>>> FORMER TEXAS CONGRESSMAN BETA ROW ROARK SAYS HE’S READY
TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT WHETHER
HE WILL RUN FOR PRESIDENT BY THE
END OF THE MONTH.
THE DEMOCRAT HAS GAINED A LOT OF
FOLLOWING DESPITE NARROWLY
LOSING HIS SENATE BID TO A
REPUBLICAN INCUMBENT TED CRUZ
LAST NOVEMBER.
LAST NOVEMBER. HE’S NOW REVEALING WHEN HE’LL
MAKE A DECISION ABOUT 2020 IN A
NEW INTERVIEW WITH OPRAH.
>> WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO KNOW?
ARE YOU GIVEN YOURSELF A
DEADLINE.
DEADLINE. >> I’M SERIOUS ABOUT THAT.
HAVE YOU GIVEN YOURSELF --
>> AND THE SERIOUS ANSWER IS
REALLY SOON.
REALLY SOON. IS REALLY SOON.
BEFORE THE END OF THIS MONTH.
SOMEONE’S ASKING FOR RIGHT NOW.
BUT THIS IS BEFORE THE END OF
THE MONTH BUT THERE ARE MANY
OTHER DAYS AFTER THIS.
>> LET’S GET MY PANEL BACK IN
HERE.
HERE. JASON JOHNSON, KRIS WILSON AND
JUAN WEAVER.
JUAN WEAVER. I WAS AT THAT INTERVIEW
YESTERDAY, JASON.
YESTERDAY, JASON. THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE IN THE
ROOM WEREN’T THERE TO SEE BETO.
BETO GOT ON THE STAGE AND SPOKE
AND PEOPLE KIND OF WOKE UP AND
SAID HOLD ON A SECOND.
WHO IS THIS GUY?
COULD HE BE A REAL CONTENDER
HERE.
HERE. >> NOT ONLY A REAL CONTENDER,
YOU HAVE.DEMOCRATS EXTREMELY
EXCITED ABOUT HIM.
HE RAISES MONEY BETTER THAN
ALMOST ANYBODY ELSE NOTICE FIELD
WHICH IS KEY.
I THINK THIS.
CALLED A MILLENNIAL FOMO,
WHATEVER.
WHATEVER. HE DOESN’T WANT TO SAY I’M OUT
OF THIS AND LOOK AT THIS FIELD
AND SEE SOMEBODY STUMBLE BY
OCTOBER AND SAY WHY DID I NOT
GET INTO THE RACE.
I THINK THAT’S WHY HE’S MOVED UP
HIS TIMETABLE.
HIS TIMETABLE. HE KNOWS THE TIME TO GO IN IS
NOW.
NOW. YOU’RE NEVER READY TO RUN FOR
PRESIDENT BUT HE KNOWS NOW IS
HIS BEST TIME TO GET IN.
>> CHRIS, YOU KNOW TEXAS
POLITICS WELL.
POLITICS WELL. YOU WORKED FOR THE TED CRUZ
CAMPAIGN.
CAMPAIGN. YOU WERE THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
CHAIR IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
IN HIS INTERVIEW WITH OPRAH,
BETO DID NOT GO BAD ON PRESIDENT
TRUMP.
TRUMP. HE DIDN’T REALLY TALK ABOUT
ANYONE.
ANYONE. HE KEPT STRESSING OVER AND OVER
THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING TO
EVERYONE AND GOVERNING EVERYONE.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> GOING TO EVERY SINGLE COUNTY
IN TEXAS, ALL 254, NOT JUST THE
RELIABLY BLUE PLACES WHERE YOU
WOULD EXPECT TO FIND A DEMOCRAT,
KING COUNTY THAT VOTED FOR
DONALD TRUMP 96% IN THE LAST
ELECTION BECAUSE THE PEOPLE IN
GUTHRIE, THE COUNTY SEAT ARE
EVERY BIT AS DESERVING OF MY
ATTENTION OF BEING LISTENED TO
AND HEARD BEING SERVED EVEN IF
THEY DON’T VOTE FOR ME.
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. SO BEAUTIFULLY OPTIMISTIC.
HERE’S THE THING.
IT DIDN’T WIN.
>> HE LOST KING COUNTY BY MORE
THAN BARACK OBAMA DID.
