The Fight Of Our Lives — A Beto America
“I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”
-Oath Of Office
I took that oath at the United States Naval Academy on May 22, 2009 under a clear blue sky and inside of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. Standing there in my uniform, squinting a little as the warm sun shone down on my face, my right hand was raised and my mind was clear. I spoke every word of the oath with an earnest fervor while an overwhelming sense of pride manifested within the depths of my being. Four years of concentrated academic rigor, intense physical training, character and military leadership development had finally come to an end. The day was a memorable one for many reasons: It was my 23rd birthday. I received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Economics. I had earned the title of United States Marine. President Barack Obama was delivering the commencement. Still, the word obligation particularly resonated with me. Service to this nation — to humanity — felt like a personal conviction. I was ready for the challenge and responsibility of leadership and to do my part to contribute to the greater fight.

I left active duty in April of 2015, just 6 years after taking the oath. I was ready for a new challenge and yearning for greater personal and professional fulfillment outside of the United States Marine Corps. I had served my commitment and then some. Leaving proved to be more difficult than I had expected, even though it was the right decision. Despite the difficulty, I was happy as I transitioned into civilian life. However, there was a part of me that felt empty — that obligation to serve — never left.
I was apolitical before the 2016 election for president. Waking up on November 9, 2016 felt bleak and the subsequent months after were rife with despair. The realization that America was in the hands of such a reprehensible and morally corrupt individual was almost too much to bear. I remembered my oath but felt as if though I was helpless — feeling increasingly debilitated by despair. The admittedly imperfect country that I had once vowed to serve was becoming more polarized. White supremacists were coming out of hiding. Corruption was on full display. I did not see a sign of light at the end of a very dark tunnel.
But then, something remarkable happened. I came across a video of Congressman Beto O’Rourke. In a deeply raw and eloquently articulated response to a constituent’s question about patriotism and NFL Players kneeling during the National Anthem, Beto captured the attention of the nation. I was awe-struck by the passion and authenticity. His answer was powerful in its delivery as well as its content. In a single moment, Beto had reignited a lost sense of hope within me. From then on, I was no longer apolitical. After researching Beto’s campaign efforts, I became active in my community, canvassing to help flip my congressional district and donating to as many campaigns in the 2018 Midterm elections as I could.
In the subsequent months following his narrow defeat in the Texas Senate race, Beto announced that he’d be running for President of the United States. Coinciding his announcement, Vanity Fair released a story about Beto with an infamous — often misquoted — quote:
“We are in the fight of our lives. Not the fight of my political life kind of crap. But, like, this is the fight of our lives as Americans, and as humans, I’d argue. I want to be in it. Man, I’m just born to be in it, and want to do everything I humanly can for this country at this moment”

He never said he was “born to be president” or “born to run” or “born to do it”. Often times, pundits and snarky news hosts would repeat those misquotes as if they were actual quotes. He was talking about being in the fight of our lives. I immediately knew what he was talking about because of my familiarity with that personal conviction related to service that I mentioned previously. That sense of obligation to serve was nefariously misconstrued to perpetuate a narrative about privilege and entitlement. Every journalist, pundit, daytime talk-show host, and faux woke Twitter keyboard warrior who misquoted a direct quote are complicit in Beto’s eventual exit from the presidential race. Portraying a sincere public servant as an entitled egomaniac was the beginning of a months long campaign to destroy his appeal to the American people. I made it a point to fight this narrative every chance I got. As the months went on, I became hyper aware of the subtle ways quotes could be misused in order to shift the conversation. It dawned on me that the fight of our lives includes a fight for the truth. Sometimes, our own teammates aid and abet in the spread of misinformation and untruths.
Still: We fought. We worked. We participated. We traveled. We knocked doors. We had no fear. We were deeply invested and immensely dedicated. We got off the sidelines and started participating in our democracy.


After months of similar destructive narratives, Beto abruptly announced that he would suspend his campaign. Much to the dismay of his supporters, he explained that the campaign could no longer sustain financially. Even though it hurt, it made total sense. At the onset, Beto was falsely portrayed as an empty vessel with no substance or value other than handsome looks and platitudes. He was mocked for his mannerisms and written off early in the race as someone without a clear platform. Pundits were angry and bewildered by his appeal. They couldn’t explain it so they decided to break him down. The mainstream media repeated false narratives and smears. This of course had negative consequences. Those smears lead to low polling which lead to low donations and that lead to an eventual exit. The effort to portray an insincere, privileged, egomaniac, too concerned with his presidential aspirations rather than a supposedly “in the bag” Senate run in Texas worked as intended. A sinister plan came to fruition.
When no real controversy could be found, his whiteness and maleness made him the hated figure amongst angry supporters of other presidential candidates — even though his values resonated with many people in the other demographics.
A week later, as I have had time to process everything, I am in somber yet calm state of mind. Beto O’Rourke conducted himself with honor and integrity at every point during his campaign. He boldly went where no other candidates went and proposed policies that were based off of real conversations with the American people. He showed us that politics and moral courage can exist on the same plane. The America that Beto envisioned is a vision shared by so many. An America where all are welcome. An America where we treat people with dignity and respect and where we embrace (not just tolerate) differences. An Americas where we are anti-racist.

In the aftermath of his painful exit from the presidential race, I was reminded of something: We are still in the fight of our lives. That overwhelming sense of personal conviction and obligation that never left me, now consumes me. I owe that reignited feeling to Beto O’Rourke. I have a deep admiration for him.
On Beto being president in 2020: Well, he already stated that he wasn’t in the fight of his political life. Therefore, his quote from Vanity Fair still applies. This is the fight, for anyone who cares about democracy, to join in. This is a fight for equality. This is a fight for security. This is a fight for domestic tranquility. This is a defining moment of truth.
This is the fight of our lives. I want to be in it. Man, I was born to be in it.

