A Betocrat’s Manifesto: This Is Only the Beginning of Beto O’Rourke’s Revolution

On November 1, 2019, I excitedly awaited Beto O’Rourke’s speech at the famous Iowa Democratic Party’s Liberty and Justice Celebration. Like so many of my fellow Beto O’Rourke supporters, I was certain that Beto would bring down the house. It would be the speech that ignited the spark needed to carry him to victory in Iowa in February and the White House in November 2020. As I arrived home from work that afternoon, I logged onto Twitter, saw a tweet from Beto’s account, and did a double take. It took a full minute for me to comprehend what his words meant. Beto was leaving the race. There would be no speech that night. There would be no victory in Iowa in February. There would be no President O’Rourke in January 2021.

Following that realization, I began to mourn the loss of Beto’s courageous campaign and powerful voice. That night I was filled with a deep sorrow. I also felt a great pain for my fellow Beto supporters who had traveled to Iowa on their own dimes and worked so hard preparing for the event that night. During that weekend and for much of the next week, I vacillated between sadness, anger, and numbness. As I have come to terms with Beto leaving the race, I have become more and more filled with purpose. I have steeled myself for the fight ahead, and I know that my fellow Betocrats will be in the fight alongside me.

What is the fight ahead? Some will assume that I mean defeating Donald Trump in the 2020 election. While that is absolutely vital, that is not the fight to which I refer. I am speaking of Beto O’Rourke’s movement — his revolution, as I see it. Out of my fondness for a good, old-fashioned cliché, I must, of course, invoke the words of the Declaration of Independence: “It is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish [the Form of Government], and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” I imagine that some recoil at the use of the word “revolution” after Bernie Sanders’ ill-fated “revolution” in 2016. However, I do not speak of that sort of “revolution.” Sanders’ ultimate desire always appeared to be to blow up the system and start anew. That is not my desire, nor do I believe it is Beto O’Rourke’s desire. Instead, in keeping to the Declaration’s words, we seek to alter the system, not abolish it.

Now, it is possible that somebody reading this article might wonder what a Betocrat is. It is not, as some would assume, just a Beto O’Rourke supporter. A Betocrat is much more than that. I would define a Betocrat as somebody who holds that our elected officials must have the following characteristics:

1. Being a radical truthteller;

2. Believing that big money in politics is corruptive;

3. Supporting the go everywhere, talk to everyone approach to campaigning;

4. Concluding that elected officials must be public servants above all else; and

5. Running a campaign as if you are fearless.

To elaborate further on what these things mean to me, first, radical truthteller and running a fearless campaign have a lot of overlap. It means speaking your truths no matter the group or audience in front of you. You do not equivocate or change your message to appease the crowd. It also means being unafraid of taking stances that go against conventional wisdom or are considered politically unpopular in the moment. We must do what is right, without regard for the political consequences. The only way we can change what is politically popular and possible is to fight for it and to seek to convince others to join our fight.

Further, believing that big money in politics is corruptive is central to what a Betocrat is. Wealthy people and corporations are able to use their money to buy influence, and they use that influence to buy legislation and officials. If we want our elected officials to be receptive to their constituents’ wants and needs, we need to eliminate the incentive to prioritize those with money over those without it. But to achieve that, we must have elected officials who see themselves as public servants. And I mean that quite literally. People who see their role in Congress or in the White House as representing their constituents and desiring to listen to them and try to solve their problems. That is why the go everywhere approach to campaigning is so important. Not only does the candidate get to know the problems and needs of his or her constituents, but he or she also must face them when he or she comes up short. The combination of getting to know those people and having to face them if he or she comes up short will motivate the candidate to work harder for them. It is these characteristics that I believe make a Betocrat.

That brings me to my final point: a call to action. Beto O’Rourke is out of the 2020 race, but I do not expect he is out of politics for good. Nevertheless, we cannot leave it to Beto to shoulder the burden of carrying this revolution. I spent many years lamenting why good people do not go into politics. I spent many years griping about the ineffectiveness of our system and believing it will never change. That made me apathetic. Beto O’Rourke, as my Congressman, rid me of that apathy. He restored my faith that the system can work if the right people are in it. As easy as it is to gripe and complain, we must do more. Betocrats must follow Beto’s lead and run for office. That is how we change the system. We must become the change we hope to see in the world.

That is not to say that every Betocrat must run for office or that it is the right decision for every person. For those who do not feel comfortable running for office, your help and support is more than enough. But for those of us who can and are willing, we need to step up. As things stand now, I cannot tell you when I plan to run for office or what office I will pursue, but I will run at some point in the future. Ten years ago, I would have told you that there is no chance I would ever get into the dirty business that is politics. But Beto has shown me the way. He has demonstrated that a person can go into politics without surrendering their principles or goodness. While we saw the end of Beto’s 2020 campaign for President, we are only seeing the beginning of the Betocrat Revolution. I look forward to seeing many of you running for elected office in the coming years. We will help to lead this country into a better, brighter future.