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Running with Beto (2019)
Beto O'Rourke:
All right, people, let's go. Boy: No. You messed me up. Beto: All right. All right, now I'm getting behind the wheel, -so watch out. -(kids chatter) Let me see if I can make this sucker work. -(Henry O'Rourke speaking) -Amy O'Rourke: Shh! Sucker just means this thing. -Is that not a right word to use? -That's not a good word to use. -Okay, sorry. -Molly O'Rourke: Daddy, are we there yet? -Beto: You're on? -Chris Evans: We're on, yeah. -Yeah. -All right. So, as you can see, this is what it costs to put gas in the tank. So, contribute 10 bucks, and we will use it to get to your town. Beto: Luisa chipped in. Thank you very much. We are in Killeen, Texas. We just finished a veterans' town hall. I'm gonna get a haircut here. Oh, you know what? The camera's all messed up on this thing. -Why? -I don't know. We're like in a dream. Henry: Daddy... Ted Cruz: Liberal Democrats, -don't mess with Texas. -(audience cheering) Newsman: When it comes to politics, Texas is one of the reddest, most conservative Republican states in this country. -(gunshots) -Robert Siegel: Republicans have won 100 statewide elections in a row. Newsman: Democrats stay home. Why vote if the outcome is predetermined? Mark Jones: Democrats don't try to compete statewide, and they aren't really a statewide party. Somebody asked me, "How do you think you're gonna do in Texas?" I think we're gonna very well in Texas, right? -(cheering) -Do very well. Ari Shapiro: El Paso representative Beto O'Rourke thinks he can beat the odds. (knocking) Newswoman: O'Rourke is an unapologetic progressive. He's taking positions most Texas Democrats avoid like the plague. Wade Goodwyn: Universal healthcare, assault weapons ban, abortion rights, raise the minimum wage. Democrats, we have played it too safe in this state. We have been too middle-of-the-road. (crowd applauds) Cruz: We're living in remarkable times. The hard left is angry. They're energized. They hate the president, and they're coming for Texas. (crowd booing) Now, here's the good news. There are a lot more conservatives than liberals in the state of Texas. (cheering) Beto: Holly. How are you? Good to see you. -Amy: Got everybody. -Beto: All right. Thank you. Beto: It's official today. Now you will be able to vote for us. -Okay. Good, yeah. -Officially. -Good. -Yeah. -You guys ready? -Henry: Yeah. Okay, cool. It's gonna be fun. We are going to officially be on the ballot to represent the great state of Texas -in the United States Senate. -(cheering) And it is this support that we have received represented in 15,000 petition signatures that are somewhere in this room. -(laughter) -(cheering) Beto: Right here. So... Rosa, should we make this official? -Right here. -Okay. You ready guys? Last chance. -(laughter) -You sure you want to do it? Okay. All right. (cheering) Come on, you guys. Big hug. Big hug. Big hug. All right? -Get in here. -(laughing) (cheering) Beto: Come on up. Guys, come on up. Beto: Amy and I, we were watching the returns for president, trying to figure out what's going on. Somebody just won an election by defining us as being scared and small and afraid. And so, we just, you know, "What are we going to do?" And out of that conversation came this idea of "What if we ran for Senate?" Nobody asked us to do this, so... yeah, I just got to keep that in mind. That's how we started and that's how we have to continue it, so... Man: Which part in mind? Just that we're running with, you know, got to run like there's nothing to lose. Yeah. Beto: In this highly polarized, divided, tribal time in our country, all of us have to be willing to work together. Before we're Republicans or Democrats, we are human beings. So, thank you for being part of something really exciting that's taking place in Texas right now. I think we, the people of Texas, are gonna be the big, bold, confident, strong answer to the small, mean, petty politics of our age. (applause) (indistinct chatter) David Wysong: I really don't. Uh-uh. We don't poll. He just thinks that politics becomes gross when you overdo that stuff or do any of that stuff, like... you just lose the courage of your convictions type stuff. I think what we're selling with him is just genuineness. -Here you go. -Thank you very much. Wysong: Ted Cruz has massive name ID, where Beto is largely unknown, so, what we're betting on is that enough people are gonna meet him, which seems insane, given 28 million people, but enough people are gonna feel like they know him, um, and have that personal connection, and that's what we're counting on. Newsman (over radio): Beto O'Rourke's unconventional campaign -kicks into high gear today. -Woo. Newsman: He's doing something no candidate has for decades: visiting all 254 counties in our Lone Star State. Beto: Chris, thank you for organizing this. My name is Beto O'Rourke, born and raised in El Paso, Texas, here to represent the state of Texas in the United States Senate. I'm traveling to all 254 counties to meet everybody that I can. Yes, sir. -Beto: Yeah. -(laughter) If you all wanna pitch in for the cowboy boots, there's a jar going around, um... And I would be incredibly grateful for your consideration of an endorsement. Evans: So, you've hit 16 town halls. I will buy you a donut -if you can name all 16. -Okay. Are you ready? -I'm ready. I'm fact-checking you, so... -Okay. Beto: Rockwall, Greenville, Sulphur Springs, Emory, Mineola... Beto: And universal background checks for everyone who wants to purchase a firearm. ...Tyler, Canton, Terrell, Waxahachie... Legalizing both the dreamers and their parents. -Okay, hang with me. -Evans: I'm in this car, so I can't go anywhere. -Ah. Cleburne. -Evans: Yes. Beto: Mahaya, Bryan... Universal guaranteed high-quality healthcare -for every American. -(cheering) -...San Benito... -Evans: Yes. -Bring it home, number 16. -Weslaco. -Weslaco. -All right. -You got all 16. I owe you a donut. -Beto: That was good, man. Beto: All right. Could I get six donuts? -Beto: Here. I'll give you a card. -(dog barking) I'm running for US Senate. -I wanna tell you something, brother. -Yes, sir. (Beto speaking) -Okay. Tell it. -There's always advice. -(laughter) -I can't fucking pay attention to what you're saying 'cause your hands are fucking moving so... I'm here to challenge you on your assault weapons ban stance. Um, an AR-15 is designed for use by the military. It's my right. (sighs) -(applause) -Hey, how are y'all? Good to see you. Announcer: We are so proud to welcome Beto O'Rourke -to his 254th county in Texas. -(cheering) Thank you, everybody! Very good to see everyone. Thank you! Thank you for being here right now! (radio static crackling) Newsman (on radio): So, Beto's now visited all 254 counties, do you think we're gonna see a race this fall? Woman (radio): So, Democrats like to think they've got a chance, but Beto's gonna lose. It's just the same song and different dance. (basketball bouncing) (dog barking) What's happening? All right, let's do one-on-one. I'll have a cup of coffee and one hand, okay? See if you can beat me. Ulysses: I'm Ulysses O'Rourke, and I'm 11 years old. My brother is Henry, and my sister is Molly. My mom is Amy, and my dad is Beto. -Please, can I play? -Yeah. You're on Ulysses's team. First, he ran for Congress, and then he ran for this. It kind of feels the same, except this is like way bigger. What's the team? -Beto: Uh, it's me and you. -Oh. Ulysses: Sometimes I ask him, why are you doing this? And he says 'cause maybe if he ran for Senate and he won, then other people would realize, "Oh yeah. If he can do it, then we can do it." Henry: Oh, let's make hot chocolate. -Molly: Yeah! -Beto: Hey guys, focus. -Okay, Dad. -Beto: Baking powder. How long does that take? Amy: When Beto had told me he wanted to run for Congress the first time, I was pregnant with Henry. And I can remember we were sitting in a car together, and I was just crying and crying, 'cause I couldn't understand why he would... almost like sacrifice our family to run for that level of office. 