NewsTaco

By E.J. Dionne, Real Clear Politics

Julian Castro is a politician in not too much of a hurry. This does not mean he lacks ambition.
The 38-year-old mayor of San Antonio, which has boomed into the country’s seventh-largest city, came to national attention much as Barack Obama did, with a first-rate keynote speech at last year’s Democratic National Convention. He spoke affectingly of life being not a marathon but a “relay” in which each generation lifts up the next.

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By Josh Baugh, San Antonio Express-News

MIAMI — Though fast becoming a national spokesman for immigration reform, when Julián Castro addressed activists, their benefactors and so-called DREAMers here Thursday night, he made a plea to fix a broken system as the mayor of a city where undocumented immigrants exist in the shadows.

“Unlike some folks in D.C., I don’t have the luxury of sitting 2,000 miles away, far away from the problem and railing against it,” Castro said. “My colleagues and I in cities across the country have to deal with the practical consequences of our broken immigration system.”

He delivered the keynote address to the 17th annual Americans for Immigrant Justice dinner.

Click on picture to read full story.

[Photo courtesy DNC]

By Victor Landa, NewsTaco

One of the interesting things about being  in Washington DC for a few days after a presidential inaugural is the sifting through the residual rumors. It’s a lot like walking a shoreline after a storm, all sorts of things catch your eye. The city was flooded with partisans and political types for a weekend, so rumor and speculation were the mainstays of small talk and cocktail fodder. They get traded and passed along, edited and embellished, and when coupled with actual events they take on a life of their own.

Take for instance a meeting held in the Oval office the day after the inaugural. San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro had a reported 20 minute face-to-face with the President. That in itself is not entirely remarkable. Castro has been a bright light on the White House radar for a while; he delivered the DNC keynote; etc… It’s what happened about one hour later that started the hearsay mill spinning: Soon after Castro ended his meeting news was leaked that Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is being considered to replace Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on President Obama’s cabinet.

Never mind that LaHood hasn’t announced leaving his post. Never mind that California Senator Barbara Boxer told a California public radio reporter that same day that Villaragisa  ”would be terrific” in that job. This is what’s interesting about the mill and how it pumps new fodder: the speculation is that the Transportation post was offered to Castro at his Oval office meeting with the President, and that he graciously declined; that Villaraigosa was immediately considered next; that because Villaraigosa would be moving to a Federal post, the path would be clear for soon to be former Labor Secretary Hilda Solis to make her move for the California Governorship. And it was barely lunch time.

It’s not unlike a fantasy chess board. But all the speculation does point to the fact that Latinos have become part of the highest level political shuffle. Whether the shuffle is substantial or mere show has yet to be seen. After all, all we have is a basic set of facts with a mound of speculation plopped on top.  And these are the facts: Castro is a White House favorite and he had a meeting in the Oval office; Hilda Solis is leaving her post at the Labor Department and going back to California;  Barbara boxer has said, on the record, that Villaraigosa would make a good Secretary of Transportation; and at last report when Ray LaHood was asked about his future on the President’s cabinet, he told the Daily Beast “There’ll be more to say about that later.”

[Photo by The White House]

By MSNBC’s Morning Joe Staff

Click on picture to read story.

[Photo screenshot courtesy MSNBC]

By Carla Marinucci, San Francisco Chronicle

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[Photo by JaimeRPuente]

By Tony Castro, Voxxi

Texas Democratic power brokers are quietly promoting rising star Julian Castro as a consensus building leader with bipartisan support as they position the charismatic San Antonio mayor for the party’s 2016 presidential ticket.

In Julian Castro, who vaulted into the American spotlight at the Democratic National Convention last September, Democrats believe they have what one party leader called “the next Obama” who could be vital to retaining the White House.

The 38-year-old mayor would give Democrats the inside track to the ever-increasing Latino vote, which is expected to be even more pivotal in 2016 than it has ever been.

