Beto O'Rourke is hit with a 'devastating' new 2020 attack ad. Well, sort of.


Beto O'Rourke had barely officially entered the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination Thursday when the first attack ad against him dropped. And it is "devastating," in the words of its creator, Jon Millstein. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) seemed to perversely revel in inadvertently demonstrating how relatively edgy, relatable, and "hot" Beto is (or was), but this ad goes in the other direction. "There's a lot of things you can call Beto O'Rourke: congressman, Texan, charismatic political sensation — but there's one thing that we shouldn't be calling him," Millstein says, campaign ad music playing. "Beto O'Rourke is not a good skateboarder. Not even close. "
Millstein, a ClickHole contributor and former Funny or Die writer, obviously has comedic roots, and he's joined in the ad by actor and comedian Paul Dupree and Caravan Skateboards cofounder Danny Bezinovich. And they have other, less-devastating critiques of Beto, which they end with. But this ad isn't just a joke, Millstein insists.
Beto "is not so much a 'poser' as he is an atrocious skater (he skates like a goofy dad in a comedy movie)," he writes. And their choice for president, Brian Anderson, "is a skate god, an icon, and an inspiration, and he WILL be our next president." Sure, why not? Somebody has to win the Democratic nomination, after all.
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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