'Cause everything that I knew about life on the Hill was just kind of dirty and slimy and people changed once they got there. -Daddy, can I shape them? -Yep. Amy: Two years later, we talked about it again, and we decided that he should run. We figured how to maintain a strong family life. And then when Trump won, we're like, okay, what can we do as a couple to try to change this dialogue at a national level? Um, and when you have an opponent like Cruz, that just seemed like a very easy answer. Man: Texas progressives see a glimmer of hope here, as long-shot victories around the country suggest a blue wave could sweep across red states this fall. Wolf Blitzer: Doug Jones is the winner. Cory Smith: O'Rourke says the blue wave is real. This is totally possible, and it's 100% on all of us. Eric Bradner: Republicans aren't nervous. Cruz: Congressman O'Rourke is running hard to the left. He's embracing positions like open borders, gun control. Those are not the values of Texas. So, you're subscribing to the idea of a blue wave -that is hitting a red wall. -(Cruz laughs) Cruz: Listen, if you're gonna run in Texas, you can't run as a liberal man. Shannon Gay: Daisy! (dog barking) Go get her. Go get her, Rex. Good girl! Thank you! Oh, I love you the most-est! When I was at the Humane Society in Bulverde, I was on the board of directors. We were so desperate for money, we did a topless calendar. (scoffs) I'm Ms. September. (barking) (laughing): It was fun. One of the reasons why Beto means a lot to me is his passion for veterans. Catching these guys before they punch out, not after, could've probably saved my marriage. Um... my kid would've had a father. In order to keep this from happening again, that's one of the reasons I want Beto in there so bad. This is an exciting day. We are gonna go into the dark heart of Trump-ghanistan. We're gonna go into our one stoplight town in Bulverde, and we're gonna plunk down a Kling and a Beto and a Crowe sign. And, uh, just rattle some nerves, 'cause the blue wave is coming. I went up to Beto, and I told him, I said, here's the deal, man. You better bring brains, backbone, and balls to the table, or go home. And I told him. I said, I'm gonna be up your ass so much, I'll be able to tell you what you had for lunch. He said, that's as it should be. I want so desperately to hear him tell Ted Cruz, you pack your shit and get the fuck outta Dodge 'cause there's a new kid in town, and his name is Beto. I told Javier Salinas, who is Ted Cruz's field director, I told him that I would ask Ted Cruz, "Are you circumcised?" And his fa-- He was shocked. And I said, "You shocked?" "Yeah." "Good. Good, you should be." He thinks he has the right to know what we've got going on in our pants, and make decisions about what we do with our lives, but we can't know what's going on in his pants? No. Honestly, what is it about these arrogant fuckwits that think they can make these decisions? (sighs) Too much red. Eck! I'm guilty of having been asleep at the wheel. I had no idea about the goings-on in this country, and how much power we relinquished, and how much of a fight we have to go through to get it back. And, ultimately, it's gonna be worth it. (birds chirping) Beto: Guys, check this. This is biblical. I've never seen this many birds. It's amazing. If this doesn't work out, I'm gonna do long-haul trucking. Beto: I'm going in. You may be concerned that most of my colleagues answer to the special interests, and that's why we're running this campaign the right way: not a dime of political action committee, no corporate help, no special interest contributions, and we are out-raising the junior sitting US senator by hundreds of thousands of dollars, -doing it $25 at a time. -(applause, cheers) Maxine Galinsky: Oh, we've got money for Beto. We've got a bag of money to present him before he leaves here tonight. The average donation is about $20, so there's a lot of money in this bag. I don't know how much money... Beto: One of the surprises upon getting to DC as a member of Congress is that there's so much fucking money that runs... Washington, DC, that runs Congress, uh, and it's the way that our democracy, unfortunately, works or doesn't work. I had not been taking any PAC money for years now. That there was an expectation on the part of the donor, so I just unilaterally withdrew from the PAC arms race. Salas: I was a unique case. When I was 17, as soon as I could, I showed up at the elections department to register myself to vote. Nobody else is like me. So, what I do is I... register voters and take that data, and put it into the voter activation network. I did not realize how vital data was to winning elections until I started working elections. I thought it was like all about enthusiasm and like voting, and that's great. But if you don't have data, you don't have anything. Right now, I've got 481 registered voters, but by the end of the month, I'm hoping that we'll be able to bump that to 750. We can do 106. (speaking Spanish) Salas: Here in the valley, there's a lot of people that just aren't engaged with politics. We have been marginalized and oppressed for centuries, and so there's a reason why the people down here say that their vote doesn't matter. Veronica Escobar: We gotta change the direction of our country. Thank you, bye! Wow, okay, so I heard, as I was eavesdropping, -that you were a Republican? -Yes! I used to be one! (exclaiming in Spanish) Yeah! Yeah, hardcore. I got scholarship money -from them and everything. -Holy cow! What happened? Well, I was in the closet, so that was part of it. -And I grew up in a really religious home. -Yeah. We were Southern Baptist, so we were super conservative, so I mean, the Republicanism was beat into me. -Wow. -Yeah. And it wasn't until Bernie. Bernie is who I switched parties for. It was a big deal. I did not wanna switch parties 'cause I was so tied to that Republican-- -Identity? -Yeah. And so... are your family members active Republicans? Yeah, my step-dad is a very big Trump supporter. He-- Yeah! He's just Fox News. I mean, I get it. I used to watch the Fox News all the time. I used to be like that all the time. Um... Oh, a Beto sign! Oh, hey! (knocking) Evans (speaking quietly): We are in Houston. And we are about four minutes away from starting Beto's 24-hour livestream, where he's gonna be live on Facebook for 24 hours straight. This is either my best idea ever, or my last idea ever, so... All right, so I'm just gonna hit go and we're gonna be live. Yeah so, it's starting live video. It'll be the first 24-hour Facebook livestream of any Senate campaign ever. (knocking) Hey, good morning. -Evans: Ready to go? -Ready to go. -How you doing? -Doing great. We're in an elevator right now, -and we're gonna go out-- -Go hit it. A bunch of great people for a morning run. Man: Yeah, Beto! Evans: Yeah, would you do it again? -Uh... yes. -There was some hesitation there. (laughter) -Are you naked? -Amy: No. Okay. Can we come in? Hey, morning. Mm. Evans: Beto, just a quick one here. -Do you support the wall? -No. Whoa. -Amy: What is that thing? -Woman: Airbrushing. -(airbrush humming) -It's real quick and easy. Evans: Oh! Democrats should not shut the government down. -Yeah, I think he did a really good job. -Yeah. That way? (indistinct chatter) (cheering, applause) This is so cool! This is the way we should be doing democracy. Complete strangers who are here at 2:00 a.m. nine and a half months away from an election because it matters that much to you. (Evans speaking) You're like, well, it could turn out like this. Let's hope it does, and it did, which is just insane to me. -Beto: How you feeling? -Evans: Me? -Beto: Yeah. -I'm feeling great. -Yeah? -Feeling great. -I'm gonna head to bed. -Yeah. Beto: I'm really confident about our state's ability to lead on this issue. We understand our ability to welcome asylum seekers at their most desperate moment. -Beto: I think we're gonna get started here. -Woman: Okay. -Thank you very much. -(cheering) You sure? Okay. So, the chairman of the Midland County, David Rosen is the chair of the Midland Democrats? Yes or no? I wanna make sure we don't keep having the same conversations about the same issues, and it's stressful to me, and if you don't-- you know, if you can help me. (Cano speaks) I just don't wanna come in half-assed on stuff. I don't wanna... We had time to do press or should have known that David Rosen was gonna be here. Should've known Joanna Wells's information, -or known to recognize her. Should've... -Okay. I just-- I'd love to just be focused on what you want me to do here instead of other stuff. -(whistles, cheers) -Woman: Without any further ado, here's our leader, Beto! (cheering) Beto: How's everybody doing? Good to see you all. Breaking news: a school shooting with reports of multiple fatalities, this time in Santa Fe, Texas. Ten people, eight students and two teachers, were killed. Pete Williams: As they were leaving their classrooms, that's when the shots began to rang out. When I think about those heroic public school teachers, who