San Antonio mayor tagged for cabinet post

Mayor Castro is an impressive young man.  Part of me says we should keep him for ourselves a while longer, but he's too good to be held back.

Quote :

www.nytimes.com

San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro Is Said to Be HUD Pick in Cabinet Reshuffling

WASHINGTON — President Obama is preparing to nominate Mayor Julián Castro of San Antonio as his new secretary of housing and urban development, elevating one of his party’s Hispanic rising stars as part of a cabinet shuffle that has possible implications for the 2016 presidential race, Democrats informed about the plans said on Saturday.

Mr. Castro, who has often been mentioned as a potential vice-presidential candidate for the Democrats, would take the place of Shaun Donovan, who would become director of the Office of Management and Budget. That job is being vacated by Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who has been tapped by Mr. Obama to be secretary of health and human servicesand seems headed to Senate confirmation.

Mr. Castro, 39, won national attention in 2012 as the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention, and he and his twin brother, Representative Joaquin Castro, Democrat of Texas, have become popular speakers on the party’s fund-raising circuit. Mr. Obama and the Democrats have predicated their future electoral hopes on appealing to the country’s growing Hispanic population as House Republicans have blocked their efforts to overhaul the immigration system.

Mr. Obama’s failure to push through immigration legislation has increased the political pressure on him and his Democratic allies from Latino groups that have demanded in recent weeks that the president act to reduce deportations that break up immigrant families. Mr. Obama has directed his secretary of homeland security to review deportation policy, but it is not clear whether the results of that review will satisfy immigration activists.

Mr. Obama had previously tried to lure Mr. Castro to the cabinet. After the 2012 election, the president approached the mayor about serving as transportation secretary, but Mr. Castro indicated that he preferred to stay in San Antonio.

It is not clear what prompted Mr. Castro’s change of heart about taking an administration post. He said in an interview last month that he did not feel that moving to Washington was in his best interest. He also passed on the chance to run for governor of Texas this year.

“Just like I decided not to run in 2014, I told the voters of San Antonio I would remain mayor until my tenure was over,” he said. “So neither one of those was the right thing for me at that time.”

Asked if he thought he might be wasting a political opportunity if he remained in San Antonio and did not move to the national stage in Washington, Mr. Castro said: “I’m going to be 40 this year. I feel like I have a decent amount of time either way. Whatever happens in the next two years to eight years I’ll have time.”

But he has been advised to raise his profile in the hope of securing a possible slot on the national ticket. Democrats said that by taking an executive position in Washington, he would bolster his résumé after serving as mayor of the nation’s seventh-largest city since 2009.

“You take somebody who is a very successful and appealing politician who has regional strength and put them on the national stage, and by definition you raise their stature and increase the possibility that they are going to get a look by the nominee,” said Jonathan Prince, a Democratic consultant.

In a move that raised eyebrows about his political future, Mr. Castro shared lunch in February with former President Bill Clinton and Henry Cisneros, a former San Antonio mayor who went on to serve as housing secretary in Mr. Clinton’s cabinet.

“I advised that he accept a position for President Obama,” Mr. Cisneros said in an interview this year about the mayor’s previous offer. “I thought that if he was going to be vice-presidential material in 2016, then he needed to be more than mayor at that time.”

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Given how crucial their votes were in Mr. Obama’s two presidential victories, some Hispanic Democrats believe that former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, should she run and win the nomination, would be wise to pick a Hispanic running mate.

Mr. Cisneros suggested that a domestic cabinet slot for Mr. Castro could lead to a position like ambassador to the United Nations, a job that helped lead the first George Bush to the White House in 1988.

“There’s a lot of discussion about Julian on being vice-presidential, and I think he is, and it would make a lot of sense for Hillary, or whoever it is,” Mr. Cisneros said. “But a potential candidate is more likely if you have some national security or international diplomacy experience.”

The San Antonio Express-News first reported that Mr. Castro had been offered a cabinet post and was undergoing the standard background vetting necessary before any nomination, but the newspaper had not identified which position he would take. The Democrats who described the fuller cabinet shuffle on Saturday asked not to be identified since the plans had not been announced. The White House declined to comment.

The HUD job would become available to Mr. Castro with Mr. Donovan’s move to the budget office, replacing Ms. Burwell. She would succeed Kathleen Sebelius, who announced last month that she was resigning as secretary of health and human services after presiding over thedisastrous rollout of Mr. Obama’s Affordable Care Act in the fall.

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If confirmed as HUD’s chief, Mr. Castro would join Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez as the second Hispanic in the Obama cabinet to lead one of the 15 cabinet departments. (Ernest J. Moniz, the energy secretary, descends from Portuguese immigrants from the Azores Islands.)

Mr. Castro has been one of the leading voices in predicting that changing demographics would eventually favor Democrats. In a recent interview, he focused on the growth in the Hispanic population of Texas, and the challenges of getting Latinos to vote and the possible impact if they did.

“There are so many people in our state in the Latino community and, generally, that don’t vote, and Texas has a particular problem with that compared to other states,” he said. “A couple years ago, I said Republicans should enjoy it because it’s not going to get any better for them, and it’s only getting better for Democrats moving forward.”

Everything look okay?

