Red State’s Alex Parker wrote over the weekend about how failed U.S. Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke is campaigning for the “hip” vote with his frequent use of the f-word (including saying it unbleeped on live TV) to describe his frustration with the debate over gun rights in the aftermath of recent mass shootings.

In response to what we’re being led to believe is the rising popularity in Democratic circles for the struggling 2020 presidential candidate to use the f-word, the Beto campaign has come out with a new t-shirt in order to capitalize on the alleged momentum.

The Hill reports on what sparked it:

The Texas Democrat was at a campaign speech in Fairfax Station, Va., on Saturday when he heard news of another mass shooting in his home state, just weeks after 22 people were killed by a gunman inside an El Paso Walmart.

“Not sure how many gunmen. Not sure how many people have been shot. Don’t know how many people have been killed. The condition of those who have survived. Don’t know what the motivation is, do not yet know the firearms that were used or how they acquired them,” O’Rourke told a crowd of supporters in Virginia.

“But we do know this is f—ed up. We do know that this has to stop in this country. There is no reason that we have to accept this as our fortune, as our future, as our fate,” he continued.

[…]

O’Rourke defended his use of profanity during a Sunday interview on MSNBC, citing a tweet from Rabbi Latz.

“He said ‘profanity is not the f-bomb. What is profane is a 17 month-old baby being shot in the face,’” O’Rourke said.

Here’s the t-shirt the campaign is now selling. All proceeds go to Moms Demand Action and March For Our Lives:

.⁦⁦@BetoORourke⁩ taking f-bomb embrace to next level with shirt for sale on campaign web site — proceeds to gun groups #tx2020 pic.twitter.com/1YgY0vqES5

— Evan Smith (@evanasmith) September 1, 2019

Apparently Beto doesn’t realize that the f-word lost its shock value to most people a long time ago. Nevertheless, he persists. Because it’s cool or something.

Veteran journalist Brit Hume was among the many who questioned the strategy behind O’Rourke using the word:

As if his sewermouth will somehow give his argument more power. https://t.co/7WZZyL3rmu

— Brit Hume (@brithume) September 1, 2019

Rubbing? RUNNING!!!

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 1, 2019

Beto camp immediately merchandising an edgelord t-shirt out of his cable expletive makes what might have been a powerful moment seem calculated and lame.

— Liam Donovan (@LPDonovan) September 1, 2019

But the shirt was totally spontaneous, y’all, according to the campaign’s Director of Creative and Product:

https://twitter.com/robynkanner/status/1168314431903649794

Just going by what I’ve read on social media, far more people are oohing and ahhing O’Rourke for using the word than those who are complaining about him using it. The outrage from the latter camp is over O’Rourke’s controversial gun confiscation proposal.

I’m not sure what’s more annoying: That he actually thinks using the f-word is going to change the debate about gun control in his favor, or that liberal men and women alike are swooning because they believe him saying things are “f’d up” means he’s super-passionate about the issue.

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— Based in North Carolina, Sister Toldjah is a former liberal and a 15+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on media bias, social issues, and the culture wars. Read her Red State archives here. Connect with her on Twitter. –