are in classrooms like my son Henry's classroom, helping them to prepare for the possibility that someone will come in with a weapon of war, and that teacher, who already has the struggle and challenge of teaching them how to read, or how to add up numbers... (voice breaks): ...now has the challenge of keeping them alive, and I think who are we that we can't be there for her and those kids in that classroom? This isn't some distant reality that we're all becoming crazy about. The truth is kids are scared to go to school. Maybe you won't be in a school. Maybe you'll be in a church, like I was. In 2016, a gunman went on a shooting rampage with an AR-15 right in front of my church while I was teaching Sunday school with many, many toddlers. And that's when I realized that this can happen anywhere. This fight will be long. It's proven difficult already. But commit. Commit to never giving up. (cheers) Show me what democracy looks like! This is what democracy looks like! Show me what democracy looks like! This is what democracy looks like! Show me what democracy looks like! This is what democracy looks like! We were shouting so loud, and that sounds so childish, but it was so incredible, like, the echoes in the halls of the capital? I don't know, just amazing. -After the march at Houston... -Yeah. ...Ted Cruz said I'm open to meeting with these students. And so we tried to set up meetings with him, -and then never got a call back. -Uh-uh! McClinton: We're going to meet with Beto. -I certainly think I'll like him. -Yeah. -I heard he's likable... -Yes. ...but I also wanna make a distinction between, like, you're here because you care and not here because you're campaigning and you have to care. -Yeah. -Depending on the vibe that I get, I'll make my decision then. Yeah. (seagulls screeching) McClinton: So yeah, just off the top, do y'all disagree or any comments on the license and registration of firearms? At 16, you have to take your driver's test. Why don't you have to take a gun test? -Exactly. -Like at 18 or 21. Bree Butler: Okay, but 2.7 is only for military-style weapons. I don't think anybody needs an M-16 style weapon. -McClinton: Right. -I don't know what the hell you're thinking. Okay, so add that we want to include all weapons in that. Hart: Tomorrow is officially one month, and it feels like it's been -30 damn years. -Yeah. And, um... I picked up her... her death certificate the other day. (voice breaking): Her death certificate said multiple gunshot wounds. She was 14. I was gonna teach her how to drive. She never got to kiss anybody. It's just stupid. Kelly: Yeah, I know. I didn't know if you wanted to be touched, but... -McClinton: We love. -I love you guys, too. You guys are my new surrogate teenagers. -Can we be? -Anything you like. (indistinct chattering) -McClinton: Hello. -Hey! -How are you all doing? Good to see you. -Hello! -(excited chattering) -Hey, how are you? -McClinton: How you doing? Marcel. -Marcel? Nice to meet you. Appreciate it, yeah. Something you said that was really interesting to me. You were having this conversation with this NRA member. What's the common ground that you find with this NRA member? -Is it universal background checks-- -Butler: Yes. (Butler speaking) (Beto speaks) -(laughter) -No, we didn't wanna-- I mean, I think he kind of agrees. McClinton: And our problem is with NRA leadership -and not NRA members. -Beto: Right. McClinton: I think it's important to remember that school shooting affected like y'all's community, but that's not the only place where gun violence is seen. And so, legislation that doesn't only benefit school safety, but also the inner-cities, suicide rates. You all have become the conscience of so many of us. And if you'll continue to guide me, I will continue to work with you, in whatever capacity. As a member of Congress, as a candidate, as a senator, as a private citizen. Um, I'm with you. Very impressive. Keep me in the loop, not just on this, but whatever you're gonna do next. -Bye-bye! -Bye! McClinton: We were talking on the way here -whether or not-- -Kelly: He was talking about vibes a lot. McClinton: So, I get a vibe whenever I meet with someone, and just so you know, I got a good vibe. Beto: Aw, thanks, man. That means a lot. Henry: Houston! Austin! Molly: Fort Stockton! Amarillo! I've been in all the cities of Texas! -Molly: No, you haven't. -Shut up. Will you stop, please? Amy: So, you walk down the street, and you knock on the doors, and then you have a conversation about what things are important to them. (Molly speaks) Ulysses: No, you can say, this state is not a blue state or a red state. -Molly: It's a purple state. -It's a Beto state. (cheers, applause) We are gonna go knock on the doors of your neighbors. This is how we're gonna save our country... -Yeah. -...and win this election. Do you think we can count on your support in this election? Beto: If you have questions, we're on the back there with more information on the issues. Amy: Hey, out of the street! Careful of speed bumps! -(knocking) -(small dog barking) -That's not true. -Well, not exactly 50, but some people are gonna say no. Just have to accept it. Right, and you can't let it stop you from finding the people who are gonna say yes. Man: Go, Beto! Go, Beto! -Bye, guys! -Beto: We'll see you. Bye-bye. Newsman: As their November showdown creeps closer, O'Rourke raising $10.4 million over the last three months. Leslie Draffin: It is the second straight quarter he's outraised Cruz. In many ways, it's the media that is in love. The most frequent adjective that gets used for him is "Kennedyesque." Usually with the wind blowing in his hair, but that's okay. Newswoman: The charismatic candidate has been charming voters with his cool DIY style. Newswoman 2: And his background as a punk rock musician is bringing young voters out to his events in droves. Cruz: We are seeing tens of millions of dollars flooding into the state of Texas. They want us to be just like California. (audience booing) Right down to tofu and silicon and dyed hair. (audience booing) Beto: Hey, there. (woman speaking) Hang with me for a second 'cause it's all gonna come together. Growing up in El Paso in the 1980s, listening to what was on the radio, I just could not connect. And it wasn't till a friend of mine from El Paso High took me to my first punk rock show, and it got me, and I wanted to do that. And I tried to learn to play guitar, and we wrote our own songs, and we put our own records, and we started our own label. We booked our own tours and we traveled the country, stripping rock and roll back down to its roots, taking it away from the corporations. Absolutely magical. And I feel like the Democratic party, up in Washington, DC, is corporate politics. They're listening to the corporations and the special interests. And I feel like we, the people, have to take that back. Democrats used to stand up for the farmer and the rancher, and the little gal and the little guy, -against the big corporations. -(whistling, cheering) Evans: Cynthia. Joining us now with a key race alert. So, bottom line here, is Ted Cruz in trouble? What's going on? David Chalian: We're moving the Texas race from a safe, or solid Republican state, to a lightly Republican state. So, it just downgrades it one category, downgrades it if you're a Republican. Evans: Oh yeah. He's now over here with all these. Cano: Oh yeah. Congressman Beto O'Rourke is on a fundraising fire. -He's on fundraising fire. -Fundraising fire? Cano: That's like a big deal. They just downgraded. -They downgraded Ted Cruz. Like, Ted Cruz! -And you know what? It's huge. As of the beginning, everybody was saying not-- completely not doable. -Evans: It cannot-- Like laughable. -Yeah! -Yep. -And now? I love it. I love it. What's happening? Protesters: Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Ted Cruz has got to do! Hey, folks! We're gonna do pictures. We're gonna start on that end. Have your phones ready, and we'll do pictures. -Sounds good? -(cheering) Here we go. Here we go! Ready? We're gonna keep moving down the line. Oh, you guys are great! Everybody's doing great! Doing great! Here we go. I like it. I like it. Ready over here? Yes! It's like, this bag is so heavy to carry. It's like 50 pounds. These are the donation forms. And then I have sign-in sheets. I have thank-you notes. Get them all ready for the next trip. It's funny 'cause my kids-- I don't know if they really know what I do. I don't know if they really have a good understanding of it. They'll start calling me when we've run out of food. And "Mom, you