But Castro’s political Achilles heel is that his home state has been solidly red for a generation and that, even with Texas’s large Hispanic vote, Democrats have not won a statewide race in almost two decades.

Top Democratic leaders, though, believe that Castro would give the party a unique opportunity to capture the state’s 38 electoral votes in 2016, given his pull among Latinos as well as by positioning him as a consensus builder along the lines of Texas legend Lyndon Johnson.

The Texas electoral votes together with the 55 of solidly blue state California could potentially give a Democratic nominee 93 electoral votes, more than a third of the 270 needed for election.

Some Texas Democrats who are preparing behind-the-scenes to soon begin working on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign are even wishfully talking about a Hillary-Julian dream ticket.

But the Democrats hoping to groom Castro into a national candidate are urging supporters to rein in such talk.

Julian Castro’s national image

Julian Castro, meanwhile, has been carefully developing the national image that got a rocket boost with his speech as the keynote speaker of the Democratic National Convention, the same role that in 2004 kicked off Obama’s presidential dreams.

Castro has been in high demand at speaking engagements around the country, and he is expected to have a formal introduction to Washington next month at the president’s inauguration as well as at his brother Joaquin’s swearing-in as one of Texas’ newest Congressmen.

It all has made talk of a Latino presidency inevitable, and Castro has not shied away from the discussion.

“I’m confident that with all the progress that the United States has made, people from many different backgrounds will become presidents in my lifetime,” he said in a recent interview.

“So I do believe that within the next generation there will be a Latino president, and it will be someone who represents everyone, who is an American president, not a Latino president.”

This article was first published in Voxxi.

Los Angeles based writer Tony Castro is the author of the critically-acclaimed “Chicano Power: The Emergence of Mexican America” and the best-selling “Mickey Mantle: America’s Prodigal Son.”

[Photo by Demconvention.com]

By Elizabeth Braw, Metro.US

Click on picture to read story.

[Photo by Democratic National Convention]

Monday September 10, 2012

Hispanic voters projected to make up 8% of Colorado electorate (The Denver Post): A new study by the Center for Immigration Studies projects that Hispanic voters will make up 8 percent of the total electorate in the upcoming election in toss-up states including Colorado.

Michelle Obama praises Hispanics’ “critical role” (EFE/Fox News Latino): First lady Michelle Obama on Wednesday praised the “critical role” of the Latino community in helping achieve her husband’s vision for the country and she promised to fight for approval of the DREAM Act, which would provide a path to legalization for qualified undocumented young people.

Hispanics in North Carolina fight deportations (EFE/Fox News Latino): Hispanics in North Carolina have formed a support group for families whose members are facing deportation. The group consists of about 40 people who meet at least once a week at the headquarters of the Latin American Coalition in Charlotte, where 11,480 immigrants have been deported since 2006 under the 287(g) program, which makes members of participating local law enforcement agencies responsible for immigration enforcement.

Julian Castro: Obama will get 70% of Hispanic Vote (Daily Political): San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro has been riding the fame and recognition he has received since his keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention earlier this week in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has made a number of appearances and press rounds, while rallying the Hispanic voters behind President Barack Obama.

Latinos’ enthusiasm gap worries Dems (San Francisco Chronicle): Four years ago, President Obama promised immigration reform in his first year, but he never delivered. This time around, the Latino vote – so crucial to Obama’s chances for re-election – seemed to be fading.

Dairy farms rely on Hispanics (Green Bay Press Gazette): At 2 a.m. Alfredo Rodriguez goes to his job near Casco to take care of what he calls “the hospital cows.” Ten hours later, as an assistant herd manager, he will still be there.

Air pollution and the risk to Hispanic people (Las Vegas Sun): About 90 percent of Hispanics in the United States live in urban areas. These are areas where pollution from cars and trucks and major transportation arteries contaminate our air with smog, soot, carbon, mercury, lead and other toxic substances. It is estimated that 80 percent of Hispanics live in areas that fail to meet all U.S. EPA air quality standards, compared with 65 percent of blacks and 57 percent of Caucasians.

