Democrats and media outlets alike have long praised Beto O’Rourke for his brazen “authenticity.” Beto prides himself on shooting from the hip and appearing less polished than a polished politician. The Texas politician’s charade took a bit of a hit when he invited his supporters to a run on Sunday in a video.
Beto clearly didn’t think this one through.
The Western Journal Reports. Beto O’Rourke posted a video to his twitter that broke the facade of his “average Joe” persona. In the video posted to Twitter, Beto can be seen running in a full button down and pants. Watch this.
There was one odd detail in O’Rourke’s video that Twitter users noticed – he wasn’t dressed to run, despite appearing to do so. Many questioned whether the video was authentic.
Tim Young Tweeted. “Running in a dress shirt is as authentic and relatable as a white guy using a phony hispanic nickname.”
Running in a dress shirt is as authentic and relatable as a white guy using a phony hispanic nickname.
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) September 18, 2022
Another said. “A morning run in a dress shirt? Hang on. Gotta get my tux. I’ve got a triathlon coming up. You were more authentic with the skateboard, “Beto.”
A morning run in a dress shirt?
— Ultra Trafficker Calvin 🇺🇸🐶🏒 🎶 (@shoveitjack) September 18, 2022
Hang on. Gotta get my tux. I’ve got a triathlon coming up.
You were more authentic with the skateboard, “Beto.”
This woman sarcastically said “Hold on, Beto, let me get my silk blouse and penny loafers, and I’ll join you.”
You need to hire some new social media peeps….no one runs in a newly pressed dress shirt, especially in Texas.
— Betsy Brantner Smith (@sgtbetsysmith) September 18, 2022
One thing remains true about Beto, regardless of whether or not this was a stunt.
Beto isn’t really authentic. Rather, every move he makes is calculated to appear genuine.
The Bulwark, a center-right political news outlet, explained this quite elegantly in a 2019 article.
The writer Christian Schneider sums up O’Rourke’s game by pointing out that he did not take any concrete policy positions, used stream-of-consciousness speaking, and co opted Barack Obama’s message in his speeches: “Not having an act is O’Rourke’s act.”
O’Rourke’s supposed “authenticity” is actually painfully inauthentic. Beto proved as much in his Sunday stunt, and i’m sure this won’t be the last we see more cringe from the Texas candidate.
