Over the weekend, Texas Democrat Beto O’Rourke announced that he had raised more than $38 million in three months.
O’Rourke is the former punk rocker taking on everyone’s favorite debate partner U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. On Monday, some 50 to 100 New Yorkers gathered at Mother of Pearl on Avenue A and East 6th Street to raise another few thousand for the challenger from afar.
It doesn’t seem as if O’Rourke needs the New York money. So why did non-Texans crowd into the tiki bar for themed drinks like the “Lone Star Old Fashioned” and “We Deserve Better” (apple brandy, lime, grenadine)?
One organizer got up and cut the music to say briefly that the race was important because even deep-blue city residents are affected by the conservative policies of Cruz and other non-New York GOP U.S. senators.
But most attendees gave a different reason for showing up: Beto (he was always “Beto,” and he naturally was in Texas and not NY on Monday) is the kind of politician they like. And they weren’t going to be conned into settling for someone they didn’t.
Attendees said Beto is a straight shooter, “a man of the people,” “keeping the Obama dream alive.”
They admired his progressive stands — no corporate donations — and the fact that he talks about things the youngish crowd is concerned with: student loans, the war on drugs.
Many attendees were not thrilled about the Democratic establishment and identified as farther left. Some were simultaneously paying attention to the other tighter races around the country, but they didn’t like the idea that they should fall in line behind more moderate Democratic candidates.
“It’s our money, we can give it to who we want and we don’t want the Democrats to mess it up again,” said Richard Foulser, 53, sipping a grassroots-style drink with tequila, chile and lime. He used a stronger word than “mess.”
Hillary Pecorale, a 28-year-old Brooklynite who works in marketing, said she favors candidates who are like “people, not robots.” Genuine.
It is a glimpse at the preferences of one wing of the Democratic Party. That wing has always been there, from RFK to Bernie. Can it grow in strength in the Donald Trump era, when Twitter and online fundraising allow viral candidates to conduct wealthy campaigns without relying on Big Money?
O’Rourke is a Texas candidate. It’s not Houston Street. He’s not really on the Abolish ICE wagon and he has said that “reasonable people” can disagree on the NFL kneeling issue — stances that might not be so popular in Mother of Pearl.
But he’s running a modern and savvily unvarnished campaign, livestreaming as he goes. There’s that punk band past and a DWI from years ago, so naturally he doesn’t seem as poll-tested as some peers. He may not win Texas, but he also doesn’t seem ready to share his wealth with other candidates. That’s just fine with the voters on Avenue A, who hope to see more of Beto or candidates like him.
That’s particularly true for Dan Goldman, 39, wearing a shirt that read: “Weed & Gay Marriage Will Save The World.” Goldman hosts the podcast “Marijuana Today” and is a founder of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, and he says organizations like the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee too often go for the wrong candidates.
“The Democratic Party is detached from young voters,” said Goldman.
