Thread by @NGrossman81

I don't have a strong opinion on Beto (yet), but on the rationale for running question, @jonathanchait makes a good point that communication skills is a good reason.
But Chait and others are missing a big one: immigration.
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nymag.com/intelligencer/…

Parties have to sell the public on their ideas.
Having ideas isn't enough. Support from activists, pundits and political Twitter isn't enough. Millions have to buy in, & POTUS nominees are chief salesperson. If Beto can sell Dem ideas better than others, that's a reason to run
2/

But communication skills alone aren't enough either. For presidential campaigns, a signature issue is important. That's what most mean by rationale for running.
(I want a POTUS with a command of policy details, especially on foreign policy, but I'm not the average voter).
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Though I haven't heard Beto say it, the obvious signature issue for him is immigration.
That's Trump's signature issue, and Democrats have mostly ducked it. The 2020 POTUS candidates so far, and 2018 midterm campaign, focus on other subjects, like healthcare or the economy.
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What do Dems want on immigration, besides Not The Wall? They denounce Trump's fearmongering, call him racist, but otherwise have ceded the issue.
2020 campaigns talking past each other is one strategy. Directly taking on Trump over immigration is another.
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Beto represents El Paso, Texas, the border city Trump falsely claimed was crime-ridden until it built a fence. It was actually safer than the average US city before, and did not change significantly after.
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I don't have a strong opinion on Beto--though I too roll my eyes at some of the glowing profiles--nor on most Dem candidates. I'd like to see them run first.
But if Dems want to debate Trump on immigration, rather than continuing to cede the issue, Beto's in position to.
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