need to get more food. Mom, we're running out." Kind of have to do a download after I come back, and so I have to make sure all the money that we received checks, kind of count that, put it in order, and then all the note cards and cards or just all the follow-up. This is my... attempt to be organized. I'm just putting it all so I don't lose it. (phone ringing) -Hey, Beto. -Beto: Hey, there. Cano: Yeah. No worries. No worries. Gay: Okay. Give me another... (mutters) This is reasonably durable tape. I mean, it's a duct tape. It just has glow-in-the-dark stuff on it. Tada! (cackles) Glow, Beto. Glow, Beto. It's one of those very satisfying things that I came up with an idea, literally pulled it out of my ass, um... and then I see it done. I'm hoping to have a party close to election day. These are gifts for my homies. Wine bottle stoppers. Handblown blue waves. I actually have my blue wave ring on. They're also gonna get one of those. And then I have some bottles of wine. So, win, lose, or draw, we can either celebrate or drink ourselves to death. (basketball bouncing) -Amy: You put a fork in his back at one point? -Charlotte: Yeah, I did. (laughter) And then I felt bad about it, 'cause I did love him, but I hated him. Charlotte: That's a-- love that picture of Beto and my mom. He loved to torture me in the pool. People have asked me why I think Beto got really into politics. They ask me is this how Beto always has been? -I'm-- No, he wasn't. He was quiet. -Yeah. He was in his room. He was listening to music. Beto found music early on. What I remember most is going to see him once or twice at that bar. And I'm like, how can you be playing and jumping so high? (imitates guitar) -Beto with long hair. -Amy: Yep. -Charlotte: In a ponytail. -Amy: Mm-hmm. Amy: Did your parents like that? Charlotte: I imagine that my mom wasn't a big fan of it. Beto and I always talked about that we were kind of brought up to always look... just right, you know? And Beto always just wanted to be Beto, and not the kid that my mom wanted him to be. The "picture perfect" kid. Oh, my dad got this Volvo. Amy: I always just think about what would he be thinking if he were here. I mean, he would be just over the moon. Amy: I think my dad was tough with Beto. Strict and that yelling. Right before my dad died, he and my dad had really started to, um, rebuild this relationship, and Beto, I think, was just so happy. Bill Moyers: Judge Pat O'Rourke is the chief executive of El Paso County. He became so frustrated this year at the lack of money to pay for the healthcare of the poor, that he sent the federal government a bill for $7 million in hospital costs. Pat: If I were living over there and my child needed help from dehydration or from any disease, and I saw that hospital down there that could provide that help, I would take my child and I would walk across that six-inch river and I'd save my child's life. I'd do the same thing those people are doing. Nicole Wallace: Nearly 200 minors a day are joining the thousands detained after crossing the border into the United States. How do you justify this policy? It's zero-tolerance. I don't think you have to justify it. It's a crime to come across illegally, and children get separated. And so what do we do in the face of this? We need new laws that reflect our priorities and our values, and it is on us to meet that challenge. And so, I'm going to the border tomorrow. (Beto speaking Spanish) There's something very inhumane and un-American taking place right now, and, at a minimum, you need to witness it, and share that, and then, to the best of your ability, act on that. (Beto speaking) Beto: Very powerful was meeting a young mother who came from Honduras with her seven-year-old daughter. When asked why did you leave Honduras, she was in fear for her life and, more importantly, her daughter's life. And I don't know if that mother knew when we were talking to her that her daughter was going to be taken from her. I can only imagine the trauma experienced by that seven-year-old girl that I just met. If my son was gonna be pressed into a violent gang, I might also leave my country, my hometown, and make that 2,000-mile journey. -Evans: Beto? -Beto: Yeah. (Evans talking) And why do we wanna post that story? Evans: Because it's a ginormous contrast in thinking and ethics, in, um... I don't know if you have anything particular you wanna say. Beto: Maybe you can say, we can keep America safe without sacrificing our values. Evans: Okay, got it. -(indistinct chatter) -Beto: Thank you, Ms. Connell. -Woman: Came in from Austin. -Beto: You drove in from Austin? -Woman: Yeah. -Beto: Thank you. God bless you. Thank you so much. Thank you for being here. Protesters: Say it loud, say it clear. Immigrants are welcome here. Say it loud, say it clear. Immigrants are welcome here. -All right. -(cheering) You are beautiful! We would like to think, and we try to tell ourselves, this is not us. But ladies and gentlemen, at this moment, this is America. (shouting angrily) -Crowd: Aye. -Speaker: All those opposed? The ayes have it, and the permanent offices are elected. Jody Casey: David Wysong and I walked in here last night, and we were like, whoa. He said, "Are we gonna tell him how big it is?" And I think he kind of knows, but until you've been here, he's never been to one. This is by far the largest crowd he's ever spoken to, so... (Casey speaking) We're not using a teleprompter. -We haven't written a speech. -(cheering) He's just going for it, so... -Beto: Hey. How are you? -Hi. Good to see you. Come on in, we have a room here for you. Yeah, there's no prepared remarks. Lupe Valdez (over PA): As the underdog, Hispanic, female, lesbian Democrat in a red county... Beto: Hello, Joe. How are you, bud? -I'm good. How are you? -Good to see you. They stopped taking them away from their parents, which is good. Now they got to reunite them. (Hernandez speaks) (Valdez continuing indistinctly) You know, I don't know is the honest answer. I think in some cases, the parents have already been deported. That's what happens when you talk about asylum seekers, immigrants like animals, and you call them an infestation, and you talk about Mexicans like rapists and criminals. There's something that follows that -and it's up to us. -(cheering) I really feel like this is what this is all about. We're either gonna be that country or we're gonna stop it. Announcer: Your next United States Senator, Congressman Beto O'Rourke. (loud cheering) Hi, everyone. Harry Truman said, this country was not built on fear. Instead, it was built on an unstoppable determination to do the job at hand. This zero-tolerance policy that inflicted unimaginable trauma and pain and torture on those kids just when they thought they had reached this place, this ideal, that they were inspired by, this home when they had no other, we took those children from their mothers and from their fathers. We put them in tent cities like the one in Tornillo. It is up to us, the people of Texas, the people right here in this room tonight, to make sure that we continue the fight. We stopped family separation. Now we gotta get those kids and those parents together. -Are you with me on this? -(cheering) Let's do it! Let's do it! Come on, let's do it! Thank you! Thank you all! Thank you all! Let's do it. Salas: Where is there a law that says when you cross illegally, you cross illegally, that your families will be separated. If you look at a lot of the European migrations that happened many of them were fleeing the same type of things that they're fleeing in Central America. Estela Torres Powell: I mean, this country has always welcomed immigrants and stuff like that, but they do not-- But they came across honestly. Salas: When the right can justify separating families and caging up children, I don't understand that. As Christians, I'm sitting here, how are people justifying this? They're thinking these families came across illegally, -so these children... -Michael: That's not thinking they crossed illegally. -They did cross illegally. -Salas: Fine... yes. Michael: And that means the parents broke the law. -Now the kid came along-- -But there is no law. Michael: What people really want -is the borders completely open-- -Salas: Nope! Nope! Get it out of your minds that the left want open borders! Because maybe some left people want open borders, but, like, I don't, and my coalition doesn't. Are you gonna let her put a Beto sign outside? -Estela: Yes. -Michael: No. Salas: Are you gonna put a Ted Cruz sign up? -Estela: No. -Salas: You like Ted Cruz or