>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK TO THE "LA "LATE SHOW" EVERYBODY.
FOLKS, MY NEXT GUEST IS A TEXAN RUNNING FOR U.S. SENATE AGAINST
TED CRUZ.
PLEASE WELCOME CONGRESSMAN BETO O'ROURKE!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪ ♪ ♪
>> THAT'S GREAT, AWESOME.
THAT'S AWESOME.
>> Stephen: WELCOME TO "THE LATE SHOW."
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: WELCOME TO "THE LATE SHOW."
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: NICE TO HAVE YOU HERE
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: PEOPLE ARE PRETTY EXCITED.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: WERE YOU AWARE PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF TEXAS WERE
FOLLOWING YOUR CAMPAIGN BECAUSE I ASSUME-- ARE PEOPLE HERE-- WHO
IS HERE FROM TEXAS?
( CHEERS ) >> THAT WAS PRETTY IMPRESSIVE.
>> Stephen: DO THEY COME WITH YOU EVERYWHERE YOU GO?
>> THEY DO, MY WIFE IS HERE, TWO OF HER BROTHERS ARE HERE, AND
SOME MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM.
HEY, AMY.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: NOW, BETO IS-- BETO-- YES, HELLO, AMY, HELLO.
NOW, I UNDERSTAND THAT BETO-- BETO IS NOT YOUR REAL NAME.
WHAT IS YOUR REAL NAME?
>> I WAS BORN ROBERT FRANCIS O'ROURKE, BUT LIKE MANY PEOPLE
BORN ROBERT OR ALBERT IN EL PASO, MY NICKNAME IS BETO.
NOT UNCOMMON FOR YOUR MAILMAN TO BE NAMED BELL BETTEO, OR YOUR
MEMBER OF CONGRESS BE NAMED BETO O'ROURKE.
>> Stephen: THIS HAS BEEN A LONGTIME THING HERE, BECAUSE
WHAT YEAR ARE WE LOOKING AT HERE?
>> THIS HAS TO BE 1976.
>> Stephen: THERE IS BETO.
>> JUST IN CASE I FORGOT-- MY MOM HAD IT STITCHED ON MY
SWEATER.
SO...
>> Stephen: WELL, YOU ARE A PAST PUNK ROCKER, ACCORDING TO
SOME VERY DISTURBING ALLEGATIONS AGAINST YOU.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: YOU CAN EXPLAIN-- CAN YOU EXPLAIN THIS PHOTO?
HOLD ON.
I'VE GOT IT RIGHT HERE.
A BUNCH OF ART CARDS HERE.
YOU CAN EXPLAIN WHAT'S GOING ON IN THAT PHOTO RIGHT THERE, SIR?
WHAT IS GOING ON RIGHT THERE?
( APPLAUSE ) AND WHAT IS THIS LOVELY CHEMISE
YOU ARE SPORTING.
>> I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S A GOOD EXPLANATION.
I'M THERE WITH ARLO AND MIKE AND CEDRIC, WHOSE PHOTO IS ON THE
BACK.
FOR THE BETTER PART OF TWO YEARS WE WROTE SONGS, PUT OUT OUR OWN
RECORDS, TOURED THE COUNTRY, AND IT WAS THE THE MOST AMAZING
EXPERIENCE OF MY THEN.
YOUNG LIFE TO BE TELLING OUR STORY FROM TOWN TO TOWN.
FOUR GUYS LIVING IN A PLYMOUTH SATELLITE, GOING FROM ONE CITY
TO THE NEXT.
AND THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW AS WE
TRAVEL TO THE 254 COUNTIES OF TEXAS, JUST SHOWING UP,
INTRODUCING MYSELF, AND LISTENING TO THOSE I WANT TO
REPRESENT IN ONE COMMUNITY AFTER THE OTHER, DOING IT FREE OF ANY
POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES OR CORPORATIONS OR SPECIAL
INTERESTS.
>> Stephen: CAN POLITICS BE LIKE PUNK ROCK?
>> I THINK SO.
I THINK WE'RE PROVING THAT RIGHT NOW.
THERE'S NO ONE OUTSIDE OF THE PEOPLE OF TEXAS WHO ARE MAKING
THIS HAPPEN.
AND IT'S THE MOST AMAZING, THE MOST THRILLING EXPERIENCE.
WE'LL BE IN HOUSTON CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE THERE, GOING IN TO
COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN WRITTEN OFF OR TAKEN FOR GRANTED
OR FORGOTTEN.
BUT WE'LL ALSO GO TO SMALL TOWNS LIKE CHILDRESS.
>> Stephen: MULE SHOE?
>> MULE SHOE, YEAH.
>> THAT'S A TOWN I WANT TO GO TO.
>> YOU DO.
>> Stephen: I DON'T KNOW WHY, I THINK MULE SHOE PROBABLY HAS
GOOD BARBECUE?
>> ALL OVER TEXAS THERE'S GREAT BARBECUE.
AND JUST AMAZING PEOPLE WHO AT THIS MOMENT OF TRUTH FOR OUR
COUNTRY ARE SHOWING UP IN GREAT NUMBERS, NOT DIVIDED BY PARTY
AFFILIATION OR GEOGRAPHY OR ANY OTHER SMALL DIFFERENCE.
IT'S ALL ABOUT COMING TOGETHER.
>> Stephen: WELL, YOU'RE ALREADY A CONGRESSMAN FROM
TEXAS.
WHAT PART OF TEXAS DO YOU REPRESENT?
>> EL PASO, TEXAS.
>> Stephen: A BORDER TOWN.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> Stephen: THE WEST TEXAS TOWN OF EL PASO.
