Beto O'Rourke is throwing his hat into the crowded Democratic field for president. The former Texas congressman is hoping his progressive, grassroots message resonates nationally.
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00:00Amy and I are happy to share with you that I'm running to serve you as the next President of the United States of America.
00:23This is a defining moment of truth for this country and for every single one of us.
00:28The challenges that we face right now, the interconnected crises in our economy, our democracy and our climate have never been greater.
00:35And they will either consume us or they will afford us the greatest opportunity to unleash the genius of the United States of America.
00:42It's totally possible and that I'm learning every day as well.
00:58This is a common sense.
01:27common-sense bipartisan reform, a part of the failed war on drugs.
01:40We're both trying to get back to work in Washington DC. I hope that more of our
01:45colleagues take this lead. There are really two reasons to do this. One was to make
01:48sure that we could get to work, but the other reason was for a Democrat and a
01:52Republican to get together, get to know each other, and see if we couldn't find
01:58some common ground.
02:07Peaceful, nonviolent protests, including taking a knee at a football game to
02:13point out that black men unarmed, black teenagers unarmed, and black children
02:19unarmed are being killed at a frightening level right now. Either we're
02:24a country that takes kids from their parents, or we are a country that lives
02:29up to our best traditions. This is in direct response to our constituents, the
02:33people we represent, who are sick and tired of this Congress's inability to
02:38move forward, even on common-sense, bipartisan, widely supported measures
02:44like universal background checks.
02:49You have helped us raise $1,274,000 in just over a little more than 50 hours,
03:02with the average contribution being $32.
03:14I think Congressman O'Rourke is out of step with Texas on that. Only one of us
03:19has been to each county in Texas and would have an idea of what Texas values
03:23and interests are.
03:34Over the coming days, I'm going to travel this country and listen to those who I
03:39seek to serve, to understand from your perspective how we can best meet these
03:44challenges. We are truly now, more than ever, the last great hope of Earth. At
03:50this moment of maximum peril and maximum potential, let's show ourselves and those
03:56who will succeed us in this great country just who we are and what we can
04:00do. Thank you.