no? I just... I don't know if he really understands everything that's going on. But I cannot go Democrat, because of one thing, I know who they are and I know what their history is. I just can't do it. They're socialist, and I'm not gonna go socialist. They're gonna have to shoot me, that's all there is to it. -(crying) -It's okay, it's okay. Estela: Well, at least it's not yelling. -You guys usually end up yelling at each other. -Amanda: We didn't this time. -Estela: Well, yeah. -(Michael speaks) (laughing) (Esther speaks) Usually somebody walks out. (laughter) Julie Fine: Texas Lyceum poll has the race close to a dead heat. Cruz leads 41 to 39, it's with the margin of error. Chris Hayes: It's a race. Evan Smith: The Cruz campaign, they're sounding the alarm. There's no question about that. Cruz: We got a fight on our hands. Our freedom is under siege. Newsman: But this race could still go in any direction, so O'Rourke has his work cut out for him. Newswoman: What you're going to see is Cruz try to define O'Rourke in ways that can turn off Texan voters. Running as an unapologetic liberal. Open to abolishing ICE. Full-on socialized medicine. He says we have too many border walls and fences already. He would vote yes to impeach Trump today. You want a big government, gun-grabbing liberal? Well, the Democrats are giving you one. Amy: Do y'all have something to drink? Henry, can you eat? 'Cause we gotta go. Amy: Downtown 'cause students from... -Ulysses: Santa Fe. -...Santa Fe High School and Parkland High School, in Florida, are coming to speak tonight. Those are two schools that had the shootings. And so the students are traveling on a bus all across the country to go talk to people about -what they're doing now. -Ulysses: Wait, but... Mm-hmm. That's how they're spending their summer. Amy: What are they gonna be talking about? (Ulysses speaks) Henry: What does that mean? The laws about how you can carry around guns. -What kind of guns you can use. -Well then, why was that guy carrying a machine gun at the... -at the parade? -Amy: Oh, that's right. So, we were at the March for Our Lives parade -in El Paso-- -Ulysses: And two guys walked up to Dad with like... -Yeah. -...AR-15s, they're like, "Ha, ha ha." -Yeah. -Henry: But why? Well, because they want to be able to -keep their guns, -Ulysses: Carry guns. And they maybe don't wanna change the laws about guns. And so, they were there... telling their side of the story. -(indistinct chattering) -Hi! -Amy: Amy O'Rourke. -Hi! What's your name? Marcel. -So awesome. -Cool, cool. We were so happy that you're all here and just appreciate it so much. Student: Thank you. It was nice to meet you. Amy: Yeah, you all, too. McClinton: My name is Marcel McClinton. I just turned 17, from Houston, Texas. Excited to be here. Let's get this going. (cheering) Student: The weapon that the killer in my school used, an AR-15, if I were just 18, and I went to a store, I could buy one. That's how easy it is. There's no permit. There's no check. There's absolutely nothing. Spend a day in my neighborhood. Spend a day walking the streets and hearing those gunshots and just thinking, I wonder which kid died today? I have one ask of everyone here. Other than voting for your kids and your family and yourself, if you take your phones out real quick, you'll text Change. Student: How do you spell change again? C-H-A-N-G-E. Cool, thank you. (distant train whistle blowing) -(phone ringing) -Molly: Mom, I just lost all my research. (phone ringing) Voicemail: Your call has been forwarded to a system. Amy: It's definitely difficult for them. There are weeks better than others. We've tried to figure out like, can you FaceTime at night so you can get to see the kids? And for a long time, that was really hard on me. It was great for Beto 'cause he would get to see their smiling faces before he went to bed, but then after they hung up on the phone, then they were in tears and really upset. So, we actually lately have started writing letters. Henry: How do you spell hug, Mom? -H-U-- G? -Amy: Yep. Will you read us what you've written so far? Henry: You are my favorite thing ever, daddy goat. I have never seen a dad as good as you. You make me happy, -very, very much. -Amy: Aw. Beto: I almost never turn on the television. I don't wanna watch Fox or CNN. And most of what I'm watching on Netflix, Amy and I are watching together, and so we just kind of have a rule that neither of us moves ahead. I'm usually reading a book that doesn't have anything to do with the race. What I actually do do sometimes, which is a total waste of time, is go on social media, wondering where did the last hour of my life just go? I just really miss the kids. Elevator: Going down. Beto: They're having to live their lives without their dad being around, and not maybe totally understanding why did you choose to leave and go do this? You could be here with us, like, you didn't have to go do this. Amy told me one day when I called to check in. I said, tell what everyone's doing, and she said, well, Henry's out playing baseball. And I said, well, who's he playing baseball with? And she said, he's playing baseball with himself. He's just throwing the ball up in the air and catching it, which every kid does, uh, but for some reason, that was incredibly, you know, um... You know, kind of fucked me up a little bit. You know, like, I wanna be there doing that with him, and I'm not doing that with him. That was a moment that it really kind of hit home for me. You know, I've been gone for the better part of two years now. -That's the TV station. -The man's gotta go! Okay. -Just have a few quick questions for you. -Sure. Can you tell me a little about your strategy? (speaking Spanish) -Cano: Last one. -I'll come back here after this one. Um, so, the question's about marijuana. -Congressman! -Hi. Monique on News Channel 9. How are you? -Yes, let's do it. -Do it now. (phone beeps) I'm having a super hard time right now. To have the Wall Street Journal reporter asking me 50 questions in an hour to, uh... then right away sit down in front of the NPR reporter, dance for a little while in front of him, and then don't eat, get up, and go into this town hall and try to be genuine and direct with people. There's just like no time for your brain to relax and unclench, and it fucking sucks. Did you do notes for the last trip? I haven't because we're still doing it. -I don't know. -I really think we need to sit down with David, you, me, -Joey, and-- -I believe-- We keep saying we need to do that, -and we just haven't done it. -We haven't had a chance. Beto: Coming in late, when we're only gonna spend 40 minutes is shitty, and... you gotta keep us on a better schedule. (exhales) Cano: People are gonna be like, hey, I emailed you, or hey, I called you, or hey, you didn't follow up with this or you weren't able to help me and so... You just-- The accountability... -is much higher. -Evans: The worst is sometimes they'll add Beto. And then he'll be like, you didn't-- What the fuck, you didn't email this person back? I'm like, you know where I've been! He's like, figure it out. Get it done. -Figure out how to get it done. -If you get like 109 emails in a day, and you respond to 108 of them, he will find the one person you didn't respond to. -And then he doesn't take excuses. -No. -You can't ever say "Well, you know--" -You never, you just can't-- I'm deathly ill, Beto. You don't understand. -You just do it. He does it, right? -Figure it out. Beto: Hi. Thank you for welcoming us. Woman: Thank you so much for finding interest in this work. One of the things I did wanna share is that in the state of Texas, 220,000 young adults will be arrested annually. Out of a population of 27, 28 million, 220,000. Woman: Of young adults. -And that's just young adults? -That's just young adults. We have more black bodies behind bars in Texas than we do in higher learning. Wow. Frizell: I was a judge for 19 years. I've had people come to me as a district judge and say "Judge, I'm a different person now. I really want my record to reflect who I am." Think about the decisions we made when we were 17. -But for the grace of God go I. -(laughter) At the age of 21, I was arrested for criminal trespass, and spent the night in the county jail, uh, was able to make bail. Couple years later, um... I made another far more serious mistake, and drove under the influence and was arrested. As bad as those mistakes were, as a young white man who had parents who could afford to help me make bail, I really did not face the consequences that so many others, if