Bad News for Beto: CNN Uncovers the Fact That He… Once Advocated Fiscal Constraint

As if the poop revelations, the “insensitive” joke about his wife, and the weird writings from his younger years weren’t bad enough, something was uncovered about Beto O’Rourke this week that just might do him in:

Once upon a time, O’Rourke advocated for fiscal constraint.

CNN‘s KFILE reports on this shocking story:

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke campaigned during his 2012 congressional race on a platform that called for “significant” spending cuts and tax increases to balance the federal budget, along with possibly changing Social Security to address the United States’ “extravagant government” and “out of control” debt.

[…]

O’Rourke at the time endorsed cuts to defense and domestic spending in the middle and long term, along with seriously considering changes to Social Security and tax laws that would do away with some tax breaks. Those past positions are at odds with the current and more progressive liberal base of the party that has largely embraced increased government programs like cost-free college and “Medicare for All.”

[…]

The deficit and debt became a lightning rod in the race in which O’Rourke, who had just left the El Paso city council, unseated eight-term incumbent Rep. Silvestre Reyes in the Democratic primary for Texas’s 16th district. Republicans, who controlled the House of Representatives at the time in the summer of 2011, had demanded a deficit reduction plan from then-President Barack Obama in exchange for raising the debt ceiling.

Now to be fair for being fair’s sake, people can have a change of heart over time when it comes to their political beliefs. For example, I used to be a rock-ribbed liberal. I was pro-abortion. Pro-big spending. I considered myself a feminist (although not of the rabid man-hating variety, which was kind of disqualifying anyway).

On a much, much, much bigger scale, Ronald Reagan evolved politically. And he proved over his time as governor of California and as POTUS that it was a genuine, authentic change of heart.

So yes, evolving politically can happen.

That’s not the case here with Beto O’Rourke, though. He’s like the chameleon of the 2020 campaign, changing his colors depending on the crowd he’s speaking in front of, giving credence to ideas that not even 10 years ago he probably would have balked at (the Green New Deal and abolishing the Electoral College, for example).

Will news of Beto’s once-admirable-position on fiscal constraint damage him with Democratic party primary voters? Allahpundit at Hot Air says yes, it will hurt a little:

What will sting about this line of attack, though, is that it reinforces a narrative about Beto that already exists, namely that he can’t be trusted to forcefully prosecute the progressive agenda if elected. It’s the Democratic version of Republican apprehension about Mitt Romney’s brand of “severe conservatism” circa 2012. Yeah, fine, O’Rourke’s a left-winger *today.* What was he yesterday? What will he be tomorrow?

True. But like I said yesterday, Beto can be found to be guilty of a lot of things, but as long as he maintains his extreme position on abortion for the long haul, all else will magically be forgiven.

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—Sister Toldjah is a former liberal and a 15+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on media bias, social issues, and the culture wars. Read her Red State archives here. Connect with her on Twitter.–

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