Hillary Clinton-Julian Castro ticket

[seanNJ9]

More likely now?

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/julian-castro-white-house-cabinet-post-106790.html?hp=l2

[Lief 🗽]

Which cabinet post is open?

[seanNJ9]

Isn't the justice department going to be open soon? Doubt that's where Castro will land, maybe Arne Duncan is leaving.

[Kushahontas]

Isn't the justice department going to be open soon? Doubt that's where Castro will land, maybe Arne Duncan is leaving.

SA Express-News seems to speculate that it might be Education

[Bull Moose Base]

Still pretty unlikely, but less so.  Do you think my persuasive post from 2 days ago that he didn't yet have the resume to be tapped for VP got to him? Probably did but I guess we'll never know.

[Mister Mets]

So in two years, he'll be a young southwestern Hispanic with executive experience, federal experience and policy chops in education. It's almost like they're building a potential veep for Hillary.

It makes him a likelier running mate defusing the main knocks against him (a lack of experience, a political career set entirely in one city.)

There is also an advantage for Democrats in bringing a high profile Hispanic surrogate to the DC media market. And it opens up new opportunities for Castro after 2016 no matter who wins.

There are similarities with George HW Bush, another Texan who wasn't elected to statewide offices but who party bosses promoted to get a high profile southwestern surrogate.

[henster]

His brother would still be more qualified, Julian would probably go to a low level position like Deputy Secretary or something. Hillary really should be a looking at a Governor or a Senator like every Presidential candidates does someone who's qualified and ready for the job not a token pick to appeal to a certain group. Remember her VP pick will be very important because there will be questions about her age/health just like with McCain a bad VP pick who seems unqualified could sink her campaign.

[seanNJ9]

I'd argue Julian is more qualified than his brother right now. He's been running a major city for what 5 years? His brother has done what exactly in the less than 2 yeara he's been in congress?

[Bull Moose Base]

His brother would still be more qualified, Julian would probably go to a low level position like Deputy Secretary or something. Hillary really should be a looking at a Governor or a Senator like every Presidential candidates does someone who's qualified and ready for the job not a token pick to appeal to a certain group. Remember her VP pick will be very important because there will be questions about her age/health just like with McCain a bad VP pick who seems unqualified could sink her campaign.

Presumably, if he takes the job it's to run a department as a secretary. But I agree she's not going to pick someone who, as Jonathan Bernstein would say, lacks conventional qualifications.

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

This may be the dumbest question ever, so I apologize in advance, but is it possible that the name Castro could have a negative effect on Hillary with Cuban voters in FL? Obama is the first Democrat to have won them in some time.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

This may be the dumbest question ever, so I apologize in advance, but is it possible that the name Castro could have a negative effect on Hillary with Cuban voters in FL? Obama is the first Democrat to have won them in some time.

Castro is a semi-common name and I guarantee that some Cuban expats have it. His surname isn't going to have any effect on the Cuban vote.

[Lief 🗽]

Supposedly he's being considered for HUD secretary.

[publicunofficial]

Supposedly he's being considered for HUD secretary.

Yep


Castro will replace Shaun Donovan who is moving to OMB, to replace Sylvia Burwell who is moving to HHS.

[Mister Mets]

His brother would still be more qualified, Julian would probably go to a low level position like Deputy Secretary or something. Hillary really should be a looking at a Governor or a Senator like every Presidential candidates does someone who's qualified and ready for the job not a token pick to appeal to a certain group. Remember her VP pick will be very important because there will be questions about her age/health just like with McCain a bad VP pick who seems unqualified could sink her campaign.

It is worth noting that Republicans have nominated a HUD Secretary for Veep in the past with Kemp.

Democrats tend to pick Senators for Veep.

Republicans tend to go elsewhere, with Governors (Agnew, Rockefeller, Palin); Congressional leaders (Ford, Ryan) and Cabinet-level officials (Papa Bush, Kemp, Cheney.)

This could be a very Republican ticket with the also-ran from the previous election, and a cabinet official.

[badgate]

Is the timeline plausible? If he's confirmed quickly, he'd have an even 2 years before having to resign to run as VP. Then Obama would need a replacement for a whopping 6 months. Seems like they should've pushed him in after the 2012 elections if they wanted to groom a VP pick.

He wouldn't do it after 2012; plus, as far as I know Obama only offered Transportation that time.

Education made sense more but he will do well as HUD. It's probably better that he isn't associated with Common Core anyway.

