Comment on Beto, Biden and Bernie: The B-Boys and the media’s dangerous, self-fulfilling prophecy

As amorous embraces go, few could be more ardent than the one Beto O’Rourke got this month from Vanity Fair magazine. The perfectly timed cover treatment was the full monty: Rugged-glam photo by the legendary Annie Leibovitz, the former Texas congressman’s earnest Kennedy-esque gaze, and the ripe-for-parody headline including this immortal quote: “I’m just born to be in it.” Most Americans wouldn’t see the magazine itself, of course, but the rest of the news media — including network evening news — helped spread the image around as they gave over-the-top coverage to O’Rourke’s kickoff. Does soft-focus treatment like this help a candidate’s cause? It sure doesn’t hurt.