Beto O 'Rourke launches an attack on Ted Cruz: NPR

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz's re-election campaign did not hesitate to attack his opponent, Rep. Beto O. Rourke, on television.

Straight out of the GOP playbook, Cruz's commercials have tried to portray his opponent as a radical left-wing extremist.

In an attack advertisement, which ultimately seemed to turn against us, the video of Cruz's election campaign was misleadingly altered to give the impression that O 'Rourke reportedly supported the burning of the flag, that he did not say. O 'Rourke stated that he supported the Americans' right to demonstrate anytime and anywhere, including NFL players on Sunday, by launching this announcement and announcing it. 39; other ads from Cruz.

Until now, O & # Rourke has refused to participate in a negative campaign. But with polls showing Cruz with a six to nine point lead, the congressman gave in and launched into the attack.

The latest commercials of O 'Rourke were published on Wednesday. Cruz has been assiduous and obstructionist in the face of immigration reform, targeting dreamers to deport and sowing fear instead of sowing compromise.

During their debate in San Antonio on Tuesday, this trend continued.

Cruz described O 'Rourke as a dangerous extremist: "If you work in energy, if you work in oil and gas, the record of Congressman O' Rourke in this regard is extreme He did not just vote for a barrel of ten dollars a barrel oil tax, he also voted for aggressive regulation of fracking. "

Contrary to their first debate, O. Rourke replied: "That's what you can expect during this debate, Senator Cruz will not be honest with you, he will invent positions and votes that I've never been dishonest, which is why the president called him "Ted liar" and that's why his nickname stayed because it's true. "

Even though Cruz had a good laugh when O & Rourke attacked him, his face revealed his true emotions. the senator did not like.

But the debate in San Antonio was more than a battle. It was important too. Cruz has the numbers on his side, there are hundreds of thousands of more Republican voters in Texas than Democrats. As a result, Cruz mainly spoke at his base.

"Texas is booming," said Cruz. "We currently have the lowest unemployment rate in 49 years." Texas sees the benefits of low taxes and low regulations and the position of Congressman O 'Rourke is always, always, always favor higher taxes ".

If Cruz generally played Republican fears of what would happen if the Democrats won power, O'Rourke would tend to talk to the best angels of the voters.

"If we stay the inspiration of the world is an open question at the moment," said O & # Rourke. "Walls, Muslim bans, the press as an enemy of the people, driving children away from their parents after surviving a grueling 3,000-kilometer trek seeking asylum here in this country, so much of the national conversation, we desperately need some inspiration right now. "

Although Mr. O. Rourke is far ahead of the other Texas Democrats, the approach still does not give you a cigar, says Cal Jillson, professor of political science at Southern Methodist University.

"I think that a very good Democratic candidate running against an imperfect Republican candidate has a chance to break through," said Cal Jillson, professor of political science at Southern Methodist University. "That's why O. Rourke was so strong on Cruz, Cruz is an acquired taste, people respect him as a conservative fighter, they do not necessarily like him. Eye to O. Rourke. "

Jillson warns on the idea that Texas is about to turn blue: "Democrats must recognize that competitiveness depends on ten or twenty years.This is not two years, this n & # 39; Is not four years, it is longer because the demographic change is very slow. "