Now that’s some mother fuckin’ fighting words:
Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic nominee for Texas governor, called the Republican incumbent, Greg Abbott, a “a thug” and an “authoritarian” on Saturday and compared Texas energy executives to Russian oligarchs in a blistering critique that presages an election that is about eight months away.
“I just had a chance to meet with the ambassador from the EU,” O’Rourke told Evan Smith, the CEO and co-founder of The Texas Tribune, in a crowded hall at the South by Southwest festival. “We talked about the fact that you’re seeing the continued rise of authoritarians and thugs across the world. And we have our own, right here, in the state of Texas.”
Smith asked, “Greg Abbott is a thug in your mind?”
O’Rourke replied, "He’s a thug, he’s an authoritarian.
“Let me make the case. Not only could this guy, through his own incompetence, not keep the lights on in the energy capital of the planet last February, but when people like Kelcy Warren and other energy company CEOs made than $11 billion in profit over five days — selling gas for 200 times the going rate; not only did he not claw back those illegal profits; not only was there no justice for more than 700 people who were killed, who literally froze to deaths in their homes, outside, in their cars, people who are paying now tens of billions of dollars cumulatively to pay for the property damage that the flooding that ensued caused in their homes, but he’s taking millions of dollars in payoffs from these same people. I mean, he’s got his own oligarch here in the state of Texas.”
Abbott’s oligarch certainly is scared of Beto:
A Texas oil pipeline billionaire is suing Beto O'Rourke for defamation after the Democrat criticized his $1 million donation to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's campaign following last year's deadly winter blackout.
O'Rourke, who won the Democratic nomination for governor last week, called the lawsuit frivolous during a news conference Monday. Court records show it was filed in February in rural West Texas.
The donor, Kelcy Warren, is the chairman of Energy Transfer. The oil pipeline company reported $6.7 billion in net income last year, including about $2.4 billion in earnings related to the catastrophic February 2021 winter storm in Texas that sent natural gas prices soaring. Four months later, Warren gave the Abbott campaign $1 million, his largest single political contribution in a decade of donations to Republican candidates in Texas, according to state campaign finance records.
O'Rourke has made the failure of Texas' power grid — and Abbott's handling of the aftermath — a cornerstone of his underdog campaign. He has accused the two-term governor of letting energy companies off the hook by not mandating more significant industry oversight or weatherization.
O'Rourke has tweeted that energy executives “bought off” Abbott and at times has singled out Warren, saying during one campaign stop that the contribution “looks like a bribe to me.”
By the way, Abbott is such an Authoritarian Thug that even the business community isn’t standing for this shit:
A number of high-powered global businesses called on Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) to abandon the state's anti-LGBTQ+ initiatives.
Sixty-five companies including
Apple (AAPL),
Capital One (COF), Google, Ikea,
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), LinkedIn,
Macy's (M),
Microsoft (MSFT),
PayPal (PYPL), and Yahoo signed the open letter. "Discrimination is bad for business" the headline read in an advertisement in Friday's The Dallas Morning News newspaper.
The letter was done in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).
"Our companies do business, create jobs, and serve customers in Texas. We are committed to building inclusive environments where our employees can thrive inside and outside of the workplace," the letter said. "For years we have stood to ensure LGBTQ+ people — our employees, customers, and their families — are safe and welcomed in the communities where we do business."
"The recent attempt to criminalize a parent for helping their transgender child access medically necessary, age-appropriate healthcare in the state of Texas goes against the values of our companies," the letter said. "This policy creates fear for employees and their families, especially those with transgender children, who might now be faced with choosing to provide the best possible medical care for their children but risk having those children removed by child protective services for doing so. It is only one of several efforts discriminating against transgender youth that are advancing across the country."
The companies went on to "call on our public leaders — in Texas and across the country — to abandon efforts to write discrimination into law and policy. It's not just wrong, it has an impact on our employees, our customers, their families, and our work."
I love Beto and I want to help him win so bad. He’s had a ton of great plans for Texas including this:
Democratic candidate Beto O'Rourke said Saturday that if elected governor of Texas, he would pursue legalizing marijuana — and said he anticipates that the Republican majority in the Legislature would get on board.
“I’ll let you in on a secret: Republicans like to get high just as much as Democrats,” O’Rourke said, speaking during a South by Southwest panel in Austin.
While some Republican-led states have legalized recreational marijuana, Texas has not joined the growing national legalization movement.
And this:
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Beto O’Rourke stopped in East Texas on Thursday afternoon to hold a public town hall as part of his People of Texas Campaign.
KETK’s Sarah Alegre reported live in Nacogdoches to bring full coverage of the event, which started at 5:30 p.m. at the Fredonia Hotel Courtyard.
O’Rourke spoke about expanding Medicaid, increasing pay for teachers and raising the minimum wage in Texas.
By the way, do you need motivation to prove the haters wrong? Here’s a Tweet that will motivate you:
Health & Democracy are on the ballot this year and there is absolutely no reason whatsoever for any Democratic voter to not feel unenthused or unmotivated to vote. Not. A Single. Reason. So let’s get ready to flip Texas Blue. Click below to donate and get involved with Beto and his fellow Texas Democrats campaigns:
Beto O’Rourke for Governor
Texas Democratic Party
Rochelle Garza for Attorney General
Jessica Cisneros for Congress
Jasmine Crockett for Congress
Greg Casar for Congress