CBS Late Show host Stephen Colbert appeared to urge Democratic hopeful Beto O’Rourke to drop his ambitions of winning the Democratic nomination and insisted he run again for Senate after his failed challenge against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in last year’s midterm elections.
After reminding Beto O’Rourke of his defeat last November, Colbert asked him: “What made you go, OK, didn’t get Senate, let’s go for the brass ring here and go for president of the United States?”
Boasting about the successes and “special nature of his campaign,” O’Rourke responded by saying that his “grassroots movement represents the kind of movement that it will take to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and then bring this country together again.”
“Now there are some polls, I’m sure you’ve seen, that 60 percent of Texas Democrats want you to run against Senator [John] Cornyn, because he’s not particularly popular in Texas right now,” Colbert contended. “Why not go for that, you already know how to run for Senate?”
“I just think given where we are, in this country, this moment of truth on everything you could care about” O’Rourke responded. “Will we be up to the challenge of confronting climate change before it’s too late. We will be able to extend healthcare to every single American. Will we ensure that our democracy… under attack by our very president, can we save it? I want to be in the most consequential position to make sure that I do everything I can to deliver for this country.”
O’Rourke also talked about his support for opening impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, having this week indicated that he would prosecute him on the basis of the Mueller report if he wins in 2020.
“Impeachment is not about getting rid of the president, it’s about finding the facts, getting to the truth, ensuring that there’s accountability and justice for what happened to this democracy in 2016,” O’Rourke explained. “If we set the precedent that some people are above the law, or beyond the reach of the law, by not impeaching this president, not getting to the facts or the truth. I think that begins the end of this democracy.”
The former Texas Congressman may well still have the chance to run for Senate in 2020 if he pulls out of the race soon enough. According to recent RealClearPolitics polling data, O’Rourke currently averages 3.8 percent support among Democratic voters, placing him considerably behind the likes of Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and even Pete Buttigieg.
Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.
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