09.05.12
A great first night
I watched most of the Democratic National Convention last night, straight through on C-SPAN. I would recommend that as the best way to watch any convention, without commentary. The one thing that I noticed was the crowd seemed more engaged, fired up, then the crowd at the GOP convention. I thought it was a stark contrast to the GOP convention. Seemed much more upbeat and inspiring, but I’m biased.
Ted Strickland, Deval Patrick and First Lady Michelle Obama all gave great speeches. They made me want to go to polls and drag several people with me. There was never a dull moment.
The main take-away I had from last night was the overall impression I was left with of Julian Castro. For the first time in a long time I can see a way forward for Democrats to win statewide in Texas. It may not be in 2014, but Castro is the kind of candidate that may be able to raise money, and inspire enough Texans to voter for him over a GOP candidate. He gave a speech with great panache, likely scares the Texas GOP, another thing that hasn’t been the case in Texas for a while.
Here’s an excerpt from his speech last night that hit all the right notes, which can be read in full here.
But then President Obama took office—and he took action. When Detroit was in trouble, President Obama saved the auto industry and saved a million jobs. Seven presidents before him—Democrats and Republicans—tried to expand health care to all Americans. President Obama got it done. He made a historic investment to lift our nation’s public schools and expanded Pell grants so that more young people can afford college. And because he knows that we don’t have an ounce of talent to waste, the president took action to lift the shadow of deportation from a generation of young, law-abiding immigrants called dreamers.
I believe in you. Barack Obama believes in you. Now it’s time for Congress to enshrine in law their right to pursue their dreams in the only place they’ve ever called home: America.
Four years ago, America stood on the brink of a depression. Despite incredible odds and united Republican opposition, our president took action, and now we’ve seen 4.5 million new jobs. He knows better than anyone that there’s more hard work to do, but we’re making progress. And now we need to make a choice.
It’s a choice between a country where the middle class pays more so that millionaires can pay less—or a country where everybody pays their fair share, so we can reduce the deficit and create the jobs of the future. It’s a choice between a nation that slashes funding for our schools and guts Pell grants—or a nation that invests more in education. It’s a choice between a politician who rewards companies that ship American jobs overseas—or a leader who brings jobs back home.
This is the choice before us. And to me, to my generation and for all the generations to come, our choice is clear. Our choice is a man who’s always chosen us. A man who already is our president: Barack Obama.
In the end, the American dream is not a sprint, or even a marathon, but a relay. Our families don’t always cross the finish line in the span of one generation. But each generation passes on to the next the fruits of their labor. My grandmother never owned a house. She cleaned other people’s houses so she could afford to rent her own. But she saw her daughter become the first in her family to graduate from college. And my mother fought hard for civil rights so that instead of a mop, I could hold this microphone. [Emphasis added]
And this is what he told Wayne Slater about his and the Democrats future in Texas, Julian Castro unplugged: On Ann Richards, Texas in transition and extremists in the GOP.
Return of Democrats in Texas
“This state will go purple and then go blue in the coming years. The question is how many years. And I believe it’s going to happen sooner rather than later. Some things need to happen: the Hispanic community needs to vote in a much higher rate than does now … (and) the infusion of people from more moderate states is going to change the political landscape, in addition to when you have viable appealing candidates from the Democrats who can excite … Democrats do have a substantial farm team. The question for everybody is, when do you run?”
Hope may be an overused term but hope is what keeps us alive. Castro shows all Democrats in Texas that there is hope for the future in Texas.