LIGHT V. DARKNESS:

O'Rourke is a unifying force. He's charitable to political opponents. He casts those who disagree with him in a generous light. He insists that despite those disagreements, we are united in our commitment to large ideals.

O'Rourke has been compared to Robert F. Kennedy in his 1968 campaign. But he also has a large dose of Ronald Reagan in 1980.

Like Kennedy in 1968, O'Rourke is a terrific listener. He has a unique capacity to defuse tense situations and to guide tough conversations. As a campaigner, he has a sympathetic understanding of people with diverse points of view.

Like Reagan, O'Rourke has a generous, sunny, optimistic disposition. He comports himself with dignity. In an angry time, he can disagree without being disagreeable.

In their different ways, Kennedy and Reagan were also divisive figures. O'Rourke really isn't, at least thus far. He deplores polarization (and often says so). He is acutely aware that social divisions, and accusations of bad faith, are disabling the search for pragmatic solutions. [...]

Like Reagan, O'Rourke knows how to mix gentleness with moral commitment. Like Reagan, he uses the word "American" with reverence. He gives people a sense that he is on their side, not in their face.

In terms of his political positions, O'Rourke isn't easy to pigeonhole; he's creative and impressively unpredictable. A firm advocate of health care for all, he also received a pretty solid score from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 2017 -- as good as or better than all but one of the current Democratic senators.

Since he was elected to the House of Representatives in 2012, he has been focused on veterans and on improving the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, with special attention to mental health. He opposes President Donald Trump's plan to build a wall between Mexico and the U.S., but one of his key reasons might be new to you: He objects that the government's use of eminent domain, to take the property of local landowners, would compromise property rights. In that respect, he embraces a longstanding argument of Republicans and political conservatives.

But what makes O'Rourke so unusual is his consistent rejection of we-they politics -- of anything that smacks of Manichaeism. He likes to say, "We're not running against anyone, any party, or anything." He stresses the importance of working "with everyone -- Republicans, independents, Democrats alike -- to get the job done." He adds, "We will not allow anyone to be taken for granted or written off."

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