A list of top health disparities affecting Hispanics in the U.S. (Voxxi): Health disparities are a serious concern for one of the nation’s fastest growing minorities, and while many people understand how socioeconomic factors and limited access to insurance hinders the population, not everyone is aware of just how many health disparities affect the Hispanic community in the U.S.

 Why It’s Time for Hispanic-Owned Businesses To Become More Strategic (Huffington Post): The 2012 U.S. Census revealed that Hispanic-owned small businesses are growing at nearly twice the rate of the national average with annual revenues at $350B (though many industry insiders believe this is a conservative estimate with the true figure being well-north of $600B). The U.S. Minority Business Development Agency reports that between 2002 and 2007, Hispanic owned businesses grew faster than the national average of 44 percent in 28 states. Clearly, the impact of the Hispanic population and the entrepreneurial spirit we bring with us is influencing the emergence of Hispanic-owned small businesses. – and with this rapid growth the need for Hispanic specific resources and support to help enable revenue generation and profitability is at an all-time high.

What’s next in Arizona immigration battle? (CNN): A legal chapter closes now that a federal judge has lifted an injunction on Arizona’s “show me your papers” provision of its tough immigration law, but the legal combat won’t end and will merely take a new direction, analysts and attorneys say.

Hispanics Play Pivotal Role in the 2012 Political Conventions and Election (PBS): For the first time, Hispanic politicians were major speakers at both national conventions, illustrating the growing power wielded by those politicians and Hispanic voters, who make up a critical portion of the population in three swing states. Ray Suarez reports.

Dems see Latino-based future as union clout wanes (Albany Democrat Herald): On a precarious political bridge, Democrats are desperately trying to reach a promising future before their old foundation crumbles behind them. Union clout has eroded. But Hispanic strength is growing, raising long-term hopes. What about now?

San Jose-based Mi Pueblo Foods threatened with boycott over immigration status checks (San Jose Mercury News): The Bay Area’s biggest Latino grocery chain is trying to avert a threatened boycott after it began checking the immigration status of all its new hires through a federal work-verification program. ”This is a decision that doesn’t come easily,” said spokeswoman Perla Rodriguez of the 21-store Mi Pueblo Foods chain. “The immigrant community, that’s the core of who we are.”

Texas Republicans Send Conflicting Messages to Latinos (Bloomberg): Senate candidate Ted Cruz, a Cuban- American, and Mexican-American George P. Bush, nephew and grandson of presidents, are rising Republican stars in Texas, where courts have blocked laws they deem unfair to Latinos.

Accenting the importance of the Latino vote (Los Angeles Times): No one kept stats, but it’s likely that some kind of record for use of a foreign language at the two conventions was shattered, with bursts of Spanish flying como pajaritos (like little birds). A cynic could say that it’s mercenary and calculated, a sort of political and linguistic version of the late 1970s Bill Murray”Saturday Night Live” skit “Quien Es Mas Macho?” — except more like, “Quien Usa Mas Español?”

NYPD Report Says 96 Percent Of Shooting Victims Are Black or Latino (Huffington Post): The New York Police Department released new data showing the vast majority of victims and perpetrators of violent crime in the city are black and Latino, in what experts said was likely part of a broader effort to defuse allegations of racial bias in the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy.

Lost in Translation: GOP Struggles With Hispanics (Wall Street Journal): Dotted with businesses flashing names such as Las Delicias and El Rey del Pollo, Charlotte’s Central Avenue should be fertile ground for Republicans seeking inroads into the state’s booming Latino community.

Despite voter ID law, minority turnout up in Georgia (Atlanta Journal Constitution): Turnout among black and Hispanic voters increased from 2006 to 2010, dramatically outpacing population growth for those groups over the same period. On the other hand, Georgia’s top elections official could not point to a single case of ballot fraud the voter ID law had prevented.

