# Julian Castro - VP? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 23, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896 "2016-02-23T18:39:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2016, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/21 "2016-02-23T20:28:39Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > San Antonio may be 7th in terms of population within the city limits, but it’s just not that important a city: its metro area is 25th in size among U.S. cities. The Riverside-San Bernardino MSA has twice as many people. But mayors govern cities, not metro-areas. I’m not saying that this is the most major political experience in the country, just that governing (mayoring?) a million-plus city is big political experience and equivalent, roughly, with governing a small state. > [@](#): > > And not all Cabinet positions are created equal, and HUD is definitely one of the least significant positions. Unless you’re a political junkie, or are in some way directly affected by what HUD does, you probably haven’t the faintest clue whether HUD is being run well or terribly. > > Theoretically, the Cabinet should consist of those Executive officers who need to report directly to the President, but in actuality, a lot of positions have been turned into Cabinet-level positions as sops to various constituencies, and it wouldn’t matter if the Secretary of Whatever ever saw the President. HUD, VA, Education…there are a bunch of Cabinet positions that deserve demotion. Very possibly – but I don’t think junior Senators do any more (and probably less) in terms of “big” political experience then these “minor” Cabinet secretaries do. > [@](#): > > So count me among those who consider Julian Castro’s record a bit too thin. When a Presidential candidate is as up in years as Hillary Clinton is, I really want someone with a bit more seasoning in the veep spot, just in case. > > I know a lot of Dems want a Hispanic person on the ticket, and hell, _so do I_ - but the issue of experience has to come first. The issue of winning the Presidency comes first. 🙂 Really. That’s how important it is to the country to defeat the Republicans. If Castro is the best person to help defeat the Republican nominee, then he’s the best person to be the VP nominee. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2016, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/22 "2016-02-23T20:57:01Z")
Castro would be an okay pick. Not great, but good. I would need to hear him speak or debate to offer a real opinion. On paper, he seems solid. My other “likes,” albeit longshots, from off the beaten path: [Rep. Bobby Scott from Virginia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Scott_(U.S._politician)). African-American/API congressman since 1993, progressive, backer of criminal justice reform, swing state rep. [Richard Jones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Jones_(U.S._diplomat)), ambassador to Lebanon, deputy director of International Energy Agency. Long career in Mideast diplomacy. Complete left-field candidate: [Richard Trumka, president of AFL-CIO](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Trumka). Great public speaker, blue collar appeal (comes out of the Mine Workers), would excite labor in swing states with high percentage of union membership (NH, NV, IA, OH, CO). Progressive economically to counter Hillary’s foreign policy experience. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/23 "2016-02-23T21:02:58Z")
I’ve made this point before, but candidates like Clinton (older and experienced party stalwarts) pretty much _always_ pick young-ish VP candidates – both to balance the ticket with youth, and to set up the party for a solid future Presidential candidate. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2016, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/24 "2016-02-23T21:03:37Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > But mayors govern cities, not metro-areas. That may be, but the impact of good or bad governance is much greater when governing a city at the heart of a major metro area than one where the city is surrounded by desert. > [@](#): > > I’m not saying that this is the most major political experience in the country, just that governing (mayoring?) a million-plus city is big political experience and equivalent, roughly, with governing a small state. First, that would be a _very_ small state - San Antonio proper has fewer people than freakin’ _Idaho_ - and even then, even small states have much greater diversity of constituencies, particularly along the urban/rural divide that is America’s primary political divide these days, that a mayor only sees one side of. > [@](#): > > Very possibly – but I don’t think junior Senators do any more (and probably less) in terms of “big” political experience then these “minor” Cabinet secretaries do. It really depends on the Senator. The job is what one makes it, after all - but what of it? We don’t want some random Senator as the backup here. We want someone who can take over if Hillary has a stroke. ETA: But we know the HUD job doesn’t count for very much. I’ve lived in the DC area, off and on, since before there _was_ an HUD, and nobody gives a shit who the HUD Secretary is. > [@](#): > > The issue of winning the Presidency comes first. 🙂 Really. That’s how important it is to the country to defeat the Republicans. If Castro is the best person to help defeat the Republican nominee, then he’s the best person to be the VP nominee. The VP nominee rarely makes that much difference politically, though I agree that this one might. But an essential part of Hillary’s argument against a Trump or a Rubio is that they’re naifs who don’t know what the hell they’re talking about: no matter what you think of the direction they say they want to take this country in, they’re liable to fuck it up, just like a certain other recent President. A VP with a thin resume undercuts that argument. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2016, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/25 "2016-02-23T21:11:49Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > That may be, but the impact of good or bad governance is much greater when governing a city at the heart of a major metro area than one where the city is surrounded by desert. First, that would be a _very_ small state - San Antonio proper has fewer people than freakin’ _Idaho_ - and even then, even small states have much greater diversity of constituencies, particularly along the urban/rural divide that is America’s primary political divide these days, that a mayor only sees one side of. Mayors of large cities probably also see a lot more ethnic, religious, and other types of diversity among their constituencies than governors of some small states like Idaoho (or many of the 11 states smaller than Idaho). Again, not saying that it’s superior, just that it’s roughly “equivalent” in terms of experience for President. > [@](#): > > It really depends on the Senator. The job is what one makes it, after all - but what of it? We don’t want some random Senator as the backup here. We want someone who can take over if Hillary has a stroke. > > ETA: But we know the HUD job doesn’t count for very much. I’ve lived in the DC area, off and on, since before there _was_ an HUD, and nobody gives a shit who the HUD Secretary is. The VP nominee rarely makes that much difference politically, though I agree that this one might. But an essential part of Hillary’s argument against a Trump or a Rubio is that they’re naifs who don’t know what the hell they’re talking about: no matter what you think of the direction they say they want to take this country in, they’re liable to fuck it up, just like a certain other recent President. A VP with a thin resume undercuts that argument. That’s all fine, I just don’t think Castro’s resume is so thin that it’s not ‘up to snuff’ when compared to other Presidents and VPs. It’s on the thin side compared to all of them, but so was Obama’s, and so was Kennedy’s, and so were lots of other great/winning Presidents and Veeps. If Castro is really smart, and has good judgment, then he’d be a terrific VP pick. