1/ Mea culpa. Ok, I've tweeted articles about whether Beto is progressive or not. And, since I think this fratricide of @BetoORourke vs @SenSanders is getting out of hand--and I am strong Bernie supporter; I give to Our Revolution and I give to Justice Democrats, I thought I
2/ would re-examine this dispute myself. Now, I'm not an expert on every issue. So, I went to Vote Smart dot org and looked at Beto's voting record as reported by various groups who have a stake in various issue domains and how they rate Beto. Just by the Mk1A1 eyeball, Beto has
3/ a progressive or liberal voting record in Congress. So, the claim that he is not a progressive is wrong. If one wants to argue "progressive enough," that is yours to determine. This series of tweets is going to show you the various ratings by issues so you can make your own
4/ mind up. I think he has to be stronger on some progressive issues that are emerging as central to progressives. I think these issues are: Green New Deal, Medicare For All, free public university, student debt relief, universal family leave, and universal daycare. There may be
5/ more or less progressive issues that form the core. Oh, and no candidate Super PAC, no PAC money, and no carbon cash. I think progressives can hash those issues out, without regard to candidates. What do we want to achieve? What narrative are we going to campaign on? All that
6/ said, here is the start of Beto's progressive voting record as found at Vote Smart dot org. The following charts are ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT 1 and 2, and OIL AND GAS. The LCV gives him 100%. The Mk1A1 eyeball suggests his voting record on the environment is about 80%. 
7/ The next cluster is ENTITLEMENTS, FISCALLY LIBERAL, and LABOR UNIONS 1 and 2. Again, the Mk1A1 eyeball suggests he has a 90% voting record that is liberal or progressive, according to the concerned rating organizations like the AFL-CIO.
8/ Continuing in this vein, we look at @BetoORourke voting record on FINANCE and BANKING, UNEMPLOYED and LOW INCOME, and HEALTH CARE 1 and 2. On Finance & Banking, not conservative. The other two, defintely progressive. If Medicare For All is issue, Beto needs to address.
9A/ If we look at culture war issues, Beto is definitely progressive: GUNS, IMMIGRATION 1 and 2, RELIGION 1 and 2, SEXUAL GENDER, SOCIALLY LIBERAL, LIBERAL, and WOMEN.
9B/ RELIGION 2, SEXUAL GENDER, and WOMEN. And LIBERAL.
10/ And the last one is NATIONAL SECURITY. Here he has a liberal record, but the rating organizations are rather shaky. To judge his a progressive on National Security there would have to be progressive positions on these issues: Israel/Palestinians, defense spending, etc.
11/ Overall, based on ratings from organizations that rate MOCs on issues important to them, @BetoORourke has a progressive voting record. So, if progressives want progressive candidates to emerge and gain support, there ought to be a list of progressive issues that candidates
12/ are expected to support. I am in no position to state what those are or who should do that. I support Bernie. Before Bernie got in, I was waiting for @SenWarren . If where the money comes from, then in fairness to every Democratic candidate, show where all the candidates
13/ stand relative to each other instead of taking sniper shots at one candidate. I'm guilty. I admit it. I want the 2019-20 primaries do be based more narrative, principles, values, and policies and not snark and smears. Thank you for reading. Have a happy midwinter holiday.