Voter ID Wars (New York Times): While investigating voting in America for the documentary film “Electoral Dysfunction,” I heard versions of this line over and over from the laws’ backers. The message is clear: “If you’re too lazy to get a government-issued photo ID, then you probably don’t deserve to vote. And please, let’s not forget 9/11.” (The airplane reference is a handy conversation-stopper.)

Texas, Iowa Voter Rule Changes at Issue in Court Hearings (Bloomberg): A U.S. appeals court heard arguments over challenges to a law passed by Texas Republicans limiting voter registration efforts before the Nov. 6 presidential election, while lawyers in state court in Iowa debated a plan to purge non-citizens from voter rolls.

Rejected voter ID law, maps ruled discriminatory not deterring Texas Republicans (Washington Post): On Election Day in Texas, the mere act of voting would have been fresh flexing of Republican power: Show a photo ID, then cast a ballot in a political district likely drawn to favor GOP candidates. The script has changed, though, with two federal courts sizing it up as minority discrimination.

Victor Landa, NewsTaco

There were Julian Castro sightings early in the afternoon. Some members of the San Antonio delegation saw him on his way to a workout; some elected officials had him looking relaxed, in a good mood. They all agreed that he was as ready as he could be to deliver the speech that could put him brightly on the national political radar.

I sat perched high in the media gallery. The picture below gives you my vantage point, I was closer to the security guys roaming the rafters than I was to the delegates on the floor (click on it for a better feel of my view). But still, there was a creeping energy, building as the night progressed from opening gavel to the main events. It didn’t take much to rouse these partisans, they came to the Democratic National Convention to be roused. They were given a parade of multi-ethnic, multi-interest VIP’s that warmed the crowd – black Mayors, white union leaders, women governor’s, Latino legislators, and party luminaries.

In a stroke of genius that brought the Democratic Party loyalists to a giddy, hollering crescendo they brought out an archival video of Sen. Ted Kennedy debating then senatorial candidate Mitt Romney. Given Romney’s inexperience, and given the advantages of editing, the video was all Kennedy, verbally demolishing his opponent. By the time Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick came to the podium and scolded the Democrats, telling them to grow a spine to stand-up to Republican charges, the crowd was primed, the energy rose like a froth to the press gallery, and they were ready for the keynote. It was Castro’s moment to either score or flub.

I found myself sitting at the edge of my seat. Then I turned self-consciously and saw that most of my peers in the press were doing the same. It was all expectation.

I won’t go into a blow by blow recount of the speech. Suffice it to say that he hit the marks he was supposed to hit for that crowd, for that night, for the audience watching at home. It was a well crafted speech, delivered beyond my expectations. And he did get help from the sidelines: his daughter Carina’s cameo, priming for the camera, the girlie swish of her hair, stole the show.

I’ll tell you what I heard after the speech, out in the halls and in the city among the delegates and the people present in the arena. In those conversations Castro was the buzz. Judging by what was left in the wake of the first night of the convention, Julian Castro is the newest star of the Democratic Party. The Democrats in Charlotte were electrified. Among those present, his speech and the first Lady’s speech were the highlight of the night, held in equally high regard. Everyone was talking about this young mayor from Texas.

The pundits and political writers have had their say as well, and it’s been mostly positive. The reviews have branded  Castro anywhere from a revelation to the “new Obama.” Maybe it’s novelty, maybe it’s the fact that he’s the first Latino to deliver the keynote at a national political convention. Or maybe it’s momentary hyperbole. What seems to matter here in Charlotte is the moment, and he didn’t flub it. What’s more, judging the speech, the performance and the buzz in the crowd, he was outstanding.

Of course, Republicans may have another point of view, and I’m sure they’ll soon be swiping at the young mayor. That’s the price of the newly acquired national spotlight.

