Beto Showed His True Beliefs While Running For President

Press Release

BETO PART OF LONG LINE OF FAILED EXTREME LIBERAL PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

"Three years ago, Beto O'Rourke ran for president as the living embodiment of an extreme liberal, supporting open borders, mandatory gun buybacks and the Green New Deal. Now as Beto desperately tries to reinvent himself, he's hoping Texas voters forget the liberal policies he valiantly advocated during his ill-fated run for President. Beto's run for president showed voters his true face: an extreme liberal who is out of touch with Texas." -- Mark Miner, Communications Director

ONE: O'Rourke Said He Wanted To Eliminate The Tax-Exempt Status For Churches And Religious Institutions That Oppose Same-Sex Marriage. LEMON: "Do you think religious institutions -- like colleges, churches, charities -- should lose their tax-exempt status if they oppose same-sex marriage?" O'ROURKE: "Yes. There can be no reward, no benefit, no tax break, for anyone or any institution, any organization in America, that denies the full human rights and the full civil rights of every single one of us, and so as president, we are going to make that a priority and we are going to stop those who are infringing upon the human rights of our fellow Americans." (Patrick Svitek, "Beto O'Rourke Says Religious Institutions Should Lose Tax-Exempt Status If They Oppose Gay Marriage," Texas Tribune, 10/11/19)

TWO: O'Rourke Wanted To Curtail Immigration Enforcement, "All But Eliminating Immigration Detention," And Grant Citizenship To Illegal Immigrants Currently In The U.S. "O'Rourke's plan focuses on curtailing immigration enforcement -- in particular, all but eliminating immigration detention -- and focusing instead on building up immigration courts and case management systems for newly arriving asylum seekers, while returning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests and deportations of immigrants already living in the US to the constraints of President Barack Obama's last years in office. … But beyond the now-standard Democratic promise to pass a bill that allows the 11 million unauthorized immigrants currently in the US to apply for legal status and ultimately citizenship, and to expedite legalization and citizenship for DACA recipients and TPS recipients, there isn't a complete bill framework here." (Dara Lind, "Beto O'Rourke's Immigration Plan Would Go Even Further On Executive Power Than Trump," Vox, 5/31/19)

In 2019 "O'Rourke Said He Would Take Down Existing Walls And Fencing At The U.S.-Mexico Border If He Could." "Beto O'Rourke said he would take down existing walls and fencing at the U.S.-Mexico border if he could. O'Rourke, a former congressman for El Paso who ran a high-profile challenge against GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, said in an interview with MSNBC's Chris Hayes on Thursday, "Absolutely, I'd take the wall down.'" (Doha Madani, "'I'd Take The Wall Down,' Says Beto O'Rourke Of Current Border Barriers," NBC News, 2/14/19)
THREE: O'Rourke Called For A Mandatory Gun Buyback Program For Assault-Style Weapons. "Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke gave a staunch defense of his gun control plan during Thursday's Democratic presidential primary debate, saying that as president, he would prioritize mandatory buybacks of assault-style weapons." (Brandon Carter, "O'Rourke Promises To "Take Your AR-15,' But Americans Are Split On Buybacks," NPR, 9/12/19)

O'Rourke: "Hell, Yes, We're Going To Take Your AR-15, Your AK-47.'" (Brandon Carter, "O'Rourke Promises To "Take Your AR-15,' But Americans Are Split On Buybacks," NPR, 9/12/19)
O'Rourke Would Have Police Manually Confiscate Weapons. "Former Congressman Beto O'Rourke appeared to take his mandatory assault weapons buyback proposal a significant step further Wednesday, when he described a process whereby police officers would manually confiscate unlawful weapons." (Asher Stockler, "Beto O'Rourke Suggests Police Would "Visit' Homes To Implement Proposed Assault Weapons Ban," Newsweek, 10/16/19)
FOUR: O'Rourke Supported The Green New Deal. O'ROURKE: "Some will criticize the Green New Deal for being too bold or being unmanageable. I tell you what, I haven't seen anything better that addresses this singular crisis we face, a crisis that could at its worst lead to extinction. The Green New Deal does that. It ties it to the economy and acknowledges that all of the things are interconnected." (Tim Hains, "Beto O'Rourke On Green New Deal: "Literally, The Future Of The World Depends On Us'," RealClearPolitics, 3/14/19)

O'Rourke Wanted To End Drilling On Federal Land, Charge Higher Royalty Rates For Drilling And Stop New Fossil Fuel Leases. "O'Rourke is no longer running for president. O'Rourke "will set a first-ever, net-zero emissions by 2030 carbon budget for federal lands, stopping new fossil fuel leases, changing royalties to reflect climate costs, and accelerating renewables development and forestation,' a campaign spokesman told The Post. He pledged to "protect our most wild, beautiful, and biodiverse places for generations to come -- including more of the Arctic and of our sensitive landscapes and seascapes than ever before -- and establish National Parks and Monuments that more fully tell our American story.'" ("Would You End Leasing For Fossil Fuel Extraction On Federal Lands?," The Washington Post, Accessed 9/20/21)
FIVE: O'Rourke Wants To Increase Income Taxes, Corporate Taxes And Capital Gains Taxes. JOHN HARWOOD: "What sounds right to you?" BETO O'ROURKE: "I think you at a minimum roll back the worst elements of the Trump tax cuts. So the top marginal tax rate back up to 39%. If you were to do that, and in addition make some other structural changes to our tax code -- the corporate tax rate, which was brought down from 35% to 21%, bring that back up to 28% -- great place to start. And as you probably know, you generate hundreds of billions of dollars over the next 10 years. If you were to tax capital at the same rate that you tax ordinary wage income, like the waiters who are working here, you also get to some greater structural correction to a very unequal economy, and you generate the revenue necessary." (John Harwood, "Beto O'Rourke Begins Filling In The Blanks On The Economy, Taxes And Entitlements," CNBC, 7/5/19)

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