they did not come from my same background, if they did not look like me, would have faced. I just did not know that. Jara: And this is just the reality of our community. People are incarcerated for simple traffic tickets that they couldn't pay for because they didn't have the money. -(applause) -Beto: Hey! Thank you for the opportunity to be here with you today, for welcoming us. First, I wanna hear what's on your minds, and so if you'll raise your hand, I'll call on you, and we'll just begin the conversation. Sir? Man: I kind of wanted to know if you found that disrespectful-- the NFL players kneeling during the national anthems? Just I find it incredibly frustrating that people seem to be okay with that. My short answer is no. I don't think it's disrespectful. -Here's my longer answer-- -(applause, cheers) Try to make sure that I get this right. The freedoms that we have were purchased not just by those in uniform, and they definitely were, but also by those who took their lives into their hands riding those Greyhound buses. The Freedom Riders in the Deep South -in the 1960s... -(applause) ...who knew full well that they would be arrested, and they were. Peaceful, non-violent protests, including taking a knee at a football game, to point out that black men, unarmed, black teenagers, unarmed, and black children, unarmed, are being killed at a frightening level right now, including by members of law enforcement, without accountability and without justice... Evans: I knew it was going viral when it came out of his mouth. This younger African American woman looks at me and is like, you hearing this? And I was like, yeah! Oh my gosh, I'm hearing it! And she's like, that's amazing! And I was like, yeah! And I can think of nothing more American than to peacefully stand up or take a knee for your rights, -anytime, anywhere, anyplace. -(applause) So thank you very much for asking the question. Evans: It just went and it went, and it kept going. It went national. Reporters, too. Hey, Chris, we'd love to have Beto on this week. Oh! Now you know his name! Greg Groogan: Beto O'Rourke is blowing up the Internet. Nicole Wallace: O'Rourke's full four-minute answer has gone viral. Daniel Marin: Catching the attention of many celebrities. (Tweets) I saw it, I tweeted it, and I wanted to meet you right away, so thank you for being here. -Thanks for having me on. -Yeah. -Yeah. -(cheering) Please welcome, Congressman Beto O'Rourke. (cheering) Ascending to progressive rock star status may not translate to additional votes. Their saying there's nothing more American than taking a knee? Spare me. This guy does not represent Texas values. Cruz: I gotta say, I can think of some things more American. How about every soldier and sailor and airman and Marine that is out there, fighting to defend this nation? (cheering) (Evans speaks) Does he say that I hate America? (Evans speaking) Who talks about mainstreams anymore? Hey, you know what one thing that may or may not be helpful, Chris, when you're talking to these reporters, is what... If you wanna know who the guy is, ask him a question, and he's just fucking honest. Sometimes, it's wonderful, sometimes it causes us -no end of misery. -Yeah. Evans: Yeah. (Beto speaking) Beto: And I can think of nothing more American than to peacefully stand up or take a knee for your rights, anytime, anywhere, anyplace. Man: Nothing more American? Liberal Hollywood was thrilled, but do Texans agree? I gave two legs for this country, I'm not able to stand, but I sure expect you to stand for me when that national anthem is being played. (applause) Man: In November, where will you stand? Cruz: I'm Ted Cruz, and I approve this message. Yeah. Wow. Wysong: So, the Cruz campaign, they've got their negative hit, and that's what they wanted. We're seeing a ton, almost exclusively negative ads now, um, on TV, and subsequently, Beto's favorability have gone downward. Cameraman: So, do you guys now have to attack Cruz? Wysong: I just don't think it's the campaign that Beto wants to run, but it's certainly super-effective. Woman: Open borders, open season for drug traffickers, MS-13. That's too much risk... (indistinct chatter) Casey: How many days away are we? Twenty-two? Is that right? -Man: Yep. -(whispers): Is it 22? -Woman (on phone): Twenty-two. -Twenty-two! Woman: A week before early. -I know. -(over phone): Hey, this is Alex... Casey: So, it's hard right now because there's a poll out there, the Quinnipiac poll, and it did not show any difference between September to now, and it showed Beto down by nine. I wonder is it because of all the negative attack ads on Beto? Is it because we're not punching back hard enough? (man speaking over phone) Casey: Everyone will tell you that you can't beat an incumbent without going negative. So, we are trying to defeat that theory, um, but at the same time, when you see a poll out where we're still down by nine, everyone is telling you you're doing it wrong. -Everyone. -(cameraman speaking) All the time. So, I just wanna emphasize to everyone that although the debate starts at 8:00, we wanna have everyone there by 7:00 so that they get in. We have a debate with Ted Cruz tomorrow night. It gives Beto the ability to really punch back. I'm totally anxious. Oh! I don't even know if I can sit there through it. Aah. (indistinct chattering) This is my camera right here, so you know, I'm able to do this. Man: We'll bring you out a minute or two before the actual debate begins, and we'll have you come out from around this corner as we introduce the candidates. (Beto speaks) -Sarah. -Beto: Sarah. (woman speaks) Beto: Cool, thanks. Jason Whitely: We welcome our viewers from across the state watching this debate live tonight in all corners of Texas, so let's get right to it. Congressman O'Rourke voted in favor of a $10 a barrel tax on every barrel of oil produced in the state of Texas. This is what you can expect over the course of this debate. Senator Cruz is not going to be honest with you. He's gonna make up positions and votes that I've never held or have ever taken. He's dishonest. It's why the president called him Lying Ted, and it's why the nickname stuck because it's true. -Wysong: Right that down. -Beto: Senator Cruz, who shut down the government of the United States of America, for 16 days, perhaps because he thought too many people had too much healthcare. -Cruz: Not true. -I want people to have more healthcare. Congressman O'Rourke has come out for impeaching President Trump. If Congressman O'Rourke has his way, two years of a partisan circus. Really interesting to hear you talk about a partisan circus -after your last six years in the US Senate. -(audience laughing) Listen, if you have this special relationship with President Trump, then where is the result of that? You were all talk and no action. We need a senator who will work with the president... -Whitely: That is your time. -Beto: ...and stand up to him where we must. Whitely: Mr. Cruz, Mr. O'Rourke, thank you for sharing tonight. -We appreciate that. -Forgany: Thank you very much. (applause) (cheering) Beto: Charlotte was emoting everything I needed to say -in the front row. -(laughter) Like, every time Ted Cruz was talking, you were like, -(mouthing)" "What the fuck is he talking about?" -(laughter) Beto: You did, you did. You kept me focused. Oh my gosh. Mm. (laughing) Nice job. (laughter) Did we do all right, Wysong? -Yeah. -Were there tears? (Wysong speaks) (laughing) Dana Bash: You've been saying that people are sick of the pettiness in politics, yet during Tuesday's debate that you had with Senator Cruz, you took a page right out of President Trump's playbook, and you called Senator Cruz "Lying Ted." Why did you do that? Perhaps, in the heat of the moment, I took a step too far. -Do you regret it? -You know... (stammering) -I don't... -(laughter) I don't know that that's the way that I wanna be talking in this campaign. Newsman: With little time left in the Texas senate race, both candidates are pulling out all the stops. Groogan: Incumbent Ted Cruz is calling in the cavalry, and President Donald Trump is answering the call. I'm not on the ballot, but in a certain way, I'm on the ballot, so please go out and vote. Newsman: Coming into the final stretch, O'Rourke's outreach is focused on young people and minorities. Newsman 2: Nearly 60,000 people turned out to see soul singer Leon Bridges and country legend Willie Nelson at a rally in Austin tonight. There are 250 voter registrars here today, willing to help you get registered to vote. -You gonna be there? -(crowd