Beto Questioned On Lack Of Policy Specifics At Penn State Meet And Greet

Former Democratic Texas Rep. Robert “Beto” O’Rourke was asked when he would give “an actual policy” at a meet and greet at Pennsylvania State University Tuesday.

“When are we going to get an actual policy from you instead of just like platitudes and nice stories?” one person asked.

O’Rourke mentioned ending prohibition on marijuana, having four-year-olds start public education with pre-kindergarten and having high quality universal healthcare through his proposal dubbed as “Medicare for America.”

“If you have employer based insurance and you like it, you keep it, your doctors, your network, what works for you right now,” O’Rourke said. “If you don’t have insurance or you don’t like the insurance you already have, you enroll in Medicare.”

O’Rourke admitted the Medicare proposal would measure in the “trillions of dollars,” but it was less expensive than caring for people who were not given treatment from the start.

The 2020 presidential hopeful also said the opioid epidemic “disproportionately” affected rural America.

“I talk about those who we must hold accountable for the crisis and the way in which we must treat those who are enduring the crisis, not through incarceration, but through compassion and treatment and care so that they can get back up on their feet,” O’Rourke continued.

The individual also questioned O’Rourke’s campaign financial practices. O’Rourke said his campaign did not take donations from lobbyists or political action committees (PACs). He added that the number of donors would be released, though a time was not specified.

Former U.S. ambassador to England and a lead bundler for Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign Louis Susman has reportedly been asking top Democratic Party donors to see if they will support O’Rourke’s campaign. Susman, however, said he talked to “family and friends” about donating, CNBC reported.

Nearly 1,000 students and community members attended the meet and greet, according to WNEP.

O’Rourke’s campaign did not immediately respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.