# My 30-minute one-on-one discussion with US Congressman Joaquin Castro **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 8, 2018, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654 "2018-06-08T01:35:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/41 "2018-06-09T02:57:54Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > John, be prepared for hard confirmation questions about what a drunk President Castro must be. No one uses Uber to get home unless they have a serious problem with alcohol… :dubious: Parking in downtown San Antonio is a complete bitch, and public transportation is a joke. So yeah, Uber makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/42 "2018-06-09T04:38:15Z")
JohnT wrote: “JT: “True. But since you reminded me you’re on the Intel committee, I’m going to amuse you for a minute with my worst fear regarding Russian meddling…” he nods “… If I were Vladimir Putin, I would do the opposite of 2016 and help, blatantly help, Democrats and openly hurt Republicans. Changed votes, zeroed-out voting rolls in critical counties, more. And don’t worry if you get caught because you want to be caught, so your puppet, Donald Trump, can then successfully argue ‘See? I told you the Russians were meddling for the Democrats! Arrest Hillary, Obama! Suspend elections until we know they are “safe”! I’ll remain President for the duration of the emergency…’ and so on.” Do us all a favor and keep this one to yourself. The last thing we’d need is for Republicans to trot this out as a rationale to tell people not to vote democratic. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/43 "2018-06-09T07:03:38Z")
Your opening point, about the “Contract with America” touches on something that, perhaps “puzzles” me isn’t the right word, but seems from this distance to be a notable difference in the way our two countries carry politics on. I’m used to parties always (even in opposition) having a leader in place, who with their leadership/shadow cabinet team sets the tone, the theme, the lines of argument, and hopes to set the agenda and terms of debate. Even though the government is considered to have a mandate to get its legislative and administrative programme through, a good opposition team can keep trying to reframe the argument and get public opinion on its side, rather than just symbolic parliamentary votes against. Looking at your system, it almost seems as though the parties wait for the presidential primaries to throw up a leader who will do all that, and have little or no continuing leadership and consistent/focussed policy direction for other elections. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/44 "2018-06-09T11:55:42Z")
Sometimes parties are basically leaderless, but sometimes a legislative leader really sinks their teeth into being an opposition leader. Tip O’Neill during the Reagan years comes to mind, Newt Gingrich during the Clinton years. And Nancy Pelosi has spent the vast majority of her long rein as head of House Democrats in the minority(for good reason, not sure why they keep her). ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/45 "2018-06-09T16:10:04Z")
But are they able to lead consistent party policy-making and campaigning across the whole electoral spectrum? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/46 "2018-06-09T16:23:20Z")
That was super interesting. Thanks. A FOAF is a big shot at a major Democrat polling company. Maybe two weeks ago he said something very similar about the coming blue wave. A few months ago it would have been devastating for the GOP. Now not so much because of Trump fatigue. This guy was very pessimistic and resigned to a poor result. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/47 "2018-06-09T17:28:11Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I teach this to third graders, and would be happy to pass along the third grade lessons to you if they’d be helpful… No thanks, it wouldn’t be helpful. You are a little too used to discussing things on a third grade level. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/48 "2018-06-09T17:28:59Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > No thanks, it wouldn’t be helpful. You are a little too used to discussing things on a third grade level. Not with everyone :). ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/49 "2018-06-09T20:20:53Z")
Shodan and LHOD - both of you knock off the personal sniping. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/50 "2018-06-09T21:20:50Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > Shodan and LHOD - both of you knock off the personal sniping. > > [/moderating] Fair enough! ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/51 "2018-06-09T22:06:56Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > … I’m used to parties always (even in opposition) having a leader in place, who with their leadership/shadow cabinet team sets the tone, the theme, the lines of argument, and hopes to set the agenda and terms of debate. Even though the government is considered to have a mandate to get its legislative and administrative programme through, a good opposition team can keep trying to reframe the argument and get public opinion on its side, rather than just symbolic parliamentary votes against. That’s certainly a valid way of running a government, but doesn’t really fit with the US having quite separate Executive and Legislative branches. In the UK you (speaking broadly) make an executive out of your legislative, with ministers being (mostly) elected members of the Parliament. So a ‘shadow Government’ makes perfect sense. Those people are right there in the Commons (mostly) anyway and might as well work together to come up with policies to counter those of the actual Government, etc. Here, a ‘shadow Government’ wouldn’t be made up solely of people already at work in the legislative branch. It would be Governors, retired Governors, other figures from state governments, business leaders, and a few Senators and Representatives. So working together wouldn’t be as easy or natural as is the case in the UK system. And as you say, there’s not necessarily a natural leader for such a hypothetical US ‘shadow government’: > [@PatrickLondon](#): > > Looking at your system, it almost seems as though the parties wait for the presidential primaries to throw up a leader who will do all that, and have little or no continuing leadership and consistent/focussed policy direction for other elections. That’s accurate, and it stems from that separation between Legislative and Executive that we have in the US, but that you don’t really observe in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2018, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/52 "2018-06-09T22:18:42Z")
