Beto Faces An Uphill Battle In Texas

"Read my lips: no new taxes!" roared George Bush 41 at the Republican National Convention in 1988. But, as President two years later, Bush agreed to increase existing taxes in the largest tax increase in American history. Even a 91% popularity rating after winning the first Gulf war wasn't enough to reelect him. Bush soundly lost to Bill Clinton in 1992, 168-370 in the electoral college.

On Monday, another Texan, Beto O'Rourke, who, like Bush, served in the House of Representatives, announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination to unseat the Republican Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott. While Bush's words were far more emphatic, O'Rourke's pledge to a Politico reporter may come back to haunt him.