Beto: Charity begins with … me

And we thought Hopenchange was bad. At least Barack Obama only implied that he was the change we all were looking for. When challenged at a campaign event at the University of Virginia on his meager donations to charity, Robert “Beto” O’Rourke replied that his form of giving to charity includes … drawing a paycheck from taxpayers.

You’re welcome, America!

Beto O'Rourke, tonight, when asked by a student why her sister donates more to charity than him ($1,166 in 2017) despite earning substantially less than his family: pic.twitter.com/nD2a0YxETE

— Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) April 17, 2019

The Dallas Morning Herald sounds less than impressed:

Beto O’Rourke defended his meager rate of charitable giving on Tuesday night, saying that he doesn’t report all of his donations to the IRS and in any case, he contributes in other ways through his work in politics.

“I’ve served in public office since 2005. I do my best to contribute to the success of my community, my state and now, of my country. There are ways that I do this that are measurable. And there are ways that I do this that are immeasurable,” he said.

And don’t forget, Beto scolded the crowd, that he could be home counting his money playing with his kids. Instead, O’Rourke said, he’s out there amongst the hoi polloi to donate his time and attention as part of his effort to, er, seize the mantle of the Leader of the Free World. You’re welcome, universe!

“There are charities that we’ve donated to that we’ve recorded and itemized, others that we’ve donated to that we have not,” O’Rourke said. “I’ll tell you, I’m doing everything I can right now, spending this time with you, not with our kiddos, not back home in El Paso, because I want to sacrifice everything to make sure that we meet this moment of truth with everything we’ve got.”

Wow! He’s a giver, all right. Give givvitty give give give. His heroic public service aside, in which O’Rourke has accomplished diddly squat, the question still remains. He made over $370,000 in 2017 and donated a microscopic $1600 and change of it. Most working-class Americans do better just on GoFundMe, let alone someone whose father-in-law makes the Forbes list. O’Rourke wants those taxpayers forced to pay more for the programs he champions when he’s not willing to voluntarily fund charitable efforts on his own.

What about the student who asked the question? She wasn’t all that impressed either:

“It was very much a politician’s answer but I do appreciate the fact that he is being transparent,” she said afterward.

Oh, he’s transparent all right.