AUSTIN, TEXAS — Texas country music legend Willie Nelson is scheduled to headline a rally in Austin later this month in support of U.S. Senate hopeful Beto O’Rourke and his campaign to unseat Republican Ted Cruz, and the singer’s conservative fans are howling in protest.
The Sept. 29 concert to be staged at Auditorium shores in South Austin will be open to the public. Other musical guests include Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Particle Kid, Carrie Rodriguez, Tameca Jones, and Joe Ely.
“My wife Annie and I have met and spoken with Beto and we share his concern for the direction things are headed,” Nelson said in the press release referencing his plans. “Beto embodies what is special about Texas, an energy and an integrity that is completely genuine.”
While fans of the iconic singer, who are legion, will no doubt pack the grounds to watch Nelson perform, his conservative fans aren’t happy he’s thrown his support behind O’Rourke, a pro-choice, pro-gun control Democrat.
This is Texas, after all, where Austin stands out as virtually the lone blue dot in a sea of Republican red. Conservatives abound, and they’re making their displeasure of Nelson’s musically expressed support for a Democrat known.
You might say they’re madder than wet hens. In other words, they’re furious.
No ordinary singer, Nelson is as identified with Texas as Hill Country bluebonnets, chicken fried steaks and barbecue. He’s a sizable piece of the fabric of Texas, with a statue of him in the 2nd Street district in downtown Austin in bronze homage. Nicknamed “The Red-Headed Stranger,” he’s beloved in Texas by untold millions of fans.
But his support now has some blue eyes (and those of other hues) cryin’ in the rain. And while the singer undoubtedly would prefer to see his disenchanted admirers up than see them down, some aren’t likely to get on the road to fandom again.
Here’s a sampling of their expressed discontent on the comments thread to the Facebook announcement:
The considerable endorsement comes at a time of rising consternation among conservatives over O’Rourke’s recent campaign strides. Given the state’s redness, it’s unheard of in these parts for a Democrat to mount a real challenge to a Republican lawmaker. Yet the race is now competitive, with several recent polls framing it as too close to call.
Beto O’Rourke
O’Rourke’s youthful good looks, coupled with a populist message of reform has galvanized his base. In contrast, Cruz comes off as more wonky and lawyerly with occasional attempts to be hip or humorous usually falling flat. By contrast, a recent video of O’Rourke skateboarding at night in a parking lot of a Whataburger (another Texas icon) while on the stump only enhanced his appeal.
Related story: Beto O’Rourke Austin Town Hall Could Be A Humdinger
The competitive Cruz-O’Rourke contest has garnered national interest, as evidenced by invitations to the challenger from Ellen Degeneres and Stephen Colbert to appear on their shows. O’Rourke’s growing appeal can be seen across the Texas landscape increasingly dotted by “Beto” yard signs telegraphing support. Growing support also is reflected in campaign coffers. At last check, O’Rourke has raised $23.6 million to Cruz’s $15.6 million.
Beto O’Rourke campaign sign in Hays County, just outside Austin. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff
Needless to say, Republicans are worried. And Nelson’s musical tribute ain’t helping matters.
The Cruz camp has responded to the threat with varying degrees of success. In a recent series of what can be categorized as, to a fashion, attack ads, Cruz’s campaign tried to mock O’Rourke’s past as a member of a punk band, accompanying the slam with a photo of the Democrat in full punk regalia, goth-like stage makeup and all.
For good measure, Cruz’s people released old booking photo of O’Rourke taken after youthful brushes with the law. According to Vox.com, O’Rourke was arrested twice during his 20s — once for jumping a fence at University of Texas’s El Paso campus and a misdemeanor drunk driving arrest — but never convicted.
The images were sent into the Twittersphere in support of Cruz as retaliation for O’Rourke’s recent refusal to agree to debate terms with captions mocking the Democrat “Sorry, can’t debate. We have a gig,” one caption reads. Another one reads: “Sorry, I’m going to have to skate on the debate on Friday. I just got the killer board. I’m sure the voters won’t mind.”
The tactics backfired. Social media followers dismissed the significance of O’Rourke’s past transgressions, expressing instead some measure of admiration for his rebel past. As for the punk rock imagery, the photos yielded expressions by not a small number of women (and some men too) of developed crushes on the youthful candidate.
Getty Images file photos, Scott Olson, Joe Raedle
Given those gaffes and the Democrat’s gains, the GOP is deploying its big guns in the form of Donald Trump, who’s planning a rally for the beleaguered Cruz in Texas next month. Mind you, the two Republicans were once nemesis to each other when running for president. At one point, Trump mocked the appearance of Cruz’s wife — a lovely woman in her own right whose looks Trump contrasted to that of his own wife, former model Melania Trump in suggesting his wife was hotter.
As is his wont, Trump even devised a nickname for Cruz while on the stump: Lyin’ Ted.
Oh, and he also advanced a truly “fake news” story in the National Enquirer that Cruz’s dad, a Cuban immigrant, somehow played a role in the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Long gone, if not forgotten, is Cruz calling Trump, “a sniveling coward.”
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But the two men have since made up, if only out of political expediency. It’s all water under the bridge now to hear Trump tell it: “I will be doing a major rally for Senator Ted Cruz in October. I’m picking the biggest stadium in Texas we could find,” President Donald Trump posted on Twitter in late August.
While conservatives will likely steer clear of Nelson’s political hoedown, those wishing to attend are urged to first register on O’Rourke’s website. To register, go to betofortexas.com.
Regardless of political stripe, the show is sure to be a hootenanny.
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>>> Top photo: Willie Nelson performs at The Life & Songs of Kris Kristofferson produced by Blackbird Presents at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2016, in Nashville. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Essential Broadcast Media). Photo of Beto O’Rouke via Texas House of Representatives.