[Bull Moose Base]

Obama isn't grooming Castro to be VP. Is there evidence 2016 guides his thinking at all? He's trying to trade letting the GOP save its ass with Latinos in exchange for immigration reform but they keep turning him down. Obama is making nice with Latinos and is smart enough to know doing this will get Castro more VP buzz, but that's probably all there is to it.

In any case, in the still unlikely event Hillary picks Castro as a running mate, yeah, someone will fill the job for the last few months. So what?

[Mr. Morden]

His brother would still be more qualified, Julian would probably go to a low level position like Deputy Secretary or something. Hillary really should be a looking at a Governor or a Senator like every Presidential candidates does someone who's qualified and ready for the job not a token pick to appeal to a certain group. Remember her VP pick will be very important because there will be questions about her age/health just like with McCain a bad VP pick who seems unqualified could sink her campaign.

It is worth noting that Republicans have nominated a HUD Secretary for Veep in the past with Kemp.

Democrats tend to pick Senators for Veep.

Republicans tend to go elsewhere, with Governors (Agnew, Rockefeller, Palin); Congressional leaders (Ford, Ryan) and Cabinet-level officials (Papa Bush, Kemp, Cheney.)

Bush, Cheney, and Kemp of course all had experience serving in Congress as well.  Kemp served in the House for 18 years, and was a major voice in the tax debates of the 1970s and 80s, so I don't think Castro's experience holds up to his (at least not yet).

[bballrox4717]

I don't think Obama has any real motivations (especially 2016) beyond Hispanic outreach with this pick. Castro, as the mayor of one of the largest cities in the US, is one of the most qualified picks that Obama could have made for this post.

I agree that helps Castro enormously with the potential of becoming VP. He was already being taken seriously in most political circles as a mayor, and now he gets executive experience? People do take the Cabinet pretty seriously. It's just that it's generally filled with boring personalities, non-politicians, and failed candidates.

Sure, the GOP would scream bloody murder about Castro being unprepared for the presidency if he got tapped as VP, but my party would have done the same thing if Rubio got picked by Romney. It's just politics, and Castro is a good enough politician to avoid disaster like Palin. Nobody would be taking him this seriously if they didn't think he was prepared enough.

[Suburbia]

Castro may still be unvetted nationally and might have some experience. He can't deliver Texas, but maybe could  play well in the Southwest/Rocky Mountain West states with high Latino populations. Would he do well in a veep debate against a Thune or a McMorris Rodgers or a Ayotte may be the question.

[Ogre Mage]

It is still more likely that Clinton would choose a senator as a running mate (governors don't make good running mates unless they have had federal experience).  But assuming his tenure as HUD Secretary goes reasonably well, I think this does get Castro on the list as a plausible pick.  He has two years to bone up on federal issues in case the call does come.

With regards to Obama's motivations, I don't think it has to be an either/or proposition, though it is worth noting he's tried to get Castro to join the Cabinet before.  The President sees an opportunity to diversify his Cabinet, appeal to the Latino political community and help the national ambitious of a rising star in the Democratic Party.  It is win-win all around.

[henster]

The Clintons are very cautious and calculated they would not pick someone untested like Castro. Hillary will want someone she knows will be loyal and has experience with Congress or state legislature in order to get something done. And factor in her age/health her VP pick will be very important she should pick the most qualified person for the job not a token for a certain ethnic group.

[Brewer]

I don't see how this really qualifies him more than it would were he to remain Mayor. HUD is low-key, and there aren't many issues right now that would put it in the spotlight.

[Mister Mets]

I don't see how this really qualifies him more than it would were he to remain Mayor. HUD is low-key, and there aren't many issues right now that would put it in the spotlight.

It gives him a greater diversity of experience, taking him out of city government where he spent his entire political career. The years he spent as mayor of a city with a population slightly greater than that of New Hampshire are politically useful when combined with a federal post.

It's better that he spent a chunk of Obama's term as mayor, and the rest as HUD Secretary than to have served in either post alone since 2009.

[Orser67]

I do think Cabinet experience adds to Castro's appeal as a VP candidate, although I don't think it makes him the frontrunner. It also more generally helps Castro's resume, which could help him run for a statewide office or take over a bigger cabinet post.

And I agree with what someone said before about Obama. It's more about keeping the goodwill of Latinos than 2016 positioning. Than again, I suppose I could see a secondary motivation in generating goodwill with a future group of leaders, which could help Obama retain influence after the end of his Presidency.

[tarheel-leftist85]

Even as far as politicians go, he's an empty suit.  She could carry Texas without him.  Sorry to rain on the narcissistic parade, but not everything is about the "ascendant coalition."