Podcast Mentions
We've Got to Try How the Fight for Voting Rights Makes Everything Else Possible
Beto O'Rourke
“Uplifting. . . . O’Rourke gets an A-plus on both the moral frisson of the long fight and the rightness of the cause. . . . The happy warrior from Texas is inspiring.” --The Washington Post In
Podcasts
2
Quotes
12
Podcast
The Daily Show: Ears Edition
The book was highlighted by Beto O'Rourke as a way to illustrate how historic battles for voting rights can inspire present‑day action in Texas. He recounted the story of Dr. Lawrence Nixon, a Black doctor who fought for two decades, achieved Supreme Court victories, and helped pave the way for the Voting Rights Act. The discussion framed the title as a motivational example for current voters and activists.
Episode: Beto O’Rourke - The Race to Restore Rights in Texa...
The book tells the story of a black doctor in El Paso who fought for voting rights for black Texans, eventually contributing to the passing of the Voting Rights Act. The speaker used this story to illustrate how past struggles for voting rights can inspire current efforts.
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One of the stories that I tell in this book we've got to try is about a black doctor in El Paso, Lawrence Nixon, who never missed an election until the Democratic controlled legislature in 1923 outlaws voting by black Texans.
And he says, I know you can't but I've got to try.
For the next 20 years, he fights this battle, a very lonely one, takes it to the Supreme Court, wins two signal victories there.
And by 1944 he's helped to integrate elections once again in Texas and has laid the path for LBJ to work on and ultimately sign the Voting Rights Act into law in 1965.
So if that guy could do it against those odds, then who are we now in Texas who have inherited his sacrifice and his service and his struggle?
Episode: Casting Is Officially Underway For The New James B...
Beto O'Rourke discussed his book about the fight for voting rights and how it makes everything possible. He used a story from the book about a Black doctor in El Paso who fought for voting rights for 20 years as an example of perseverance.
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We've got to try how the fight for voting rights makes everything possible.
It's really about where Texas is and what Texans are willing to do about it.
one of the stories that I tell in this book we've got to try is about a black doctor in El Paso Lawrence Nixon who never missed an election until the Democratic controlled legislature in 1923 outlaws voting by black Texans
Episode: Casting Is Officially Underway For The New James B...
Beto O'Rourke's book, "We've Got to Try," discusses the fight for voting rights and how it impacts everything. It was mentioned in the context of his campaign for Texas Governor and a story about Dr. Lawrence Nixon's fight for voting rights in the 1920s and 40s.
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You've run before. You came super close. You didn't take it. What do you think will be different this time and why?
It's really about where Texas is and what Texans are willing to do about it.
One of the stories that I tell in this book we've got to try is about a black doctor in El Paso, Lawrence Nixon, who never missed an election until the Democratic-controlled legislature in 1923 outlaws voting by black Texans.
And he says, I know you can't, but I've got to try. For the next 20 years he fights this battle, a very lonely one, takes it to the Supreme Court, wins two signal victories there. And by 1944 he's helped to integrate elections once again in Texas and has laid the path for LBJ to work on and ultimately sign the Voting Rights Act into law in 1965.
Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.