O’Rourke goes live with trip to dentist

Beto O’Rourke went to the dentist, and in the style of social media stars all over, he turned on his camera to broadcast the seemingly personal moment.

The former Democratic Senate candidate, whose unsuccessful 2018 campaign to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz drew support and attention from across the country, has become known for the unscripted chats and livestreams broadcast on his social media channels.

But the dentist videos, with a shot of his teeth getting worked on, represented perhaps a new level of intimacy. The story began with an image of his face stuffed with dental tools.

“So,” O’Rourke said, “I’m here at the dentist.”

O’Rourke had been streaming stories about the border since President Donald Trump’s speech Tuesday.

On Thursday, the subject of his micro-documentary was Diana, his dental hygienist. He switched the camera to face her.

“Hi, I’m Diana,” she said through her mask, with her work spectacles and headlamp on. “I was actually born in El Paso. My mom is from a small town in Mexico. My dad is a U.S. citizen.”

Diana spoke about growing up near the border and the help her mother had been offered as she worked to become a citizen.

O’Rourke asked her what she wanted people to know about the border.

“It’s a beautiful community; we all support each other; we all love each other,” she said. “It’s not what everyone else thinks badly about. It’s actually a wonderful place to live and grow.”