What Democrats can learn from Beto O'Rourke viral speech on patriotism and peaceful protest

Analysts say the Texan's comments could prove to be a winning strategy in the 2018 midterm elections

Democrats are taking notes after Beto O’Rourke’s comments defending NFL players for kneeling during the US national anthem garnered nationwide support.

The Texas congressman — whose long shot senatorial campaign against Ted Cruz now trails the incumbent by just four per cent, according to the latest polls — made headlines this week when he said he could “think of nothing more American” than peaceful protests like the NFL’s national anthem demonstrations.

In a video that has since received millions of views, the Democratic candidate (running in a deeply red state) displayed genuine appreciation at a recent campaign stop for the NFL players carrying out the protests. Political analysts have pointed to the comments as a potentially winning strategy for Democrats faced with answering divisive comments along the campaign trail leading up to the 2018 midterms — from Donald Trump’s impeachment, to kneeling during the anthem.

In an off-the-cuff statement, Mr O’Rourke highlighted peaceful protests shaping American society throughout history while focusing on the actual issues NFL players are attempting to spotlight by kneeling during their televised games.

“My short answer is no, I don’t think it’s disrespectful,” Mr O’Rourke said when asked about his thoughts on the matter from a voter. “Here’s my longer answer, but I’m gonna try to make sure that I get this right because I think it’s a really important question. And reasonable people can disagree on this issue. Let’s begin there. And it makes them no less American to come down on a different conclusion on this issue, right?”

“Peaceful, non-violent protests, including taking a knee at a football game 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,” he added. “And this problem – as grave as it is – is not gonna fix itself and they’re frustrated, frankly, with people like me, and those in positions of public trust and power, who have been unable to resolve this or bring justice for what has been done and to stop it from continuing to happen in this country.

“And so non-violently, peacefully, while the eyes of this country are watching these games, they take a knee to bring our attention and our focus to this problem to ensure that we fix it. That is why they are doing it. And I can think of nothing more American than to peacefully stand up, or take a knee, for your rights, any time, anywhere, in any place.”

The comments sparked massive support from Americans of various backgrounds and affiliations, from celebrities and athletes to elected officials and moderate voices.

They also began a conversation about how Democratic candidates should answer questions with honesty and compassion towards a variety of perspectives, especially during a politically divided time like 2018.

“A great example of a person who does this well is Beto O’Rourke in Texas,” said Jon Favreau, Barack Obama’s former director of speechwriting, in this week’s episode of the podcast Pod Save America. “The way he answers some of these questions, the way that he talks to his constituents, it’s like, ‘reasonable people can disagree on this issue. On one hand he’s a strong progressive, he’s an unafraid progressive, he’s a confident progressive on a whole bunch of different issues,” he added, ”but on the other, he’s willing to use a language which says, ‘yeah, I’m willing to cooperate and compromise with Republicans — when it helps your life’.”

“We don’t know if Beto can pull this off,” he added, “but the campaign that he is running and how he answers questions, and how he talks about issues, that is the model for candidates in 2018 and 2020, whether or not he pulls this off.”

Ted Cruz criticised Mr O’Rourke after the comments went viral, claiming his Democratic opponent “raised big” money from Hollywood for his defence of the football players.

“Beto raising big $$ from Hollywood by supporting NFL protests of the national anthem,” Mr Cruz wrote on Twitter. “But in Texas? Vast majority of Texans stand for the flag, honor our veterans, and support the brave men & women of law enforcement”.

“People can protest without disrespecting the flag,” he continued.

Meanwhile, the White House has not commented on the prospect of Donald Trump campaigning in Texas. But the president has dropped into a number of battleground states, visiting Pennsylvania, Alabama and Ohio before elections there this year.

Mr O’Rourke, a one-time punk rocker who has spent the past 18 months visiting all of Texas’ 254 counties, has consistently out-raised Mr Cruz, including raking in $10.4mn to the incumbent’s $4.6mn during the three-month period through June.

His campaign declined to comment about the prospect of Mr Trump coming to Texas. Mr Cruz remains favoured in the race, but told hundreds who thronged a recent rally: “We’ve got a battle on our hands.”

“The far left is angry,” he said. “They’re energised and they’re filled with rage and fury at the president. That’s dangerous”.

However, Mr O’Rourke is now receiving unexpected support leading up to the midterm elections from a host of voices and influential personalities who otherwise may not have ever learned of his candidacy were it not for his NFL comments.

Pro Bowl running back Arian Foster has begun campaigning for the Democrat, joining him at multiple campaign stops and travelling across Texas on Thursday.

Mr O’Rourke is now running political ads across the state highlighting his comments about the NFL. Whether other Democrats echo his position — and that position yields positive results at the ballot box — remains to be seen.

Additional reporting by the AP