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/26 "2016-02-23T21:29:26Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Mayors of large cities probably also see a lot more ethnic, religious, and other types of diversity among their constituencies than governors of some small states like Idaoho (or many of the 11 states smaller than Idaho). Again, not saying that it’s superior, just that it’s roughly “equivalent” in terms of experience for President. So at best, it’s roughly equivalent to another kinda thin experience. Okay. > [@](#): > > That’s all fine, I just don’t think Castro’s resume is so thin that it’s not ‘up to snuff’ when compared to other Presidents and VPs. It’s on the thin side compared to all of them, but so was Obama’s, and so was Kennedy’s, and so were lots of other great/winning Presidents and Veeps. If Castro is really smart, and has good judgment, then he’d be a terrific VP pick. JFK had been in Congress 14 years, 6 in the House and 8 in the Senate, when he became President. Obama had only been in the Senate for 4 years, but he hadn’t just stepped out of community organizing the day before that: he’d been a state legislator for 8 years, and frankly I think that trumps HUD. Finally, he organized one hell of a no-drama Presidential campaign - a major demonstration of leadership and management capability right there. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/27 "2016-02-23T21:29:59Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > His last name may be his biggest handicap. > [@wolfpup](#): > > The rubes believing that he’s Fidel’s son will be voting Republican anyway! 😉 No, no, it’s not that, it’s the association with a gay neighborhood in San Francisco. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2016, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/28 "2016-02-23T21:31:31Z")
It’s full of WHAT? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2016, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/29 "2016-02-23T23:39:57Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > San Antonio may be 7th in terms of population within the city limits, but it’s just not that important a city: its metro area is 25th in size among U.S. cities. Even assuming we were going by metro areas, being mayor of the 25th-largest in the US would still be a BFD. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2016, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/30 "2016-02-23T23:53:35Z")
Eight years ago, I’d have said that his name would be a millstone, but then we went and elected a guy named Barack Hussein Obama. And the two guys with names similar to that are much bigger modern boogeymen than Fidel. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2016, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/31 "2016-02-24T00:04:41Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > So at best, it’s roughly equivalent to another kinda thin experience. “Kinda thin” compared to a senior senator or big state governor, but pretty good compared to most other levels. > [@](#): > > JFK had been in Congress 14 years, 6 in the House and 8 in the Senate, when he became President. Obama had only been in the Senate for 4 years, but he hadn’t just stepped out of community organizing the day before that: he’d been a state legislator for 8 years, and frankly I think that trumps HUD. Finally, he organized one hell of a no-drama Presidential campaign - a major demonstration of leadership and management capability right there. Sure, and Castro was a city councilman for 8 years. He hasn’t run a national campaign yet. I’m not saying his experience blows me away – I’m saying that if he’s smart, has good judgment, and has good political instincts (and presumably Hillary, should she win the nomination, will be in position to evaluate this), then he exceeds what I would consider the minimum required, and he’d probably be an outstanding VP pick. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2016, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/32 "2016-02-24T00:07:01Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Are you seriously saying that being the Mayor of San Antonio, and the HUD secretary is on par with being governor of a State or a member of the US Senate? The now-probable Republican \*presidential \*nominee has never held a public office at all. It wouldn’t hurt Castro. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2016, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/33 "2016-02-24T00:08:52Z")
[insert your own castration joke here] ---
**Author:** ![inscrutable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a88e4f/32.png) [@inscrutable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inscrutable)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2016, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/34 "2016-02-24T00:30:35Z")
Can the Dems win without the middle-class white vote??? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2016, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/35 "2016-02-24T00:34:19Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > [insert your own castration joke here] What the cuck are you talking about? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2016, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/36 "2016-02-24T00:43:32Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > What the cuck are you talking about? Tough room . . . Let’s try: [insert your own castration **pun** here] ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2016, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/37 "2016-02-24T00:44:05Z")
> [@inscrutable](#): > > Can the Dems win without the middle-class white vote??? How would nominating Castro cause that? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2016, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/38 "2016-02-24T00:44:46Z")
> [@inscrutable](#): > > Can the Dems win without the middle-class white vote??? Do they need to? The Pubs’ AWM/[MARS](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=19018755#post19018755) base is the \*\*working-\*\*class white vote – not the same thing. Castro will sit very well with the middle class. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2016, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/39 "2016-02-24T02:09:38Z")
> [@Andiethewestie](#): > > She’s 68. I’ve heard the Castro name bandied about the pundits. Definitely a good fit for the nom He’s got to be considered a shortlister. Not only his demographics, policy positions and his political skills - which he has in abundance…but also, he was selected to deliver the 2012 Keynote at the Convention. Recall who delivered the Keynote at the 2004 Convention? A ‘skinny kid with the funny name’ as I recall. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2016, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896/40 "2016-02-24T02:28:55Z")
The 1988 keynoter was some obscure young Governor from Arkansas, too. Yes, TPTB can and do identify rising talent that way. It would help Castro to have some time as a Governor or Senator, but as he is he’s vulnerable to criticism over his experience, appropriately or hypocritically or not. But, if he can get Texas to vote for Clinton, the Election Night broadcasts will be over early. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-castro-vp/746896.md?page=3)