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Opposing Congressmen Become Besties When Forced on D.C. Road Trip

Opposing Congressmen Become Besties When Forced on D.C. Road Trip
Democrat Beto O'Rourke and Republican Will Hurd needed to get to D.C. by Wednesday afternoon – so they embarked on a 2-day #BipartisanRoadtrip.

This Facebook Live stream feels almost like a buddy cop movie – except instead, it's about buddy Congressmen.

Democratic Beto O'Rourke and Republican Will Hurd are both Texas representatives who were distraught to find that their flight from San Antonio to Washington D.C. was cancelled because of this week's snowstorm.

Except thanks to the wonders of technology, the Congressmen weren't really on their own at all.

Hurd and O'Rourke started livestreaming their 2-day trip for all to see on Facebook Live. Using the hashtag #BipartisanRoadtrip, the two wanted to show that despite coming from opposite sides of the aisle, Republicans and Democrats could still be amiable.

The drivers encouraged listeners from opposing viewpoints to call in and leave questions for them to answer in the comments section. The stream accumulated a massive social media following and even received call-ins from politicians – liberal and conservative alike. Hurd and O'Rourke encouraged their fellow representatives to embark on their own bipartisan road trips in order to breed camaraderie and empathy.

From Texas to D.C. in their rented Chevy Impala, Hurd and O'Rourke shared discourse, donuts, coffee, music recommendations, and dialogue. When asked what they learned, they both agreed on the same thing: they could agree on more things than they previously thought they could.

"At a time where so many people wonder whether our institutions still work, whether members of Congress still listen to the people they represent, whether a Republican and a Democrat can get along and work together. I thought, let's try to prove the concept," O'Rourke told the Dallas Morning News.

After racing to complete their journey just in the nick of time – the bipartisan buddies pulled up to the steps of the Capitol building just before 6:00PM. They were also reportedly blasting "The Final Countdown".

"I learned something — this is a guy I can work with," O'Rourke told Fox 5 DC. "It just happens that we're on opposite sides of the aisle."

(WATCH the video below)

 

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