Beto would be a Texas sized disaster. [Opinion]
The Houston Chronicle’s First Critical Beto Piece
Ted Cruz faces an enormous amount of unwarranted hate. He gets trashed for a Trump tweet by people who hate Trump. He gets trashed for a Green Eggs and Ham reading by people who love Dr. Seuss. People often say he’s unlikeable, but they never back it up with a reason why. Ted Cruz was not elected to the senate to go on Ellen and parrot trendy liberal talking points, and he was not elected because he played in a rock band, skateboards at Whataburger or crashed his car while driving drunk and attempted to flee from the scene. He was elected to go to Washington and fight for our constitutional rights, lower taxes, and a smaller, less intrusive federal government. He was elected to fight for the people of Texas, and since elected, he has done exactly that.
If Beto is good at one thing, it’s appealing to liberal celebrities. He has received praise from the Golden State Warriors coach, Steve Kerr, for his controversial stance on the national anthem protests. He believes there is “nothing more American” than kneeling for the anthem and desecrating the flag. While I strongly believe in this country’s uniquely American right to peaceful protest, I also watched the people of this great city band together during one of the country’s most historic natural disasters. I saw America personified when I watched this city come together and help out anyone and everyone who needed it, regardless of their status in the identity politics hierarchy. To me, that is far more American than the divisive actions of one entitled millionaire. We saw real American heroes in the streets. We witnessed JJ Watt fundraise, and get donations from more than 200,000 people, ultimately raising and distributing roughly $40 million in relief. We saw the city rally around the Astros, and then we saw the Astros honor first responders on the field. To me, that is as American as it gets, but while Ted Cruz was traveling the state with Cornyn and Abbott fighting for our recovery, Beto was in congress playing politics, and voting against tax relief for his fellow Texans.
Beto supports late term abortion, and voted against a ban on abortion after 20 weeks, even though the bill included exceptions for cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. The measure passed in the US House and even received a few democrat votes. Texas has similar protections for unborn children, which Beto stands firmly against.
Beto is pro illegal immigration, and he voted against Kate’s Law and the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, both of which passed in the House. He has spent his time in Congress actively fighting against the safety and protection of his own constituents and fellow Texans. He inexplicably refuses to recognize the real threats that come along with unchecked illegal immigration. In just the last three months in Houston, more than twenty MS13 gang members have been arrested in relation to more than 5 murders, one of which involved a confidential informant being hacked to death with a machete. Among the arrested are 11 illegal immigrants. According to our own police chief, these animals are “the worst of the worst” and “have no respect for the sanctity of life.” In addition to his aggressive protection of criminal illegal aliens, Beto was against using the National Guard to help assist with border patrol operations. However, in just three and a half weeks on their new assignment, the Guard contributed to more than 2,000 apprehensions and “turn backs,” in addition to securing more than 1,000lbs of contraband.
Texas is one of seven states in the country with no income tax, and we tend to believe you have the right to keep the fruits of your labor. However, if you earn anywhere between $10-100k a year, Beto voted against you getting a tax cut. His supporters enjoy pretending that he relates with the working class because he wore a dress and played in a band, but getting to keep more of one’s own paycheck resonates pretty well. The tax cuts were called “crumbs” by the liberal elite, but for many working class Americans, the tax cut was a raise on every pay check, a free month of rent and bills, a vacation you couldn’t otherwise afford, or a credit card finally paid off. What may be even worse than his no vote, were his lies about the vote. Beto said repealing the ACA’s individual mandate would cause 13 million to lose their healthcare, but this is simply not true, and as Obama said, if they like their doctor they can keep their doctor. However, this time it’s true.
In 2016, Texas stood strong with Ted Cruz in the primary, but ultimately settled with Trump for President as the best candidate to stand against the corrupt career politician running on the left. While Ted Cruz has been advising Trump on how to secure conservative judges and pass a business friendly agenda that has jumpstarted the US economy, Beto has publicly stated he would vote for impeaching the president. He has no justification for this stance, and instead favors the popular liberal “we have to impeach the president to figure out what we can frame him for” approach. This is not at all surprising when you consider the fact that he has voted with Nancy Pelosi 94% of the time. This voting record similarity is not an anomaly, as he has an alarming track record of voting with radical leftists in Congress. Among those, Beto finds himself agreeing 90% of the time or more with the following: Maxine Waters (CA), Adam Schiff (CA), Joe Kennedy (MA), Frederica Wilson (FL), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL), Keith Ellison (MN), Yvette Clarke (NY), and Houston’s own congressional embarrassments, Al Green and Sheila Jackson Lee.
If his policies weren’t bad enough, Beto showed his true colors and cowardice just a few weeks back when, after months of grandstanding, he pulled out of the first scheduled debate. Compare that to Ted Cruz, who volunteered to debate the left’s socialist hero, Bernie Sanders, multiple times on CNN. Beto simply lacks the courage, intellect and integrity to even share the stage with Ted Cruz, let alone replace him in the senate. This November, we have a clear choice between left and right, and I look forward to voting for Ted Cruz.