roaring) Salas: This outta the way so that way we can see the little front part where it says register to vote. No, I think I'm gonna do it somewhere out here because I want the foot traffic. There we go. We are over here at Cine El Rey, downtown McAllen. It's about to be seven o'clock. It's the last day to register to vote, and so we're out here, making sure that everybody in the community has an opportunity. Gonna be here until midnight. This is one of the hardest places in the country to organize. What works in other places absolutely does not work here. I mean, the apathy is disgusting, and it's real. -So real. -Yeah. I mean, I hope I'm wrong. I hope-- I'm hopeful. I think there is already-- I think there's already a wave of something, a small ripple-- -I think that there is a ripple. -A small ripple. Y'all registered to vote? Uh, no. No? You don't wanna register to vote? Today's the last day. -Girls: No. -All right, thank you. Salas: Hey, are you guys registered to vote? It only takes two minutes! -Today's the last day. -(man speaks) Okay. -I know they're lying. -They're lying, of course. Martinez: Are you all registered to vote? Today's the last day to register to vote. -You registered? -It takes two minutes. (man speaks) Man (laughs): I want to drink a beer. Salas: Today's the last day! If you know any friends, tell them to come register! She'll change her mind when they start taking away her rights. (indistinct chatter) Beto: This state should lead the way, not only in ending the prohibition of marijuana... -(cheering) -...but expunging the records for everyone arrested for possession of a substance that is legal in most of the rest of the country. -(cheering continues) -We can lead on that as well! Amy: When I'm on the road with Beto, we're totally energized by everybody else's enthusiasm. That you're like, how can we not win this? We're gonna do it. And so, that's when you wonder, you know, are you in a bubble when you're out there talking with folks and feeling that energy and, you know, what are our chances and are we gonna be able to pull this off? Amy: Hey, guys! -(chattering) -Whoop! Come on. I'm sorry. Here. Come over here. -Ulysses: Look at my hands. -(Amy gasps) -Ulysses: They're frozen. -Amy: Here you go. Amy: How was school? Ulysses: Good. -Amy: Anything interesting? -Ulysses: No. -Molly: Uh-uh. -Amy: Nothing? Molly: No. Amy: On Friday, and I'll be back before you get out of school. Ulysses: Usually, it's my dad who isn't here very much, but now, like, my mom's gone probably, like, three days a week now. And so for half of the week, there's, like, no one there. Then can I just go to Paco's house? Amy: To sleep over? I think you're gonna stay with Meemaw. (sighs) Ulysses: I'm ready for it to be over. Zack Malitz: Okay. Tuesday, November 6th is the day the world ends. -(laughter) -There is no day after that. What we have to do if we wanna win is we need to turn out a million more voters than would vote in a normal midterm. There is nothing more effective than person to person contact, at increasing voter turnout. And so, if we... tap quietly on the door and then run away, -we are not gonna net a lot of votes. -(laughter) We have to get the doors open. -If someone is in the house... -(applause) ...we have to get them to come out! (cheering) I love that you're applauding for that! That is the best thing! Elections are a matter of life and death. This is possibly the most important thing that many of us will do with our lives. Beto is moving mountains for this state and for this country. It is our job to take it the last mile. (cheering) All: Phone bank! All: Canvas! All: Win! All: Phone bank, canvas, win! Phone bank, canvas, win! Phone bank, canvas, win! (applause, cheering) (lively chattering) Vote, vote, vote, vote, vote... (imitates trumpet) (Wysong speaking) (Evans speaking) Yes. Yes, I am, okay? This is what nervous energy does. Hey, how are you? I was calling to see what you're hearing, if you're hearing anything other than... I don't know, anything. (laughs) Yeah. Well, if it looks like 2014, then whatever. We can all go home. -(cars honking) -(cheering) -(cheering) -Wysong: Historically, campaigns do these massive rallies while the polls are closed. So, we're gonna try to do that a little differently. The theory behind all of it is to have as many eyes on him doing the thing that you want people to do. -(noisy chattering) -Do you mind if I get up here? (cheering) The hope that you have given to me and to one another, this is the moment where we turn all of that into action. (cheering) (Evans speaking) Wysong: Yeah. Cooking with gas! (cheering) First-time voter! What? There we go! Next! Come on up! Come on up! Cano: All right, over here! (cheering) We must save our democracy! I don't wanna go back! -I wanna go forward! -(cheering) Beto: Thank you all! Thank you very much! Thank you! All right. Thank you all. Oh, thank you. Thank you. Oh, thank you. Thanks. Yeah. (speaking indistinctly) (cheering) We are. Yeah. We're gonna do it, and you're gonna be part of it. Beto: We are 242 years in this extraordinary experiment, but nothing guarantees us another year in this great democracy. You all ready to do this? (cheering) (cameras clicking) Newsman: The big caravan is heading towards the Texas-Mexico border. How would you handle that, what's going on right now? I don't think that we need to respond with paranoia and fear, the anxiety that some are trying to stoke right now. We're bigger, we're better than that. Drama unfolding south of the border tonight. Thousands of migrants marching north through Mexico, hoping to reach the US. Newsman: President Trump today tweeting "Criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in." And guess what? We're not allowing them in our country. Michael: A lot of these are gonna be criminals on the streets. What's to assume that they're all automatically criminals? You assume it because you have to. -Why? -Because you cannot assume it any other way. -Why? I don't understand that reasoning. -Let me put it to you this way. I look at America as my home. Which means if somebody came busting down my door over here, and 15 or 20 people walked in here and says, "I'm coming in. I wanna live in your house. -You're gonna take care of me--" -Maybe it depends on what your news source is. That might also have something to do with what issues you're seeing. Just because I watch Fox News, which has liberals on there, by the way. Cameraman: So, do you think that this issue is impacting how people are voting? -Yes, it is. -Yeah, I think so. This is-- This immigration thing right now is the primary issue right now, for this whole election. Newsman: Beto, what do you make of Cruz and Trump talking about the caravan so much? Um... Why this is happening now, why the president is... stirring these issues up at this moment with 24 hours before we decide this election? I'll leave that to you to conclude. Man: Oh hey, what's up man? (indistinct chattering) This is the polling place across the street, where O'Rourke will vote. For O'Rourke to pull off an upset win today, he needs gangbusters turnout across the state. That'll be the story to watch here all day today. -(shutters clicking) -Man: Right behind you! (indistinct chattering) Eh. -(laughter) -Huh? She said "Eh." -You voted at Mesita? -Wysong: Mm-hmm. -There was a line? Good. -Good. -(speaking Spanish) -Good morning. Congrats. We made it this far. Yeah. -Amy: How'd it feel voting, Cynthia? -It was good. It's a crazy feeling today, right? Gay: Today is the day that we have worked so hard for the last two years. So, we're here. We're at the cusp of it tonight. A full-blown race towards sanity. All of us can say we've done everything. Everything we could possibly do, and we're racing across that finish line. (honking) Woman: Go Beto! Beto, Beto, Beto! (honking) Can we get a picture? Eric is a first-time voter. Yay! -First-time voter! -(cheering) Do you know what day today is? What's today? Do you know? Hart: Do you know why today is important? Have your parents voted? That's good. Let's hand out buttons, let's hand out buttons. (children clamoring) Beautiful. He's got some more, he's got some more. Salas: Hi, is Christina home? My name's Amanda Salas, I'm with Battleground Texas. I'm calling people in your area to encourage you to go vote for the Democrats in this election. We're calling because it's Election Day. Do you know if you'll be voting Democrat up and down the ballot today? -(ringing) -He's actually-- Oh! -(cheering) -Yeah, so he's like... (speaking Spanish) -I'm like-- -(rings