Defending ‘Beto’
Regarding a letter Tuesday by Jake Longoria, he is obviously a Republican who praises conservative issues, including the present White House dweller. He criticized U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke for his name. Does he know he is from El Paso? Is he familiar with their demographics? Is that name (Beto) and marijuana legalization the best he got? U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was the first candidate to visit then-candidate Donald Trump at Trump Tower. He thought (like many of us did) Trump would not go far. And he likely speculated that he could pick up the pieces of Trump supporters afterward. Cruz is widely considered to be astute but he is boorish, pompous and a general overall suck-up who is looking to gain personal power at any cost. Trump ridiculed Cruz repeatedly and held his wife up to public ridicule! He is scorned all over Washington, D.C., for his actions because his self interests are over powering and obvious.
Longoria supports the national tragedy that is Donald Trump. He supports Cruz because he has conservative values that he apparently identifies with — although Cruz’ only accomplishments have been to twice shut down the federal government because he could not get his way. Name one accomplishment of Cruz designed to help Texans, much less the Rio Grande Valley?
The man is contemptible. You can keep him! I will take a white ‘Beto’ over an ‘Uncle Tomas’ Cruz any day of the year.
Felipe Garcia, Edinburg
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Forty years ago, there was a little boy named Robert O’Rourke, who was nicknamed “Beto.” Jake Longoria thinks this was a nefarious plan to “bamboozle” people into believing he’s Hispanic.
Mr. Longoria attempts to paint Rep. O’Rourke, who was born and raised in El Paso (and who is fluent in Spanish) as some sort of an outsider. Beto has lived on the border all his life, and is raising his own young family in El Paso. He loves it. He knows, as only someone who lives in a border area can, the beauty and rewards, as well as the special challenges facing our unique regions.
Rafael Edward Cruz (who also goes by his nickname) hasn’t lived on the border and shows very little interest in our people or our problems. He’s been more interested in visiting the border wall, than in meeting with RGV residents. He is not fluent in Spanish.
Beto O’Rourke has visited the RGV three times and has had “meet and greets” with regular people. On Monday, he toured (on foot) the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge in Alamo, which will be decimated if the border wall goes through it, with precious habitat for the endangered ccelot being bulldozed into oblivion and wildlife being cut off from the river. Beto has promised to fight to prevent our natural treasures and cultural heritage from being destroyed by a wall that we all know is unnecessary.
I hope people will vote for this Democratic Senate candidate who has the best interests of the border areas at heart. Ted Cruz has shown that he has no concern for the people or the natural treasures of the RGV and I believe that Beto O’Rourke does.
Cory Raymond,
McAllen
