Beto O'Rourke Demurs on TV Town Halls, Cites Punk Record Label as Role Model for Going His Own Way

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Beto O'Rourke said Wednesday that he's not yet interested in taking his presidential campaign to cable news, calling it premature to set a date for a televised town hall or accepting bookers' invitations."At some point I may have to give in and be on your television set but right now I want to be with you," he told a crowd jammed into a hotel ballroom in Northern Virginia.Sen. Bernie Sanders appeared Monday night on a Fox News town hall that drew more viewers than any other event of this campaign cycle. CNN has hosted town halls with five Democratic contenders in the past week.O'Rourke himself appeared on a CNN town hall on Oct. 18 during his Senate run in Texas-- telling moderator Dana Bash that win or lose, he would not run for president in 2020."It's a definitive no," he said.On Wednesday, he was stumping for president in Alexandria, Va., just across the Potomac River from the nation's capital. A woman in the crowd at the Crowne Plaza urged him to step up his outreach on TV."I haven't seen you on MSNBC recently. I haven't seen you on TV, and other candidates have been on the airwaves morning noon and night, and that's of concern to me," she said.O'Rourke said he's not interested at this point.  Continue reading...