SOMEWHERE IN the crowd at the Democratic National Convention
is the next Democratic Presidential nominee.
Not Barack Obama: the person who will follow him in 2016.
And I think I have seen him in the crowd. He keeps showing up in footage from the
Convention, sometimes standing conspicuously near political stars and elder statesmen.
His name is Julian Castro and he is the 37 year old mayor of
San Antonio in Texas, the seventh largest city in the USA.
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| What every candidate needs: teeth, great hair and a flag. |
I discovered him a year ago, when his Facebook page was
recommended to me as a Facebook template for an aspiring Mayor. He is photogenic, intelligent, charismatic
and hard working. And obviously Hispanic.
No wonder he is being labelled “the next Obama”.
Now the prince’s crown is being set upon his head. Julian Castro addressed the Democratic
Convention a couple of days ago, just like Barack Obama did in 2004. Just like Jack Kennedy did in 1956.
His story, his narrative, looks good for a Presidential
nominee. He grew up in trying
circumstances, raised by a single mother, and came out of a tough neighbourhood
to go to Harvard Law School.
Having the name “Castro” shouldn’t be a burden for the San
Antonio Mayor. An odd, jarring name didn’t
stop the current resident of the White House.
Still, you could safely bet Julian Castro will not be photographed
wearing a beard or smoking a Cuban cigar.
What adds to his narrative is that he has a twin brother,
Joaquin, who is running for the US Congress.
That makes for a new twist and fresh images in a political discourse
hungry for new sensations.
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| Julian Castro at the DNC. Photo Pat Sullivan AP |
And there is a resemblance of his story to that of Matt
Santos, the fictional “West Wing” character who became the first Latino
President after Jed Bartlett.
With so many “West Wing” fans running politics behind the scenes
all over the world, you start to wonder if they secretly fantasize about being
Josh Lyman and taking Matt Santos / Julian Castro to the White House.
The succession of Julian Castro to the Oval Office may not
come to pass. But someone has to be the
next President. And Julian Castro looks
good for it.
Click her for a Daily News Article about Julian Castro.
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