Hey, Team Beto, Rachel here! On Thursday, Beto had a breakout performance at the Democratic debate in Houston, showing voters across the country his bold and honest leadership when it comes to tackling gun violence, confronting structural racism, and calling out Donald Trump for being a white supremacist.
And beyond the debate stage, Beto continues to push the entire Democratic field (and party) in how our nation can address the epidemic of gun violence and take weapons of war off our streets. Earlier in the week, Beto was the first 2020 candidate to call on credit card companies and banks to stop providing services that enable the sale of assault weapons across the country, and in the debate he minced no words when he talked about how weapons designed to be on the battlefield have no place in our communities.
In this week’s issue of Writing No One Off, we’re highlighting how Beto crushed the debate and how his performance resonated with voters across the country.
But first, share this link with your friends and networks so they can get Writing No One Off delivered straight to their inboxes.
Roadrunner
Beto showed his strength in the Democratic debate in Houston and Houston 👏 showed 👏 up 👏 for 👏 Beto 👏.
Check out Team Beto on the ground in Houston for Thursday night’s debate:
📸 And take a look at some behind-the-scenes photos from the debate. 📸
Seen backstage at the Democratic debate.
Well wishes from El Paso HQ posted in Beto’s debate green room.
Beto in the spin room after his debate win.
Beto prepping for the debate with Amy and the team in El Paso.
Here’s where Beto will be in the coming weeks. 👀
September 17: Los Angeles, CA: Beto to visit Los Angeles and tour Skid Row area.
September 18: San Quentin, CA: Beto will be one of the first presidential candidates to visit a prison when he tours the San Quentin State Prison.
September 21: Des Moines, IA: Beto will speak first at the Polk County Steak Fry. RSVP here.
🧐Looking to take action with the campaign? You can find an event near you on our map 🗺. And be sure to check the map frequently, as new events are added daily!
Help us get Beto to more places:
If you’ve saved payment info with ActBlue Express, your contribution will go through immediately.
Favorite Things
Beto is obviously all of OUR favorite. But he became America’s favorite at the Democratic debate on Thursday night. Beto was the clear winner of the debate, with viewers and members of the press overwhelmingly impressed by Beto’s honesty, directness, and bold solutions on issues like gun violence, systemic racism and climate change.
In case you missed it, here are a few highlights:
✅ Beto called out Trump for being a white supremacist.|
✅ Said “hell yes we are going to take your AR15’s, your AK47’s” - by far, the biggest line of the entire night (P.S. buy a t-shirt if you agree).
✅ Addressed America’s legacy of slavery and systemic racism in education, health care and our economy.
✅ Spoke directly to the 41 million Spanish-speaking individuals in the United States in their native language, and was the only candidate to have an official Spanish-language Twitter account live-tweeting the debate. (Follow us here: @BetoParaTodos).
✅ Said with the courage of his convictions what he believes, what he’ll fight for, and who he’ll bring into this campaign, and his administration when elected.
Don’t miss this focus group clip, where undecided voters agreed Beto won the night, and praised him for the boldness with which he vowed to take on the issue of gun violence in America:
Check out some of the reactions from media and the Twitterverse about Beto’s performance:
CNN: “O'Rourke was powerful on gun control, with his "hell yes," we'll take your AR-15 answer about taking back assault weapons from gun owners. And his genuineness was evident, especially when discussing his experience in El Paso after the recent mass shooting...O'Rourke did what I ask from my debaters: control the stage. Did you notice how the other candidates looked to him and praised him several times on his forceful reaction to the El Paso shootings? O'Rourke seemed to bloom in this spotlight and it served him well before a debate audience.”
Dallas Morning News: Beto O'Rourke drops list of 100 Texas supporters as Houston presidential debate approaches.
POLITICO: “O’Rourke was the clear star of the night because he was authentic and honest about guns and what he intends to do about them. He has found his voice after the El Paso Walmart shooting, and I think that Beto will move into the top tier.”
Houston Chronicle: Beto O’Rourke has a big night in the Houston debate.
New Yorker: Did Beto O’Rourke Just Change the Democratic Conversation on Guns at the Debate?
Rise Above
As Beto said on Thursday, we need to bring everyone into the solution to end the epidemic of gun violence, and it’s going to take all of us. That means voters like you and me, that means responsible gun owners, and that means industries and companies whose business support the sale of assault weapons.
This week, Beto was the first candidate in the race to call on banks and credit card companies to stop allowing their services to be used to process assault weapon sales. And he’s urging all of us to join him in this call.
According to a New York Times 2018 investigation, in many of the past decade’s mass shootings the killers used credit cards to finance and purchase weapons. If you agree that credit card companies shouldn’t let their services be used for assault weapons purchases, sign our petition. Because we can’t wait for Congress to act to stop gun violence.
C’mon Everybody
In our poll this week, we want to know what your favorite part of the debate was:
People Have the Power
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See you soon!
Rachel
@rachel_r_thomas