August 1, 2022      4:26 PM

HK: Beto may have hit at least a temporary ceiling, but approval of Abbott keeps sinking

From Dave Carney to superior voter registration, Abbott already has a serious organization and Republicans typically come home. To win, O’Rourke must borrow a phrase from a formerly prominent officeholder: “You’re fired!”

Most political conversations in Texas begin with, “Can Beto win?”

A correct response goes something like this: “No, Beto cannot win on charisma and volunteers alone because incumbents don’t get beat, they fired.”

O’Rourke cannot simply win by force of ideas and personality; he must sell the firing of Greg Abbott. There is no better “tell” than the now-viral internet ad produced by the all-volunteer “Mothers Against Greg Abbott.” One of the group’s ads has more than 3 million views at a cost of only $6,000.

This MAGA ad never even mentions or endorses O’Rourke but rather, is all about firing Abbott.

Of course, incumbent Abbott has huge advantages. The blueprint is clear – to morph O’Rourke into Joe Biden and then focus on what the Republicans perceive as winning issues. Those include a booming Texas economy during a recession across the United States.

Abbott has no shortage of material on O’Rourke, much of it self-inflicted by the former Congressman including guns, “defunding the police,” the “Green New Deal,” and the border just to name a few.

But the Governor has a few additional, if far less recognized tools in his toolbox.

By Harvey Kronberg

Copyright August 01, 2022, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved