If you’ve been following the U.S. presidential election, you’ve likely heard someone pondering why Democratic contender Beto O’Rourke’s campaign seems to have stalled.
Aside from Joe Biden, Beto was probably the candidate that sparked the most speculation about whether he would run for president in the first place. Then when he announced, there was so much media fanfare including a Vanity Fair cover story where Beto quipped about the race: “Man, I’m just born to be in it.”
But after an initial media frenzy, Beto’s star has not quite fizzled out, but it’s fallen dramatically. Among the Democratic presidential contenders, he’s currently polling around sixth, and some are openly wondering whether his political career has already peaked.
I’ve heard so many reasons given for Beto’s plight. Some are saying that he hasn’t been visible enough in the early days of his campaign. Still others say that candidates such as Mayor Pete Buttigieg are simply stealing his thunder. While these may be good reasons for speculation, I believe there’s an astrological reason for Beto’s disappointing performance. You see, he announced his candidacy this year when Mercury was in Retrograde.
Beto announced his candidacy on March 14, 2019, a little over a week into Mercury Retro, which began March 5. Almost immediately, his campaign hit a snag, largely due to challenges in communication.
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Beto’s Mercury Retro communication problems
In astrology, Mercury is the planet that rules communication. When it goes into retrograde, or appears to be moving backward, it can create communication challenges. You’ll hear all kinds of advice during Mercury Retrograde about why you shouldn’t sign contracts or enter critical negotiations if you can help it. This is a time when people may misunderstand you, or signals can easily become crossed.
Consider then what happened with Beto. When he announced, he was almost immediately criticized for his Vanity Fair quote about being born to be in the race. Many people said the words made him come across as entitled, as if he felt he deserved to be president simply because he was a white male. Recently, Beto admitted that the article was a mistake and said he didn’t intend to come across in the way that people took him from the interview. (A clear mis-communication.)
When appearing on The View, Beto said, “There are things that I have been privileged to do in my life that others cannot.” He said he understands now how that article could have conveyed that message in a way that he didn’t intend for it to do.
From there, Beto’s campaign continued to flounder and he appears to be still struggling to regain his footing.
An astrological reboot?
So the question now is where does Beto go from here? Can a mistake made during Mercury Retrograde be corrected? Of course it can. Mercury retro is about delays and mishaps. Yes, it’s a good idea for us to hold off on certain things during Mercury retro periods, but when we can’t that doesn’t mean that we’re doomed.
Beto would be wise to consult an astrologer as he seeks to get his campaign back in gear. There are likely days and periods that would be particularly auspicious for him and he could find himself making up lost ground. He wouldn’t be the first political figure to make the most out of astrology. Ronald and Nancy Reagan regularly consulted an astrologer during Reagan’s presidency. As this U.S. election cycle heats up, the winner really could be up to the stars.