candidates – USA Gov Policy

The entry of Beto O’Rourke into the 2020 Democrat presidential contest is actually more significant than it appears at first.

Robert Francis O’Rourke’s career in public life is noted more for his success in getting elected (or, in the case of his recent Senate campaign against incumbent Ted Cruz, nearly getting elected) than for what he did once he attained office. His three terms in the House of Representatives were not distinguished by any particular legislative activity. He has not taken any particularly noteworthy or innovative positions on the issues facing the nation, other than agreeing with some of the more general positions his party has clung to. He has been somewhat vague discussing his views. In an important Washington Post interview, he responded with calls for debates and discussions rather than offering his views on what appropriate actions or solutions should be.

But O’Rourke typifies the type of candidate the media loves to tout. He is young, reasonably attractive (some say his appearance and mannerisms are reminiscent of Robert Kennedy) and has the quirks and habits that play well on television. He plays guitar, skateboards, and is very digital-savvy (He started a software company, and it has been said that he was a member of a key hacker group.) Those who been attracted to him have been quite enthusiastic. His website even includes a “shop” where one can purchase Beto apparel and other items.

He has, as did Barack Obama in his first presidential bid, sought to cast a wide net for support, “We’re all in this together” reads the headline on his campaign web site. In a New York Times interview Michelle Goldberg notes that during his losing Senate run, “It was uncanny how much the candidate recalled Barack Obama circa 2008, and not just because of his gawky magnetism. Like Obama, O’Rourke is unapologetically progressive but offers a vision of post-partisan national unity.” The Wall Street Journal describes him as “…the fresh, elusive outsider like Carter, Clinton and Obama… Part of Mr. O’Rourke’s appeal is that he can relate to the whims and angst of youth. He played in a punk-rock band while attending Columbia University and after graduating worked itinerant jobs from a live-in nanny to an art mover. He eventually returned home to El Paso where he started a software business and ran for city council.”

In the Democrat field that increasingly drifts towards extremism, anti-religious bigotry and the support of socialism which has wrought devastation wherever it has been implemented, he stands out not so much for what he says but for what he doesn’t say.

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Far too often, candidates who lack a distinguished record in public service, elected office (other than actually getting elected) or the private sector, and who fail to offer any practical suggestions on the challenges facing the nation, are rising to high levels of prominence in U.S. politics.

Included in that list of “lacks” is a disturbing acceptance of sheer ignorance. One may agree or disagree with the hard-left positions of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) but it is hard to hide the fact that her low font of knowledge is truly troubling. She is, however, young, attractive, and has a certain charisma.

In essence, the qualities that the media favors and dwells on are not those necessary for good leadership, but those that make fun reading or reporting, or, in social-media terms, good “click-bait.” A distinct lack of knowledge, even the advocacy of truly mistaken and dangerous ideas such as socialism and anti-Semitism, are overlooked if the candidate is “cool.”

The fact is, politics in 2019 America are beginning to resemble those more common to high-school elections of Prom Kings and Queens than U.S. Commanders-in-Chiefs.

Illustration: Beto O’Rourke official portrait

Quick Analysis

Part 3: AMERICA’S STRATEGIC POSTURE

We conclude our summary of the urgent recommendation of the Congressional Committee on the nation’s Strategic Posture NON-NUCLEAR CAPABILITIES The Commission recommends: The United States urgently deploy a more resilient space architecture and adopt a strategy that includes both offensive and defensive elements to ensure U.S. access to and operations in space. The United States and its Allies take steps to ensure they are at the cutting edge of emerging technologies – such as big data analytics, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence (AI) – to avoid strategic surprise and potentially enhance the U.S. strategic posture. The United States prioritize funding and accelerate long-range non-nuclear precision strike programs to meet the operational need and in greater quantities than currently planned. x America’s Strategic Posture The United States develop and field homeland IAMD that can deter and defeat coercive attacks by Russia and China, and determine the capabilities needed to stay ahead of the North Korean threat.4 The Secretary of Defense direct research, development, test and evaluation into advanced IAMD capabilities leveraging all domains, including land, sea, air, and space. These activities should focus on sensor architectures, integrated command and control, interceptors, cruise and hypersonic missile defenses, and area or point defenses. The DOD should urgently pursue deployment of any capabilities that prove feasible. The Secretary of Defense and the Military Departments transfer operations and sustainment responsibility for missile defense to the appropriate Military Departments by 1 October 2024. This will allow the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to focus on research, development, prototyping and testing. ALLIES AND PARTNERS The Commission believes it is in the U.S. national interest to maintain, strengthen, and when appropriate, expand its network of alliances and partnerships. These relationships strengthen American security by deterring aggression regionally, before it can reach the U.S. homeland, while also enabling U.S. economic prosperity through access to international markets. Withdrawing from U.S. alliances and partnerships would directly benefit adversaries, invite aggression that the United States might later have to reverse, and ultimately decrease American, allied, and partner security and economic prosperity. Further, the Commission believes that our defense and the defense of the current international order is strengthened when Allies can directly contribute to the broader strategic posture, and the United States should seek to incorporate those contributions as much as possible. The Executive branch should recognize that any major change to U.S. strategic posture, policies, or capabilities will have great effect on Allies’ perceptions and their deterrence and assurance requirements. As a result, any changes should be predicated on meaningful consultations. RISK REDUCTION The Commission believes it is of paramount importance for the United States to work to reduce strategic risks. This involves activities and programs across the U.S. government, including in nonproliferation and arms control, as well as maintaining strong, viable, and resilient military forces. The Commission recommends that a strategy to address the two-nuclear-peer threat environment be a prerequisite for developing U.S. nuclear arms control limits for the 2027-2035 timeframe. The Commission recommends that once a strategy and its related force requirements are established, the U.S. government determine whether and how nuclear arms control limits continue to enhance U.S. security. The Commission recommends that the United States continue to explore nuclear arms control opportunities and conduct research into potential verification technologies in order to support or enable future negotiations in the U.S. national interest that seek to limit all nuclear weapon types, should the geopolitical environment change. Where formal nuclear arms control agreements are not possible, the Commission recommends pursuing nuclear risk reduction measures to increase predictability and reduce uncertainty and the chances for misperception and miscalculation. The 2009 Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States reported that the United States was at “a moment of opportunity, . . .but also a moment of urgency” – because the security environment had improved and the threat of nuclear proliferation was the principal concern. Since 2009, the security environment has dramatically worsened and new existential threats have emerged. This Commission concludes that the United States now faces a highstakes challenge that requires urgent action. Nevertheless, the Commission has not seen the U.S. government demonstrate the urgency and creativity required to meet the challenge. Nothing other than synchronized steps taken by the Executive and Legislative Branches will craft the strategy and build the posture the nation requires. The challenges are unmistakable; the problems are urgent; the steps are needed now. Photo: An Air Force Global Strike Command unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during a test at Vandenberg Space Force Base (DoD)