bell) Hey, Beto! -I voted for you! -You did? (cheering) No way. Oh my gosh. Did you vote already? How come? -Ah. -No papers? It's okay. Then you pray for Beto, okay? Okay. There was a meme that described me earlier. You know how when you're in a group project, and you did all your work, but you don't know if everybody else fucked everything up? -That's where I'm at right now. -(laughter) I know I've been working my ass off, but I don't know if everybody else has been. Woman: Beto, we've got a fireman who voted for the first time right here. Beto: First-time voter? -Woman: A fireman! -(cheering) Have you had a chance to vote yet today? Okay. Was there any way we could count on your support for Beto? -Oh. Thank you. -(door slams) Oh my. Blitzer: This is the moment our people are waiting for. The first results about to come in. We're watching it oh so closely. A high-stakes night here in Washington. We're standing by for the first votes this hour. (TV playing indistinctly) Okay, guys, you gotta know this. I have offered when he wins, if he has to take over Ted Cruz's office, I will go do a spiritual cleansing on that office. I don't want Cruz cooties -on our boy. -(laughing) And I mean that. -(indistinct chatter) -Ken Batista: It's still early, but Democrat Beto O'Rourke has a lead on Republican Ted Cruz... (cheering) All: Beto! Beto! Beto! I just can't get excited yet. Not at 60%. We're at 60%. That's... the margin of error is too close. Last time people got excited this early, was a presidential election, and I can't do that to myself, personally. -(cheering) -It's still way too early to call. Beto: Hey, Wysong, do you wanna go in and just see what it looks like in there? What kind of line there is, or if there's still people still voting? -(laughs) -Yeah. We'll see. We need it to continue at some rate. Me, too. I'm still hoping it. For all of those who are still in line, there were a couple polling places that stayed open late in Harris County in the Houston area. Stay in line. That polling place will stay open as long as it takes for the last person in that line to get to the front of the line and cast their ballot. Beto: Thanks for coming out and voting! The lights are now off at the polling site, which hopefully, that voter got to vote before... before they turned it off. Blitzer: We're just moments away, moments away from this, the biggest round of poll-closings tonight. Williams: We have a big call, this is out of Texas. -All: No! No! - NBC News is projecting Ted Cruz will return-- -Oh! No! -(groaning) And Republicans will be guaranteed control of the Senate as a result. Fuck! Shut the fuck up. It's a 78-- The Latinos turned out in greater numbers than they have ever turned out. But it wasn't enough. Fuck. We have been talking about how remarkable it is that Beto O'Rourke would get this close. It feels, for it to be called at this point after watching it on such a knife edge, feels like a blunt ending to this. (indistinct chatter) So, it's 9:00 now... ("Don't Stop Believing" playing outside elevator) Let's get a little more information because they'll... Man: We have a crowd of about 6,000 people. -Beto: Awesome. -Man: Yes, sir. -Beto: Good? -Yeah. (music playing louder) (cheering, applause) Man: Thank you, Beto! (cheering continues) All: Beto! Beto! Beto! -Hey! How are you, man? -Good to see you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Beto: You guys, family. Everybody, come on. Jimmy. Come on, guys. Jody? Let's all get over here together, real quick, huddle. Come on, everybody get in. All right. I love you guys so much. There's no way, physically, biologically... -(laughter) -...on the amount of sleep and Whataburger that we've had that we are still standing right now... It was love that carried us through, and it's something that will persist after we've disbanded as a campaign, and it's something great and we just released that. And so, I just feel very, very, very lucky, and I love you guys more than you'll ever know and... I know I was a giant asshole to be around sometimes... -(laughter) -...and you all never allowed my shortcomings to get in the way of running the best campaign this state has ever seen. And so, I just am just super, super grateful. Love you guys, all of you, so much. (crowd chanting): Beto! Beto! Beto! (loud cheering, whistling) Crowd: Beto! Beto! Beto! (cheering) Beto: El Paso, I love you so much! I was inspired. I'm as hopeful as I have ever been in my life. And tonight's loss does nothing to diminish the way that I feel about Texas or this country. (loud cheering, whistling) This campaign holds a very special place in the history of this country every day going forward, and you have made that possible. -(cheering) -Every volunteer, every ambassador, everyone who knocked on doors, everyone who made phone calls, everyone who allowed themselves to hope, and to believe. I'm so fucking proud of you guys! (cheering) Yes! -Yes! Yes! -(clapping) I paid for that one! (laughing) Oh, get it out! -Beto (on TV): ...United States of America! -(crying) (cheering on TV) I am honored to have been able to do this with you. I am grateful forever, and we will see you out there down the road! Thank you, El Paso! Thank you, Texas! Thank you every single one of you for making this possible! I am grateful! I am grateful! Thank you! (crowd roaring) Crowd (chanting): Beto! Beto! Beto! (indistinct chatter) Well, you did make us cry, -so don't worry about it. -(laughter) I love you. You ready to go home? (kids chattering) Come on, buddy. (sighs) Oh, this sucks! This fucking sucks, but we're gonna be okay. Trish: We didn't knock enough doors. I mean, that's what it is. We didn't knock enough doors. Gay: We did all we could do. We're gonna let him go home and enjoy his children, get reacquainted with his wife. Let him have some downtime, and then get him ready for 2020. This is a simmering fire. This is just the bed of coals. This is the bed of coals here, and we're just getting cooking. (McClinton speaking) (cheering, chanting on video) Salas: I'm pretty heartbroken about Beto. But this is one battle. This is one battle, and we won a lot of other battles tonight. You know, Texas is officially a battleground state. A lot of people didn't think that was gonna happen until 2020, if it ever happened, and we made it very clear that Texas is now a competitive state. I had a lot of people messaging me tonight. "I don't know what I'm gonna do now." And I'm like, you're gonna cry about this tonight, and tomorrow we're gonna work. (speaking Spanish) -Molly: Thank you. -Beto: You're welcome, Molly. (Henry speaks) I am gonna stay home tomorrow. (Amy speaks) (Molly speaks) (Henry speaks) -Beto: You ready, Molls? -Amy: Yeah, let's do it. Henry: Do what? -Go to bed. -Get you guys to sleep. (indistinct chatter) (plates clatter) -Did you end up eating? -I just had biscuits. (sighs) I need to figure out what to do with all my shit -in DC. -(laughs) -We'll figure it out. -Yeah. People have brought out the very best in themselves. Somehow, we've gotta be able to continue to feel that way. That this cannot be the defeat of the hope that you feel, or the purpose that you have in your life, or the things that you wanna see this country do. It can't, and I don't think it will be. I... believe too much in people, and they're too strong. Everyone's got it in them and through this campaign, we're reminded of that, and... we get to be a part of it, which is just fucking amazing. Just like the most amazing thing in the world. So cool. And so, you know, maybe in some way, and you may disagree 'cause I think I'm a lot more cheesy and sappy than you are, but I think maybe we did what we were supposed to do. Like... (slaps table) You know. So, maybe that's it. ("Runnin' Down A Dream" playing) It was a beautiful day The sun beat down I had the radio on I was driving The trees went by Me and Del were singing Little runaway I was flying Yeah, runnin' down a dream It never would come to me Workin' on a mystery Goin' wherever it leads Runnin' down a dream I felt so good Like anything was possible Hit cruise control And rubbed my eyes The last three days The rain was unstoppable It was always cold No sunshine Yeah, runnin' down a dream It never would come to me Working on a mystery Going wherever it leads Runnin' down a dream Woohoo Woohoo Woohoo Woohoo Woohoo I rolled on The sky grew dark I put the pedal down To make some time... I'm picking up Whatever is mine I'm runnin' down a dream It never would come to me Workin' on a mystery |
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