JohnT, thank you so much for recounting your conversation with Joaquin Castro. I agree with all who’ve commended your “invest and build” and “Democratic Contract with America” ideas—and I certainly hope Castro will consider them. > [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > This is what always bugs me about the Democratic positions, they let their opponents pick the terms of the debate, then they use those same terms to defend it. “Entitlements” is another one. I’ve been paying into Social Security and Medicare for over 40 years, so I feel I’m “entitled” to those benefits much in the same way that I’m entitled to the money in my retirement accounts. Yet the Dems always counter the “we need to stop giving people other people’s money” line with “No, No No we need to keep giving out other people’s money.” > > It also annoys me to no end when the health care debate devolves into the tales of woe of the uninsured - which pulls no weight with Republicans and brings the debate back around to “giving away money”. I seldom hear any Democrat talk about the advantages and increased productivity of a healthy and secure work force. Which is what they should be discussing. > > And they’re not going to bring Republicans around on Russia. Because they all know the Trump campaign is guilty. And they don’t care. Because they think that there was nothing wrong with the collusion in pursuit of the higher cause of slaying the Hillary dragon. They think it was a patriotic endeavor to save the nation. ^ I agree with all that and think it deserves highlighting. Democrats commit the common human error of assuming that others share their values: showing uninsured people (and saying ‘we must help them’) instead of focusing on the boost to productivity and general prosperity of a well-run single-payer system is typical. The assumption is “_everyone_ wants to make sure that all Americans have basic needs met”----and that is a wildly unsafe assumption to make. A guy on Twitter whose name escapes me was talking about the idea of Democrats using the Constitution’s language----“PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE” as a talking point, instead of focusing on care of the most vulnerable as the big selling point of Democratic candidates. That seems on the right track, but isn’t quite there… …the idea should be, yes, general welfare and prosperity and a strong economy and an even playing field. The right has a stranglehold on the idea that increasing inequality is a humdinger of an idea; it does appeal to racism and tribalism, which is a plus for Republicans. But even Republicans benefit from a society with good social/economic mobility, though they may not realize it. We need to counter the very stupid idea that climbing to the top of the heap and pissing on those below you makes for an ideal life. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2018, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/53 "2018-06-10T01:35:17Z")
I’m just glad you didn’t tell him > [@](#): > > Whatever it is, you should clean up this city here, because this city here is like an open sewer you know. It’s full of filth and scum. And sometimes I can hardly take it. Whatever-whoever becomes the President should just [honks the horn] really clean it up. You know what I mean? Sometimes I go out and I smell it, I get headaches it’s so bad, you know…They just never go away you know…It’s like…I think that the President should just clean up this whole mess here. You should just flush it right down the fuckin’ toilet. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/54 "2018-06-11T13:58:21Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > So does literally everyone involved in politics except for the hardest-core of libertarians. If you don’t tax and spend, you don’t have government. But the distinguished Representative was talking about something else, namely - > [@](#): > > … because we are, in fact, \*\*raising \*\*taxes and \*\*increasing \*\*spending. Emphasis added. So your objection doesn’t apply. Republicans are using “tax and spend” to label what Castro and the Dems want to do, and that label is accurate, as Castro himself admits. The notion that we won’t have a government if we don’t tax at all is fine - the notion that we won’t have a government unless we raise taxes and increase spending is nonsense, and thus your objection does not follow. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/55 "2018-06-11T20:59:36Z")
“Tax and spend” is better than “Don’t tax but spend anyway”. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/56 "2018-06-11T21:17:42Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > But the distinguished Representative was talking about something else, namely - > Emphasis added. > > So your objection doesn’t apply. Republicans are using “tax and spend” to label what Castro and the Dems want to do, and that label is accurate, as Castro himself admits. The notion that we won’t have a government if we don’t tax at all is fine - the notion that we won’t have a government unless we raise taxes and increase spending is nonsense, and thus your objection does not follow. > > Regards, > Shodan Yes, but if the Dem’s can reframe it to “invest and build” it removes the implication of government waste inherent in the “tax and spend” framing that the Republican’s are selling. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/57 "2018-06-12T13:08:50Z")
Yes, if. Rep. Castro didn’t seem interested in that, preferring instead to pivot and start talking about Russia. Which does not indicate he feels particularly sanguine about the success of the reframing. He wants to raise taxes and increase spending. What is he investing in - more investigations? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/58 "2018-06-12T13:13:49Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Yes, if. Rep. Castro didn’t seem interested in that, preferring instead to pivot and start talking about Russia. Which does not indicate he feels particularly sanguine about the success of the reframing. > > He wants to raise taxes and increase spending. What is he investing in - more investigations? > > Regards, > Shodan You’re extrapolating WILDLY from **JohnT** ’s report _from memory_ of this brief conversation. Just pointing out the obvious. In case it isn’t obvious. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/59 "2018-06-12T15:19:58Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > But the distinguished Representative was talking about something else, namely - > Emphasis added. > > So your objection doesn’t apply. Republicans are using “tax and spend” to label what Castro and the Dems want to do, and that label is accurate, as Castro himself admits. The notion that we won’t have a government if we don’t tax at all is fine - the notion that we won’t have a government unless we raise taxes and increase spending is nonsense, and thus your objection does not follow. > > Regards, > Shodan We don’t need to raise spending, but we do need to raise taxes, or we won’t have a solvent government. And, as far as spending goes, there are a few projects that could use a bit of investment. And then there is the fact that the baby boomer generation is retiring, and increasing the requirements on federal spending. Yes, it is taxing, and it is spending, and that the conservatives have given the most basic function of the government a bad name is the fault of the conservatives, not the fault of the basic structure of every government. Out of those taxes we get infrastructure, protection from foreign powers, an educated and mostly healthy populace, and structure and stability needed to make long term plans and investments. Now, the cutting and grifting that the conservatives seem to advocate for, please let me know what the american public gets in return for that. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2018, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654/60 "2018-06-12T15:37:41Z")
But what about Russia? Regards, Shodan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-30-minute-one-on-one-discussion-with-us-congressman-joaquin-castro/815654.md?page=4)