TO ILLUSTRATE HIS POINT.
BET TA O’ROURKE IS A UNIQUE
POLITICAL TALENT.
POLITICAL TALENT. HE EVOLVED IN A WAY I WOULD NOT
HAVE EXPECTED WHEN HE ANNOUNCED.
THERE HAD NEVER BEEN ANYONE
NEVER ANYONE ELECTED FROM EL
PASO STATEWIDE IN TEXAS BUT HE
CAME CLOSER THAN ANYONE ELSE.
HE CAME CLOSER THAN ANYONE IN 40
YEARS.
YEARS. >> BUT CLOSE IS NO CIGAR IF
YOU’RE NOT WILLING TO GO DARK.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
THAT’S THE SIGNIFICANT QUESTION
HERE.
HERE. IS HE ABLE TO RAISE THE SAME
KIND OF MONEY AS A DEMOCRAT
RUNNING, SOUTHERN DEMOCRATS AS
HE WAS AS A DEMOCRAT RUNNING
AGAINST TED CRUZ.
LOTS OF DEMOCRATIC DONORS FROM
NEW YORK AND CALIFORNIA WILL
DONATE TO BETO O’ROURKE AGAINST
TED CRUZ.
TED CRUZ. WILL THEY AGAINST ELIZABETH
WARREN AND BERNIE SANDERS.
HAVING SAID THAT, IL NEVER EVER
UNDERESTIMATE HIM AS A CANDIDATE
AND THE ORGANIZATION HE PUT
TOGETHER IN TEXAS, 00 FIELD
REPRESENTATIVES GOING DOOR TO
DOOR, BUILDING POP-UP OFFICES
WAS A CASE STUDY IN CASE STUDY
HOW TO BUILD AN OPERATION.
IF HE CAN TRANSLATE THAT INTO
IOWA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, HE’LL WIN.
>> BUILT THAT ORGANIZATION
OVERNIGHT AND DID HE HAVE THE
GOOD FORTUNE OF RUNNING AGAINST
TED CRUZ OR ZODIAC AS WE CALL
HIM.
HIM. HE HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HE RUNS
AGAINST A FIELD OF DEMOCRATS?
I DON’T KNOW.
THERE IS AN MART FOR AN
ASPIRATIONAL CANDIDATE IN
AMERICA.
AMERICA. IF HE CAN EXCITE PEOPLE MUCH
LIKE BARACK OBAMA DID, YOU NEVER
KNOW.
KNOW. >> I’LL BE EVEN MORE SPECIFIC.
IT’S NOT JUST IS THERE A MARKET
FOR AN ASPIRATIONAL CANDIDATE.
DEMOCRATS NEED A WHITE GUY.
THEY DON’T HAVE ONE YET.
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. >> WHENEVER YOU’RE THE OUT
PARTY, YOU ARE DESPERATELY
INTERESTED IN WHO DO WE THINK
CAN BEAT THIS GUY.
THE DEMOCRATS DO NOT HAVE ONE
WHITE MAN AND THEY’RE STILL AN
IMPORTANT PART OF THE
ELECTORATE.
ELECTORATE. >> THEY COULD.
SHERROD BROWN, JOE BIDEN IN THE
WINGS.
WINGS. >> THESE GUYS ARE NOT AS YOUK,
NOT ENGAGING AND THEY DIDN’T GET
THE KIND OF NATIONAL ATTENTION
BETO O’ROURKE HAS.
I THINK HE WILL RUN.
SHERROD BROWN USED TO BE MY
SENATOR.
SENATOR. GREAT GUY.
GREAT GUY. DON’T KNOW IF I THINK HE’S
DYNAMIC ENOUGH.
DYNAMIC ENOUGH. JOE BIDEN HAS PLENTY OF ISSUES
THAT MAY MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO
GET IN THE RACE.
NOBODY WANTS BERNIE SANDERS TO
RUN.
RUN. >> THE ANSWER ISN’T NOBODY.
THERE ARE DEFINITELY PEOPLE
BECAUSE THE HATE COMING AT YOU
RIGHT NOW IS CRAZY.
>> BUT I MEAN, LIKE THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY, THEY NEED
SOMEBODY LIKE BETO.