IT'S-- IMMIGRATION IS A VERY HOT ISSUE AND BORDER SECURITY RIGHT
NOW.
HOW ARE YOU ON THE WALL?
>> WE-- WE DON'T NEED A WALL.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: OKAY, GO AHEAD.
>> SO EL PASO, THIS TOWN THAT I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN, WHERE
AMY AND I ARE RAISING ULYSSES AND MOLLIE AND HENRY, HAPPENS TO
BE ONE OF, IF NOT THE SAFEST CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA.
AND WHAT MAKES US SO SAFE IS WE ARE A CITY OF IMMIGRANTS AND WE
TREAT ONE ANOTHER WITH RESPECT AND DIGNITY.
I THINK THAT'S FUNDAMENTAL TO SECURITY, TO SUCCESS, TO SAFETY.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: DO YOU WANT-- DO YOU WANT TO SEE-- DO YOU WANT TO
SEE THE DREAMERS PROTECTED?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> Stephen: CHUCK SCHUMER WAS WILLING TO TRADE PRESIDENT TRUMP
THE WALL FOR THE DREAM ACT.
WOULD YOU TAKE THAT DEAL?
>> NO, I WOULDN'T.
AND I THINK THE PEOPLE OF TEXAS CAN LEAD ON THIS.
I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.
REPUBLICAN SENIOR SENATOR JOHN CORNYN AND I WORKED ON A BILL TO
IMPROVE BORDER SECURITY BY INVESTING IN OUR PORTS OF ENTRY,
SO FACILITATING MORE LEGITIMATE TRADE AND TRAVEL AND VAGUE
BETTER IDEA OF WHO AND WHAT IS COMING IN TO OUR COUNTRY.
WE DON'T NEED WALLS.
WE IS CAN HAVE SMART SECURITY SOLUTIONS.
AND WE CAN FREE DREAMERS FROM THE FEAR OF DEPORTATION BY
MAKING THEM U.S. CITIZENS TODAY SO THEY CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR
MAXIMUM CAPACITY, TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL.
( APPLAUSE ) AND WE CAN MOVE FORWARD IN THAT
MANNER OF MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE SECURE, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE
LIVE UP TO OUR VALUES AND OUR IDEALS.
AND TEXAS, THE DEFINING BORDER STATE AND IMMIGRATION
EXPERIENCE, WE SHOULD LEAD ON THAT.
DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS, INDEPENDENTS ALIKE COMING
TOGETHER.
AND AS WE'VE TRAVELED THE 254 COUNTIES OF TEXAS, WE HAVE HEARD
THAT.
WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO LEAD ON THAT.
>> Stephen: WELL, NOW THAT--
NOW THAT THE-- THREE POLLS IN A ROW NOW HAVE FOUND YOU GUYS, YOU
AND CRUZ, ESSENTIALLY WITHIN THE MARGIN OF ERROR.
IT'S VERY CLOSE RIGHT NOW.
TRUMP SAYS HE WILL CAMPAIGN FOR CRUZ, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THEY
JUST DESPISE EACH OTHER.
>> RIGHT.
>> Stephen: IS IT SURREAL TO SEE ENEMIES JOINING FORCES
AGAINST YOU?
>> YEAH, THIS IS GOING TO BE INTERESTING.
BUT I'M--
I'M CONVINCED THAT THE PEOPLE OF TEXAS-- AND THAT'S WHO WE'RE
RELYING ON-- ME PACS, NO CORPORATIONS, NO SPECIAL
INTEREST, NO D.N.C.-- THE PEOPLE OF TEXAS ARE MORE THAN A MATCH
FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP OR FOR POLITICS AS USUAL.
WE'VE GONE TO ALL THESE COUNTIES.
WE'VE HELD TOWN HALLS IN ALL OF THEM.
WE'VE LISTENED TO PEOPLE.
AND PEOPLE ARE COMING OUT AT THIS MOMENT OF TRUTH.
THEY'RE GOING TO HELP US DECIDE AS A COUNTRY ARE WE A NATION OF
WALLS?
WILL WE BAN ALL MUSLIMS OR ALL PEOPLE OF ONE RELIGION?
WILL WE DESCRIBE THE PRESS AS THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE?
WILL WE TAKE KIDS AWAY FROM THEIR PARENTS AND THEY'RE TRYING
TO CLAIM ASYLUM, FLEEING FROM THE MOST BRUTAL COUNTRIES IN
THIS HEMISPHERE, IF NOT THE PLANET?
OR ARE WE GOING TO BE DEFINED BY OUR AMBITIONS, THE BIG THINGS WE
WANT TO DO, GOING FROM THE LEAST-INSURED STATE IN THE
COUNTRY TO THE ONE THAT LEADS ON UNIVERSAL, GUARANTEED, HIGH-GALT
HEALTH CARE FOR EVERYONE?
A STATE THAT VALUES PUBLIC EDUCATION AND PAYS THEIR
TEACHERS ACCORDINGLY AND ALLOWS THEM TO TEACH IT A CHILD INSTEAD
OF A STANDARDIZED TEST?
AND THIS DIVERSE STATE, THE MOST DIVERSE CITY IN THE COUNTRY,
HOUSTON, TEXAS, CAN WE LEAD ON REWRITING OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS
IN OUR OWN IMAGE.
WE CAN DO ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
WE ARE NOT RUNNING AGAINST ANYONE OR ANYTHING OR ANY OTHER
POLITICAL PARTY.
WE ARE RUNNING FOR THIS COUNTRY, AND I AM SO EXCITED TO BE A PART
OF THIS.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: CONGRESSMAN BETO O'ROURKE, EVERYBODY!