Just as in 2004, tonight’s DNC keynote address was given over to a rising star with almost zero name recognition but a lot of potential: San Antonio mayor Julian Castro. The hope is that such a prominent, widely viewed introduction to the nation will give Castro the boost he needs to become the political star that the party sees him developing into. So what did tens of millions of Americans not watching Honey Boo Boo take away from the speech?
- Castro has an identical brother, Joaquin, who introduced him on stage. Should Julian Castro ever become president, Joaquin could serve as his backup for important meetings when Julian oversleeps.
- Castro has what every politician not named Mitt Romney needs these days: a hardscrabble American-dream origin story. “My grandmother was an orphan,” Castro said. “She never made it past fourth grade. She had to drop out and start working to help her family.” And so forth.
- He is pro education.
- He does not think Mitt Romney understands the middle class.
- He’s a big fan of President Obama. As opposed to Chris Christie, who was called out by some for barely mentioning Mitt Romney in his RNC keynote last week, Castro mentioned Obama in his first sentence, and focused much of the speech on Obama’s record as president.
But perhaps what people will remember the most about Castro is that his daughter is hilarious:
