Mayor of San Antonio one heartbeat away from the presidency?
2016 identity politics: We’ll meet your Marco Rubio, and raise you a Julian Castro.
I’ve seen this coming for a couple of years.
Julian Castro, the Mayor of San Antonio, reportedly is being nominated for a Cabinet post to give him the credentials to be Hillary’s Veep pick.
San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro Is Said to Be HUD Pick in Cabinet Reshuffling:
President Obama is preparing to nominate Mayor Julián Castro of San Antonio as his new secretary of housing and urban development, elevating one of his party’s Hispanic rising stars as part of a cabinet shuffle that has possible implications for the 2016 presidential race, Democrats informed about the plans said on Saturday.
Mr. Castro, who has often been mentioned as a potential vice-presidential candidate for the Democrats, would take the place of Shaun Donovan, who would become director of the Office of Management and Budget….
Mr. Castro, 39, won national attention in 2012 as the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention, and he and his twin brother, Representative Joaquin Castro, Democrat of Texas, have become popular speakers on the party’s fund-raising circuit. Mr. Obama and the Democrats have predicated their future electoral hopes on appealing to the country’s growing Hispanic population as House Republicans have blocked their efforts to overhaul the immigration system.
Scott Conrad also saw this coming, writing in August 2013, Vice President Julian Castro?:
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine it’s the summer of 2016. Fresh off her victory in the primaries, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is searching for a running mate.
If the 68-year-old Clinton of three years from now were to play the role of Dr. Frankenstein in crafting the politically ideal VP pick, relative youth likely would be a key trait in order to balance the ticket.
And, perhaps facing a general election campaign against the first Hispanic presidential or vice-presidential nominee (think Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, or Susana Martinez), she might also look to a Latino to shore up a critical piece of the Democratic coalition in tossup states like Florida, Colorado, Nevada and Arizona.
What’s more, the former secretary of state probably would want to accentuate the historic nature of her bid to become the first female president by not pairing herself with someone whose ego runs counter to playing second fiddle (sorry, Cory Booker, you’re out.).
It’s a hypothetical scenario, but not one that requires a stretch to think Clinton’s gaze might land here, upon the nation’s seventh largest city, where Mayor Julian Castro would be a few months shy of his 42nd birthday and have seven years in office under his belt.
Castro wisely avoided a likely failed run for Governor.
Don’t underestimate Castro. Or the Democrats willingness to play identity politics.
Ah, this is how Julian Castro gets the resume to be Hillary's VP http://t.co/te5yN5Fcu2
— daveweigel (@daveweigel) May 17, 2014
Clinton-Castro, 2016 vs … Rubio-Martinez? https://t.co/WnxO0gFo8x
— Matt Lewis (@mattklewis) May 17, 2014
@mattklewis Bush-Martinez
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) May 17, 2014
Update: Ben Domenech views this as a sign Texas is not turning Blue anytime soon:
Julian Castro's move to HUD is essentially a declaration that Battleground Texas has failed – a sign he knows he has no future in the state.
— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) May 17, 2014
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Comments
This man is a lightweight when it comes to politics.
When he first ran for mayor he had two campaign commitments at the same time. To meet his commitment at one place he had his twin brother step in to fill the void pretending to be Julian. Castro lost to Phil Hardberger who served two terms. Castro succeeded Hardberger as mayor when he was term limited, people in this town have short memories.
Castro’s biggest accomplishment so far is the “4K 4 Pre-K” program which some schools refuse to participate in because they have their own system, of course we had a .25% sales tax added to pay for this. Currently Castro and the rest of the leftist on the city council are pushing a street car down out throats. Most of the folks here are against it including the poor who can not afford to pay the fare for riding it.
What gets me is why Charlie Gonzales did not run for Congress again, I can only imagine the Castro’s want to be the new king makers in San Antonio and Charlie was asked to “step aside”.
I would not call him a lock right now. He could self destruct like former San Antonio Mayor and HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros. He was caught lying to the FBI when he was interviewed by the FBI for confirmation.
His mom is a radical from way back. Her bio is here http://keywiki.org/index.php/Rosie_Castro
The Democrats think he is a key to Hispanics since their other client coalition is falling apart.
It is no surprise that Castro was picked for a cabinet position. Rosie Castro is a solid Marxist, and the twin acorns didn’t fall far from that tree and under Julian’s guiding hand, San Antonio has been experiencing radical leftist changes that has left most Texans shaking their heads. There is a lot to equate the Texas brothers with the Cuban brothers of the same name.
Hopefully Cruz and Cornyn will block his appointment. Julian Castro would be the Kathleen Sebelius of HUD.
“This man is a lightweight when it comes to politics”
He’s the leftist du jour – what did you expect?
Is he any relation to Fidel?
That would be just too, too appropriate for Obama to usher in a Castro. Fits with his juvenile sense of humor.
Ben Domenech’s tweet is spot-on. Outside of a municipal election (or in his brother’s case, a safe-democrat congressional district), Casto can’t win a statewide race. It does beg the question why he didn’t compete against Wendy Davis for the Democrat’s nomination for Governor of Texas. Makes one wonder why he didn’t run…
Just a thought, not that I followed the show much, but I’d bet Democrats see in Julian Castro a Matt Santos-quality from the final season of West Wing.
A Hispanic as VP? Black Americans will stay home for reasons everyone knows.
As for Castro, he looks like a sleazebag. I dont know know him but have seen his image a time or two. Immediate impression? Con man. Sleazebag. He will make Obama look like a piker.
Please, no more race politics. We need a president who has experience running something other than his mouth. We need Palin.
Last time a Dem picked a mayor of San Antonia for HUD it didn’t work out too well.
Great point! I wonder who remembers
….Henry.
“When he first ran for mayor he had two campaign commitments at the same time. To meet his commitment at one place he had his twin brother step in to fill the void pretending to be Julian.”
This sleazy trick alone disqualifies him. Nobody would know who is actually the vice-president. Secret Service would automatically have to double the number of agents and its budget as well.
How in the world could anyone actually trust someone who would do this instead of simply admitting that his campaign screwed up on scheduling? Like this never happened before. Anybody whose ego is that fragile should be put in a home, IMO.