Both are media creations and used nicknames when needed.
Former President Barack Obama praised failed Texas Democratic Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke on Tuesday for the authenticity he exuded on the campaign trail, a trait he said helped his own successful tilts for the White House.
“Impressive, young man, who ran a terrific race in Texas,” Obama said when asked for his impression of O’Rourke, who is 46. “What I liked most about his race was that it didn’t feel constantly poll-tested. It felt as if he based his statements and his positions on what he believed.”
Obama, who made the comments during a live taping of his ex-adviser David Axelrod’s podcast, “The Ax Files,” said he has also tried to be genuine throughout his political career.
“I think you and I would both agree that in 2008, and hopefully pretty consistently all the way through, that the reason I was able to make a connection with a sizable portion of the country was people had a sense that I said what I meant,” he told Axelrod.