Here in Charlotte, though, the buzz hasn’t diminished. Here’s an example: I was running a little late to pick up my daily credentials this morning. The police have put up concrete barriers along the sidewalks so the paths are narrow and crowded. Ahead of me I noticed a crowd, hovering around a man in a suit, taking pictures asking for autographs. The pace slowed to a halt and I fought to find elbow room through it. How inconsiderate, I thought, to stop the flow of pedestrian traffic when I need to get across the street in a hurry. But when I got to the center of the human thicket I recognized the cause of the commotion. It was Joaquin Castro, Julian’s twin brother who had introduced the mayor the night before. He was posing for snapshots and smiling for the crowd. As I passed I heard a giddy African-american woman say “that’s Julian Castro.” I didn’t stop, but I said, “no, that’s Joaquin, his twin brother” as I walked past. “That’s OK,” the lady said, “we’ll take him too.”

In case you missed it, here’s a recording of Catro’s keynote speech:

Ray Salazar, NewsTaco

Some people get excited by football.  I hoot and holler and jump on my couch during key speeches such as last night’s at the Democratic National Convention.

Before tonight’s main speeches, one of the CNN commentators said, “If you tell people what they already know, they stay where they are.”  This was the challenge that Julian Castro and Michelle Obama faced.

For the first time in history–first time–a Latino delivered a keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention.  San Antonio’s 37-year-old mayor spoke with the passion of a generation, my generation, who had to reawaken its political consciousness.

I feared that Castro would replay the son-of-immigrants story who pulled himself up by his bootstraps.  He didn’t fail.  But he didn’t succeed in mobilizing the Democratic Party or Latinos.  He made the Latino community look good.  But he didn’t deliver the message that we need to be–that we can be–a political force to drive change led by the Democratic party.

Here’s why: while his speech was strong with stories and emotional connections, he had too many stories that made the speech forgettable because there were too many ideas we could hold on to.

A little after he turned the focus to President Obama after his opening, Castro said the dream to succeed is universal but our country makes it possible.  Then he mentioned the boot straps.  Even though these were only hints at cliches, they hit on the expected and created an opportunity for the audience to detach from his speech instead of moving forward with him.  As the CNN commentator said, we already know this.  We’re not going to move.

I feared the speech would be soaked in neutrality and emphasize his and his brother’s success, but, to his credit, Mayor Castro threw some punches.  He said that the difference between his high school peers and his ivy league peers was “not intelligence or drive. The difference was opportunity.”  Then he emphasized the need to invest in opportunity today.  Good move there.

He went on to say that Romney doesn’t realize how good he’s had it.  And Castro reminded us that “if we severe the threads that connect us, the only people who will go far are those who are already ahead.”  Better move.  But weak.  We know this.  He’s not moving us forward with him.  It just sounds nicer than the way we would have said it.

Then he had that audience participation section: “Mitt Romney said NO.”  The speaker right before him used the same approach.  Castro overused it.  Again, another emphasis competing with too many other key ideas.

I didn’t realize how ordinary his speech was until Michelle Obama spoke.  While Castro moved the audience to cheer, the first lady moved us to action.

The high point was this–when Michelle Obama referenced her daughters:

“Because today, I know from experience that if I truly want to leave a better world for my daughters, and all our sons and daughters…if we want to give all our children a foundation for their dreams and opportunities worthy of their promise…if we want to give them that sense of limitless possibility – that belief that here in America, there is always something better out there if you’re willing to work for it…then we must work like never before…and we must once again come together and stand together for the man we can trust to keep moving this great country forward…my husband, our President, President Barack Obama.”

One sentence. Unified.

Castro, on the other hand, looked forward to his daughter’s success as if it is almost guaranteed:

“She’s still young, and her dreams are far off yet, but I hope she’ll reach them. As a dad, I’m going to do my part, and I know she’ll do hers.  But our responsibility as a nation is to come together and do our part, as one community, one United States of America, to ensure opportunity for all of our children.”

He separated his reality in the first two sentences from the rest of the nation in the last sentence.

