Welcome to Decoding the Vibe where I tell it like it really is as the first-in-the-nation primary parade of candidates comes to town. Join me behind the scenes where you might just find out what the candidate is really like.
By SUSAN DROMEY HEETER, InDepthNH.org
Saturday afternoon in Exeter saw presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke in a bucolic park setting: the birds chirped, the breeze lilted, the crowd surrounded a literal box upon which he stood. The vibe felt very polite, reverential, boring.
I’m calling Beto “Alpha” Beto because his presence is predictable – like those ABCs. He’ll speed up around the LMNOP – when he speaks of immigration and health care; he’ll pause around the G and the S. In short, nothing new or exciting about Beto,
His crisp white shirt, with the sleeves rolled up reflect his energy. He does exude the potential that he could simply run a marathon after his speech. But Beto did not say anything new, anything creative, anything I’ve not heard before.
I know what’s happening at the border – it’s horrendous, deplorable, inhumane. I know about our healthcare crisis. And, yes, these topics must be addressed, must be discussed, must be navigated for solutions, but Beto offered very little in terms of specific outcomes.
He seems to have more of a plan on marketing himself than marketing a platform of ideas that really could work.
When I walked around the park, basking in the warm spring air, I met Nancy Crawford of Exeter who referenced herself as a “hopeless political junkie.”
She was more interesting than Beto and when I asked her about her thoughts on Beto she remarked that her friends in Texas and from Middlebury speak highly of him.
She also told me he put his dental cleaning on his Instagram.
I was not aware of this and when we continued to talk, we got some disparaging looks as we laughed just a little too loud. And then I realized that Beto did not make me laugh. At all.
The vibe of humor just wasn’t there but the crowd of serious, reverential Beto followers was.
Beto is at the G of his presidential run. And as I continue to Decode the Vibe, my attention for him may last around L but it already feels like ZZZZZZZZZ.
Susan Dromey Heeter is a writer from Dover who recently let her hair go au natural white. Writing has been her passion since her English majoring days at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Dromey Heeter has lived in The Netherlands, Alaska and currently basks in all things New England, including the frigid winters. An avid swimmer, Dromey Heeter’s great passion is to bring back body surfing as most children have no idea how to ride waves without ridiculous boogie boards.
The opinions expressed are those of the writer. InDepthNH.org takes no position on politics, but welcomes diverse opinions. email nancywestnews@gmail.com
