cmsellers wrote:Lawrence Lessig has an op-ed saying something somewhat similar to what I said about O'Rourke. Like me, he thinks that O'Rourke's uncompromisingly left-wing positions probably cost him the chance to unseat Cruz.
This is a double-edged sword. Beto was "charismatic" in part because he was straightforward and didn't mince words or play political games. If Beto decided to play the usual political games, to be more centrist and try to please everyone, it's hard to know whether that would have made him do better or worse.
It reminds me of the three takes that I heard about the 2016 election:
1) Democrats need to move left to energize their base
2) Democrats need to move right to go to the center, since the Republicans moved right and left it open
3) Doesn't matter what policy positions are chosen, Democrats need charismatic and inspiring candidates.
This seems like the same kind of discussion, with the same lack of conclusion.