Are the Democrats becoming walking parodies in the 2020 election? That is the only conclusion voters can make after being granted every wish by these Santa Claus imposters. One of these perpetual purveyors of the Christmas spirit is former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), who has joined his colleagues in offering trillions in a bunch of stuff for the sole purpose of ousting President Donald Trump. But the former Democratic flavor of the month may be the most interesting man in the 2020 race, mainly for being a sentient leftist stereotype shrouded in the modern-day tropes of leftism. His demeanor, resembling that of a timid teenage boy asking the most popular girl in school to the autumn dance, almost makes you think he is pulling a prank on voters and parodying the Democrats for a YouTube channel.
Beto’s Slaveowner Heritage
The ex-media darling revealed in a Medium blog post that he and his wife were descendants of slave owners. He reported that his great-great-great-grandfathers left two slaves, Eliza and Rose, in their wills for the family to inherit.
O’Rourke wrote:
“Something that we’ve been thinking about and talking about in town hall meetings and out on the campaign – the legacy of slavery in the United States – now has a much more personal connection
“They were able to build wealth on the backs and off the sweat of others, wealth that they would then be able to pass down to their children and their children’s children.
“The way that fortune was passed through the generations from Andrew to me, misfortune was passed through the generations from Rose and Eliza to their descendants who are alive today.”
He then prattled on about inequalities between “black America” and “white America,” alluding to incarceration rates, infant mortality, and wealth disparity – no mention of the abortion gap, though.
In the end, Beto thinks reparations are necessary “to repair the damage done and stop visiting this injustice on the generations that follow ours.”
He mirrors several of his primary opponents who support slave reparations, including Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, and Marianne Williamson. His revelation also comes as it was reported that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) descended from slave owners, but he instead rejects the concept because no one living today is responsible for what took place 150 years ago.
That’s just common sense.
Write a Check
So, when will O’Rourke write a check?
Beto O'Rourke
Since he and his family come from slave owners, unlike most Americans today, and the O’Rourke campaign endorses reparations, then he should be redistributing his $9 million net worth to impoverished black families in El Paso, TX. He could do one better: O’Rourke can attempt to fulfill the demands made to Caucasians by Louisville-based Black Lives Matter leader Chanelle Helm.
In 2017, the grassroots organizer urged white people to leave their estates when they perish to black communities, organizations, and schools. She also encouraged these folks to add to their monthly budgets donations to black funds for land purchasing. If you have a light skin pigmentation and you inherit a house and intend to sell it, then transfer the money to black people living in generational poverty.
While her demands might seem absurd on the surface, the woman had a great point overall that incidentally exposes the left’s hypocrisy.
If Caucasian liberals feel white guilt and endorse slave compensations, they should put their money where their mouth is. Instead of waiting for government to make a logistically impossible policy the law of the land, it would be more intellectually honest to lead the charge and start handing out $100 banknotes to random black people. Or if you’re a white student on a scholarship, then give up your seat to a black pupil. Or if you’re a white politician running for president in 2020, then step down and allocate all your resources, clout, and support to Booker and Harris.
Of course, most white leftists in public office will refuse to do any of this. Politicians prefer to pander, play-act, and promise than to lead by example. It is easy to be compassionate with other people’s money than to be on a one-person crusade that might persuade others to adopt a similar lifestyle.
Logistics of Reparations
The current estimate for the total cost of these proposed reimbursements is between $5.9 trillion and $14.2 trillion. How this would be paid for is unmentioned by proponents. Will a white tax be introduced? Will the Federal Reserve print it? Will Washington borrow the money from China? Nobody knows where to find the funds to sponsor this bizarre policy proposal.
The government cannot even pay today’s bills, such as Social Security and Medicare. Slave damages would add to the $23 trillion national debt, $1 trillion deficit, and $200 trillion in unfunded liabilities and expenditures. But don’t tell that to the umpteen candidates engaged in a bidding war for the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Except for former Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), they ostensibly believe money grows on trees because banks have branches.
But let’s say, for argument’s sake, that the left suddenly finds trillions of dollars in an alcove of one of the three houses owned by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Allocating these funds would be impossible. It is too complex.
Let’s consider the following: blacks owned blacks during the era, most people did not have slaves, everyone who came into the US after emancipation had nothing to do with the slave trade, and many white people fought against slavery.
Or here’s a goodie to think about: Former President Barack Obama and his administration’s failed policies in Libya restarted the slave trade. So will black Libyans get reparations, too?
Idealism Versus Costs
The Democrats appear to want to promise anything and spend any amount to oust President Trump next year. But while most of these proposals will not make it very far, they send a thrill down the legs of progressive big government advocates. Does anyone really believe that, in four years, Washington will commit itself to more than $125 trillion in new spending over the next decade? When you tally everything the progressives candidates have proposed so far – Green New Deal ($92 trillion), slave reparations ($5.6 trillion), student loan debt forgiveness ($1.5 trillion), and Medicare for All ($32.6 trillion) – it really makes you wonder if these people are being authentic or if they’re just acting out the famous auction scene from North by Northwest in which Cary Grant blurts out random numbers to get arrested.
Maybe that’s it! Perhaps these candidates are just crying for an intervention. Anything is possible.
As William F. Buckley famously said, “Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality, the costs become prohibitive.”
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