Former Texas congressman and 2020 Democratic primary candidate Robert “Beto” O’Rourke is in a tough spot.

There is no real, animating principle behind his White House bid — nothing deeper than “Hey, why not me?” — and the people who billed him last year as the latest, greatest, most exciting political prodigy since former President Barack Obama have taken notice. Never mind that O’Rourke’s vacuity was obvious when he ran against Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. How major newsrooms managed to miss this even as they built up the Democratic candidate as God’s gift to the electorate is anyone’s guess.