I've got a pernicious bit of Japanese knotwood that keeps popping up near my farmhouse, and it's been a years-long struggle to eradicate the invasive weed and keep it from taking over my property. No matter how much weed killer I spray on the new shoots, or how deep I dig into the soil to pull up the roots, the darn things just won't go away.
Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke is the Japanese knotwood of Texas politics; an unwanted and unnecessary annoyance who sticks around despite repeated efforts by Texas voters to end his political career by rejecting his repeated bids for higher office. O'Rourke's last campaign was in 2022, when he was clobbered by Greg Abbott 55-44 in the governor's race, but now he's on the stump again. The Democrat isn't an official candidate for the Senate seat currently held by John Cornyn, but in a series of town hall-style events he's been holding across Texas it's become evident that O'Rourke is testing the waters for yet another campaign.
About 1,500 people came to the Humble Civic Center for the event, which was technically nonpartisan, with some coming from as far as Wharton County. Those who took the microphone were unfiltered in airing their grievances with both the Democratic party and the Trump administration.
“This is like a punk rock show,” O’Rourke said, reminiscing on his life as a musician before politics came into the picture. “We don’t know what anyone is going to say. We don’t know who is going to show up.”
A punk rock show or a furry convention?
Either way, O'Rourke got thrown a curveball by one attendee, who expressed his aggravation with Democrats demonizing the Second Amendment; both in a gun-friendly state like Texas and nationwide.
When Steve Moore, a resident of The Woodlands, took his turn at the microphone, he said he was frustrated by Democrats focusing too much on LGBTQ issues and gun rights, turning off potential voters.
“We get tied up over men going into women's restrooms,” Moore said. “We get tied up over the Second Amendment. I never met one Democrat who wants to repeal the Second Amendment, but everyone Republican out there is terrified of that and that turns votes. Instead of voting about the issues that all the people here spoke about tonight regarding health care, we are so tied up in fighting against these phantom issues.”
Moore asked O’Rourke what Democrats are doing at a national level because “the Republicans are kicking our butts.”
If Moore hasn't met a single Democrat who wants to repeal lthe Second Amendment, I wonder how many he's spoken to. But even if some Democrats are willing to pay lip service to the right to keep and bear arms, they're still pushing to criminalize possession of some of the most commonly owned firearms in the country, whether AR-15 rifles or Glock handguns. They're trying to make as many places as possible off-limits to concealed carry, while jacking up the fees and requirements to obtain a carry license.
In other words, gun control isn't a "phantom issue". In fact, it's been one of Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke main issues over the years. But in Humble, O'Rourke didn't want to talk about it at all.
“Every Democratic challenger in 2024 was trying to explain their positions on bathrooms, not that it’s not important for people who face this in their school ... but we are fighting so you get paid enough to not have to work a second or third job. We are fighting so you can see a doctor and not go bankrupt. We are fighting so you can come to this country in a safe and legal way,” O’Rourke answered.
What happened to O'Rourke's "hell yes we're taking your AR-15s"? I know that he tried (unsuccessfully) to distance himself from his stance during his failed gubernatorial campaign in 2022, going so far as to claim he wants to "defend the Second Amendment" and wasn't "interested in taking anyone's guns", but he still ran on a platform of banning AR-15s and other semi-automatic rifles. When Moore called out Democrats for focusing on gun control O'Rourke could have tried to claim he's now actually a moderate on the issue, but instead he ducked the topic completely.
O'Rourke is clearly testing the waters to see if there's enough interest in him running for U.S. Senate next year to not completely flame out in what's expected to be a crowded Democratic primary, but it's also readily apparent that he's not willing to give up his anti-gun ideology in order to court dissatisfied voters. Hiding his views? You bet. Downplaying his anti-gun extremism? Of course. But actually changing his position? Not a chance.
And therein lies one of the fundamental dilemmas for Democrats, particularly those in competitive districts or looking to make inroads in red states. As I pointed out over the weekend, gun control is becoming less popular among Democratic voters, but it's still a requirement for candidates given the financial support provided by the gun control lobby. And given the long history of support for anti-2A policies, it's impossible for politicians like O'Rourke or Kamala Harris to re-invent themselves as supporters and defenders of the right to keep and bear arms.
As a Second Amendment advocate, I'd love to see both major political parties support and defend the right to keep and bear arms, but we're a long way from that happening. Robert Francis 'Beto' O'Rourke has apparently decided that staying quiet is the best strategy when it comes to gun control, but Texas gun owners won't soon forget his pledge to confiscate legally-owned firearms even if he's keeping his thoughts to himself on the stump.