Many, many more Americans can relate to Michelle’s view than Julian’s.

Castro made an impact but had too many threads for the audience to follow and remember: his grandmother’s story, his mother’s, his own, his daughter’s, references to religion. He started strong with the investment in opportunity but then it got muddy. I found it interesting that he didn’t throw the ultimate punch–a reference (even subtextual)–to immigration reform.

And while Michelle Obama didn’t go there either, she did emphasize the need for a woman to be able to make her own health decisions.  As she mentioned the political, she weaved in the personal.  She made us believe that her and her husband’s rise to success is somehow more attainable than Castro’s.  Ivy league graduates always, in my experience, slip in their alma mater within about 10 minutes of meeting someone. Castro did it.  Michelle Obama did not.

Michelle Obama’s speech achieved its success because it had the rhetorical element that also grounds her husband’s campaign–unity.  The First Lady said, “Doing the impossible is the history of this nation.”  THAT is the unifying message that connected every single story she mentioned.  Castro, on the other hand, had too many key lines that competed.

Castro’s lines moved us to cheer; Michelle Obama moved us to action.

My favorite move by Michelle Obama?  When she spoke about her father’s commitment to her family, she said, “That’s what being a man was.”  She maintained unity by saying that President Obama “was still the man . . . .was still the man . . .”  But Castro’s closing made reference to a marathon and a sprint and then went back to his grandmother and her blessing.  Too much, too familiar, and too disconnected from the opening.

Castro’s speech is something too many Latinos, too many Americans, know.

Michelle Obama’s speech is something we know, but it also gives us something to do.

What do you think of Julian Castro’s speech?  What do you think of Michelle Obama’s?

By Melanie Mendez-Gonzales, NewsTaco

The Alamo City’s mayor’s keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention is all the buzz today. As a resident of San Antonio, TX, I am very proud to see our Mayor Julián Castro receive and accept this opportunity. He will be the first Mayor from San Antonio to deliver a keynote speech at DNC, as well as the first Latino to deliver a keynote at any Democratic National Convention. This is a few important firsts.

With this being an historic event, San Antonio sent off the Mayor and his family with lots of love St. Paul’s Community Center this past Saturday morning.

I’m not a fan of early rising on a Saturday morning but I couldn’t resist getting my family there to hear the Mayor speak and be a part of this great send off. It was important to me to get my two young boys in front of these two amazing brothers who serve their community in their political careers. I wanted my boys to experience this event and see what can be possible for them. Not that I am encouraging them to enter politics but I do seek out positive role models for my boys.

My five-year-old was standing right in front of me when I took the photo of the Castro brothers entering the Center. Mayor Castro bent down, looked my son in the eye, said hello and shook his hand. It may not seem like a big deal to many but to me, I hope my son remembers this day not for sending off the Mayor but the reflection of himself in the Mayor. I often have conversations about not seeing enough Latinos on TV and how important it is for our young Latinos to see themselves as positive characters on the big screen. This was a way for me to introduce my son to a role model in whom he can see himself … in real life.

We listened to Representative Joaquin Castro give thanks to everyone and ‘introduce’ his brother to all of us. Then we listened to Mayor Castro thank everyone, tell us why he accepted and how proud he was to get to represent our beloved San Antonio in front of the rest of the country.

Our family will be watching this historic event tonight. My boys will see their Latino Mayor on the TV screen make history! As a mother, I just have to say THANK YOU to Rosie Castro, the mother of the Castro brothers, for raising these two to give back and serve not only their community in the political arena but someone for the next generation to follow.

This article was first published in Que Means What?

[Photos by Melanie Mendez-Gonzales]

By Victor Landa, NewsTaco

Stages don’t get much bigger than this, spotlights don’t get any brighter. San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro is scheduled to  speak tonight, at television prime time, to the largest crowd he’s ever addressed – the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention. He’ll be introduced by his twin brother Joaquin, a candidate and presumed shoe-in for U.S. Congress, representing the 20th District of Texas. They say there’s a fraternal conspiracy that exists between twins that only they understand. If this is true, then I’m sure that the passing glance when one leaves the podium as the other takes it will be dripping with meaning.

