Beto Couldn't Even Play Jack Kennedy on the Silver Screen
After leaving his die-hard admirers in the grips of uncertainty for weeks on end, Robert “Beto” O’Rourke finally revealed his utterly unsurprising presidential intentions last Wednesday.
O’Rourke’s unorthodox announcement was woven into the narrative of a gruelingly breathy Vanity Fair article that reads more like a love note from a desperate high school classmate than a political profile. Nevertheless, as it went live, the collective sigh of relief from the nation’s millennial progressives was audible if only you listened closely enough.
Social media feeds and the left-wing blogosphere were ablaze within minutes. Vast pockets of the Democratic base had been waiting on bated breath for the irrelevant three-term congressman and one-time Senatorial loser to begin his holy campaign against the Democratic establishment, and eventually President Donald Trump.
Assuredly, O’Rourke’s rabid progressive admirers believe without question — as O’Rourke himself reportedly does — that he is “just born to be in it.”
“You’re No Jack Kennedy”
To be fair to O’Rourke’s supporters, this is through no fault of their own.
They have been had in recent months by an establishment media that desperately wants them to believe that O’Rourke is the second coming of John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
Last fall, some were even calling him “the JFK of Texas.”
Now, the establishment media would have you believe that O’Rourke is better — an amalgamation of everything that was charismatic, inspiring and visionary in both Pres. Kennedy and his brother Bobby.
The way O’Rourke behaves at rallies and in the media, it is hardly a far cry to say that he probably believes that narrative himself.
And so long as the establishment media continues to draw those parallels and fawn over O’Rourke, he will be in need of a shot of self-awareness. Perhaps someone who knew Kennedy should tell O’Rourke what vice-presidential candidate Lloyd Bentsen told Dan Quayle in debates in 1988:
“I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine … you’re no Jack Kennedy.”
At least in this case the remark would serve to humble someone who is actually in need of humbling — and show the American people just how silly that comparison really is.
The Last Honest Democrat
“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”
The words of President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address alone serve to perfectly exemplify just how far removed O’Rourke — and the entirety of the New Left — is from Democrats of old.
President Kennedy used his inaugural address to appeal to America’s exceptional nature and unique mission as the shining city on a hill — something a modern Democrat would never dream of doing.
Pres. Kennedy often made clear that he held in his heart the promise of America, asserting that it was not the government but the American individual that was capable of greatness. Kennedy’s love of — and undying loyalty to — his country is not hard to believe, especially considering he was the epitome of the classical all-American boy.
Handsome and charismatic, Kennedy was a Catholic, a veteran and a lifetime member to the National Rifle Association. As president, Kennedy supported massive tax cuts, oversaw a bolstering of U.S. military capabilities, advocated for a smaller federal government and even referred to abortion in Eastern nations as “repugnant.”
Is this to say that I believe Kennedy was secretly a conservative? Absolutely not. But there is no questions as to whether or not his presidency represents a by-gone era in which a Democrat standard-bearer could still believe in traditional values or the greatness, vision and heroism of America and her people.
Kennedy was not simply a considered, rational and moderate political figure — he was the last honest Democrat.
Figures like O’Rourke stand as the antithesis of such a figure, having made it their mission to apologize for America.
Modern leftists would have Americans believe that it is only through the growth of the state that they can achieve anything. Only through borderline Marxist social and economic policy that America can succeed. Only through apology and service to the international community that America can repent for past sins.
Try Ted on for Size
Any honest person could see that, with his awkward demeanor and compulsive handwaving, O’Rourke does not possess even the looks or charm that would be required to play Jack Kennedy on the Silver Screen — let alone the political talent or vision to be his spiritual successor in governance.
But so long as the establishment media remains intent upon drawing parallels between O’Rourke and the Kennedys, they should at least pretend to be honest and call him the next Ted.
A prep-school brat whose military contract was cut short at daddy’s request, Sen. Ted Kennedy spent virtually all of his working life as a government hack, running on one of the most aggressively pro-state, progressive platforms in the nation.
Not dissimilarly, O’Rourke was raised by wealthy, well-connected parents and attended private boarding school and a prestigious Ivy League institution. Despite attempts to pander to middle-class families, O’Rourke and his wife are valued somewhere between $3- and $16-million. O’Rourke also carries a minuscule résumé in terms of honest work experience and lacks a military service record.
Not to mention, O’Rourke and Ted Kennedy share black marks in their 20s and 30s respectively involving car accidents resulting from recklessness or drunkenness — incidents which both immediately attempted to flee the scene. Not that the media would ever defame them by reminding voters of such facts.
Just like Sen. Ted Kennedy, O’Rourke is exactly the type of spoiled-brat elitist that only Democrats are allowed to be.
Were he a conservative, the above would be a death sentence on the campaign trail. As a result of anointed status as a young, “visionary” progressive, however, these items will be swept under the rug by the establishment media in favor of those few qualities which can be manipulated to fit the narrative.
The left knows it needs another Jack Kennedy. It’s a shame the party is so far removed from anything even resembling one that they’ll need to lie and manufacture a bargain-brand version.
The views expressed in this opinion article are those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by the owners of this website. If you are interested in contributing an Op-Ed to The Western Journal, you can learn about our submission guidelines and process here.
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