undeserved attention.
“Here’s a riddle: How many Betos does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Answer: One. To hold the bulb, while the world revolves around him,” he wrote.
Earlier this week, O’Rourke apologized for being a white male following a backlash from his liberal supporters after he joked about how his wife raises their three children without his full support.
It took Robert "Beto" O'Rourke a full two days to apologize for his gender and skin color after announcing his candidacy, which is perhaps some sort of record.
O'Rourke made his apology during a "Political Party LIVE!" podcast appearance after joking about his wife doing most of the work raising their children.
