Tipsheet

Beto Just Said What About the Wall and Constitution?

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  January 16, 2019 8:41 AM

In a lengthy interview with the Washington Post, former Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke doesn’t seem sure of anything—from immigration to our policy in Syria to the Constitution’s efficacy. One thing he is certain of, however, is that the border wall will kill people.

While the former Senate candidate had no ideas about solutions to fix the U.S.’s immigration problems, O'Rourke said a border wall “will ensure death.”

He said he believes that the border is already fully secured and that further investment would take it even further “past the point of diminishing returns,” pushing migrants seeking to cross the border illegally into more dangerous and desolate territory.

“You will ensure death,” he said of Trump’s proposed wall. “You and I, as Americans, have caused the deaths of others through these walls.” (WaPo)

Another newsworthy part of the interview was when O’Rourke called the United States an "empire" and wondered whether the country can “still be managed” by the Constitution. 

Throughout the two-hour interview — which was often interrupted by bystanders urging him to run for president — O’Rourke boomeranged between a bright-eyed hope that the United States will soon dramatically change its approach to a whole host of issues and a dismal suspicion that the country is now incapable of implementing sweeping change.

When asked which it is, O’Rourke paused.

“I’m hesitant to answer it because I really feel like it deserves its due, and I don’t want to give you a — actually, just selfishly, I don’t want a sound bite of it reported, but, yeah, I think that’s the question of the moment: Does this still work?” O’Rourke said. “Can an empire like ours with military presence in over 170 countries around the globe, with trading relationships .?.?. and security agreements in every continent, can it still be managed by the same principles that were set down 230-plus years ago?”

O’Rourke doesn’t yet know the answer, but he’s ready to discuss it. (WaPo)

In case you hadn't guessed it, Beto was widely mocked over the interview, with even the author criticizing how few answers he really had to her questions.