OPINION: Is Betomania Real or Phony?

The advent of Beto O’Rourke’s presidential candidacy has Democrats arguing ferociously among themselves.

Within days of his announcement that he was running for the Democratic presidential nomination, Beto O’Rourke shot up in the rankings in terms of money, media coverage and Google searches.

Then the knives came out — progressives, women, African-Americans and party loyalists all took a stab at him.

The response to Beto is polarizing the Democratic activist community. The overriding question for Democrats is electability: who can beat Trump is a matter of pressing concern and profound...