I THINK HE’S IN A VERY GOOD
POSITION TO JUMP INTO THE RACE
AND RAISE A LOT OF MONEY AND
SHAKE THINGS UP.
>> MAYBE THOSE TWEETERS WILL BE
SHOUTING STOP CALLING HIM A
DEMOCRAT.
DEMOCRAT. I REMIND YOU HE RAN AS A
DEMOCRAT AGAINST HILLARY
CLINTON.
CLINTON. PART OF STACEY ABRAMS RESPONSE
LAST NIGHT MOO.
>> SO EVEN AS I AM VERY
DISAPPOINTED BY THE PRESIDENT’S
APPROACH TO OUR PROBLEMS, I
STILL DON’T WANT HIM TO FAIL.
BUT WE NEED HIM TO TELL THE
TRUTH.
TRUTH. AND TO RESPECT HIS DUTIES.
AND RESPECT THE EXTRAORDINARY
DIVERSITY THAT DEFINES AMERICA.
>> IS THAT AN EFFECTIVE ENOUGH
MESS AND FOR DEMOCRATS HEADING
INTO RE-ELECTION SEASON?
>> NO.
>> NO. IT’S NOT.
IT’S NOT. AND FRANKLY, IF THEY WERE GOING
TO CHOOSE A FAILED CANDIDATE
FROM 201 TO DO THE STATE OF THE
UNION RESPONSE, THEY PROBABLY
SHOULD HAVE GONE WITH BETO
O’ROURKE.
O’ROURKE. HE WOULD HAVE DONE A FAR BETTER
JOB.
JOB. >> HE WAS WITH OPRAH.
>> HE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE FOUND
A CAMERA IN NEW YORK.
IF I WAS A CANDIDATE WHO RAN FOR
GOVERNOR AND THERE WAS A LOT OF
GOOD DEMOCRATS WHO RAN FOR
GOVERNOR AND WON RACES AND THEY
HAD NOT GIVEN ME OR OFFERED ME
THE OPPORTUNITY, I WOULD BE A
LITTLE BIT IRRITATED RIGHT NOW
ABOUT THEM CHOOSING STACEY
ABRAMS.
ABRAMS. >> THAT’S SILLY.
HERE’S A CHANCE TO SUPPORT
SOMEBODY WHO MAY RUN FOR
GOVERNOR IN GEORGIA IN TWO
YEARS.
YEARS. >> THERE’S LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO
MAY RUN.
MAY RUN. >> YOU HAVE A VESTED INTEREST.
>>> I THINK YOU SHOULD PROBABLY
NOTE THAKS RIGHTNOTE THAT, RIGHT
>> MIGHT WANT TO NOTE THAT.
>> BUT LOOK, I THOUGHT SHE GAVE
A GOOD RESPONSE.
THE THRESHOLD IS REALLY LOW.
MOST OF THE TIMES PEOPLE DON’T
CARE FOR THE RESPONSES.
I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY PERSONAL
AND INTERESTING.
AND INTERESTING. I LIKE THE FACT THAT SHE DIDN’T
SPEND THE TIME BANGING ON THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. SHE TALKED ABOUT THIS IS WHAT
AMERICA WANTS.
AMERICA WANTS. I DO BELIEVE THAT LINE, SHE’S
NOT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, BUT
THE LINE OF DUDE, WE WISH YOU
WOULD JUST STOP LYING SO MUCH IS
ACTUALLY A PLEA THAT A LOT OF
INDEPENDENTS IN AMERICA WANT TO
HEAR.
HEAR. THEY’RE LIKE LOOK.
>> EXCUSE ME, THERE’S A LOT OF
REPUBLICANS SAYING THERE -- WHO
SAY PRESIDENT TRUMP, I LIKE A
LOT OF THE THINGS YOU’VE DONE.
CAN YOU DO ME A FAVOR AND STOP
LYING.
LYING. REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED FOR HIM
HAVE SAID THAT.
>> I THINK SHE TAPPED INTO A
FANTASTIC MESSAGE.
FANTASTIC MESSAGE. IT WAS SORT OF MOVING AND I WAS
SURPRISED BECAUSE I TEND TO BE
CYNICAL ABOUT THESE THINGS AND
PUT HERSELF IN A GOOD POSITION
TO POSSIBLY RUN IN 2020.