It’s been a long and storied road for the Castro twins and the Mayor intends to tell part of that story from the DNC podium. His mother Rosie, a chicana activist from the Raza Unida movement, will be in attendance. But her stay at the week-long Charlotte political circus that has engulfed her boys won’t be a long one. She arrived the evening prior to the her son’s speech and will leave the morning after – I’m told she’s got babysitting duties back home, looking after Julian’s daughter Karina. This is a Latino family, after all, and familia comes first.

But for a day it’ll all be about her boys, the big stage and the spotlight.

Two weeks before the convention we spoke to Mayor Castro in his office in San Antonio about the political implications of the speech, for him personally, for Latinos in general and for the election in November.

Victor: This speech is going to put a spotlight on you and your career. Are you ready for it?

Victor: The President has many critics in the Latino community,  people who point to the record number of deportations and families torn apart because of them in the past three and a half years. They say that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals directive is a political appeasement, a wash for the Latino community. How will you approach this in your speech?

Victor: I’m sure there were many reasons why you were chosen to deliver the DNC keynote address, but an important reason had to have been the vital role of the Latino vote in this election. How much is the Obama campaign looking to you to fire-up the Latino electorate and get Latino voters to the polls?

For years there’s been a community-wide debate among Latinos about the lack of, or even need for, a national Latino leader. It seems that national politics and national media are always looking for that one spokesperson to represent minority communities. Are you becoming the national Latino go-to spokesperson?

Castro’s speech is scheduled for Tuesday September 4, 9pm EST. You can watch the keynote speech LIVE here:

[Photo by Jaime Castillo]

By Victor Landa, NewsTaco

A day before the Democratic National Convention officially kicks off and there’s a buzz in certain circles about Julian Castro, this year’s young keynoter.  I popped-in on the Hispanic Caucus meeting where a mix of eager and blurry-eyed (it was early Monday morning and the Sunday night revelry lived up to it’s legendary status) blue party Latino faithful tried at once to rally and organize.  From the podium came charges to work hard for President Obama, for Sonia Sotomayor, for Julian Castro…

Cheers filled the room.

Castro’s in Charlotte already. NewsTaco posted a Facebook picture of him yesterday, trying out the podium at the Time Warner Arena for size. But two weeks ago, far removed from the buzz, he was back in San Antonio preparing for what could be one of the biggest nights of his life, so far.

I caught up with him in his corner office at the San Antonio city hall and we chatted about the speech, about the opportunity it represents for him and the responsibility that weighs on his shoulders.

Victor: How do you plan to manage the fine line between delivering a speech that’s both personal and speaks in broad strokes at the same time?

Victor: As the first Latino to deliver the keynote address at the DNC, there are a lot of expectations from your speech. What do you expect from yourself?

Victor: Many American’s who’ll be watching you don’t, for whatever reason, understand or know the U.S. Latino community. There are many false assumptions about who they are. You’ll be in a good position to introduce them to the Latino experience. How do you plan to do that?

Castro will, of course, need to speak to Latinos’ concerns about President Obama’s  divergent immigration record. On the one hand he’s opened a temporary door of opportunity to almost a million DREAMers, and on the other he’s set record deportation numbers. And he must balance that with the fact that immigration is not the most important issue for many Latino voters. Latinos, like most American voters, are concerned with the economy, jobs and issues like healthcare.

What he says and how he says it could set his future political path; we all know what the keynote did to put a spotlight on a young Barack Omama…no pressure.

We’ll bring you more of our interview with Castro tomorrow.

A Xicano Ancestry and Politico-Cultural Legacy—the San Antonio kid to give the Keynote at the Democratic National Convention ¡orale!