Send Silk feedback

5/18/2014

                         I don't think he'll get through the hearing to get the job,
                         Congress will never give it to him...He should stay with
                         his job.....

                                                      Cheers... Joe... 

Don't worry, Joe. Word is that the appointment won't be challenged, and even if it were, he wouldn't have to give up the mayor's seat until he actually had the cabinet position, so if Congress messed up, he would still be mayor.

Did you get this from your Crystal ball, or do you have some other magic way of knowing the future?

5/30/2014

                      I've read the Republicans plan to block him from getting 
                      the job , as one said: " He's too far left for us." So we
                      shall see how the battle goes.on and on..

                                                   Cheers..Joe... 

joefrank wrote:

5/30/2014

                      I've read the Republicans plan to block him from getting 
                      the job , as one said: " He's too far left for us." So we
                      shall see how the battle goes.on and on..

                                                   Cheers..Joe... 

This comes from Fox News, Joe

Quote :

latino.foxnews.com
Julian Castro As HUD Secretary Has Political World Talking: A Latino Vs. Latino Presidential Ticket?



San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro’s expected confirmation as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development already has the political world envisioning a 2016 race where the rising Democratic star is a vice presidential candidate, and someone like Sen. Marco Rubio is in the second or top slot on the GOP ticket.

Not approving a Latino at this stage could be a big mistake, I would think.

5/30/2014

                  What ever you do, don't tell Hillary this, she'll have a canary !
                  She can taste, smell, and see herself as President. I don't think
                  anyone wants the old guard or Clintons back in the White House,
                  I would rather vote for my cat, she can do a better job and she's
                  female...

                                                   Cheers..Joe.. 

I don't think Castro is considering a presidential bid just yet. The earlier article mentioned him as a possible VP candidate. He might make a good running mate for Hilary.

5/30/2014

                    Hillary has way too much baggage , Bengazi, Arkansas scandals,
                    Bill's screwing around, what got me was the way he lied to the
                    American public for weeks then finally came out and admitted it !
                    He should have been a man about it, pulled up his pants and said
                    yes I have sinned, I ask the American public for forgiveness, I have
                    disgraced my family, now I must resign. No, he was cunning, now I
                    know why he admired Jack Kennedy so much because Kennedy did
                    the same thing but he got away with it because in those days the
                    press kept their mouths shut. In Clinton's day the press will bite you
                    in the rear and not let go. To me their nothing but liers, users, abusers
                    and what I consider white trash, the low of the low. I grew up with 
                    better morals and pride than they did....

                                                     Cheers..Joe... 

Regardless of anything else about Hillary Clinton, the fact that her husband had a low level moral compass for his personal behavior is not a reflection on her capacity to serve as President of the United States. 

While I certainly don't condone his poor judgment, a considerable number of years have passed and who among us have not made errors in judgment that we would not like to see on the front pages of newspapers?

Additionally, she did show great poise in handling the situation.  The quick response of men or women to divorce a spouse for moral indiscretions does not always provide the best long term outcome for all family members.  Her decorum and strength was exceptional and likely helped their daughter become the sophisticated young woman she is today instead of the product of a broken family laden with scandal.

5/30/2014

                     Just read the mouthpiece for Washington Jay Carney resigned, I
                     wonder what happened, two resignations in one day, something
                     smells fishy? And the Va he's gone, it's about time, I'm tired of
                     hearing how the vets are treated like garbage by the govt. Time
                     to get someone in their who has no political ties with the govt.
                     Carney will not be missed...

                                                         Cheers..Joe.. 

dkchristi wrote:

Regardless of anything else about Hillary Clinton, the fact that her husband had a low level moral compass for his personal behavior is not a reflection on her capacity to serve as President of the United States. 

While I certainly don't condone his poor judgment, a considerable number of years have passed and who among us have not made errors in judgment that we would not like to see on the front pages of newspapers?

Additionally, she did show great poise in handling the situation.  The quick response of men or women to divorce a spouse for moral indiscretions does not always provide the best long term outcome for all family members.  Her decorum and strength was exceptional and likely helped their daughter become the sophisticated young woman she is today instead of the product of a broken family laden with scandal.

Good post, DK; I wholeheartedly agree.

5/30/2014

                      I disagree and will not vote for a fraud ....
                      I have a friend who was married to an FBI
                      agent and they lived in Arkansas at the time
                      Clinton was governor, the stories I heard from
                      them would knock your bloomers off, everyone
                      in Little Rock knew what was going on at the
                      Gov.'s Mansion, matter of fact they had a nick
                      name for him " Whore Dog," they still use it till
                      this day, so you see people never, ever forget.

                                             Cheers..Joe... 

I repeat, that was the spouse, not Hillary Clinton.  I would hate to be judged by the behavior of my ex-spouse.

5/30/2014

                  It's because she covered for him, instead of divorcing the idiot,
                  she's just like the Kennedy women, look the other way as they
                  were told, you have the name, you have money, you have status,
                  so shut up and keep up the facade... The only one who couldn't
                  keep up the facade was Joan Kennedy, look what it did to her...

                                             Cheers...Joe... 

Napoleon Hill, in his book “Think and Grow Rich” said that he looked at all the great entrepreneurs and the one thing he found is that they all had a huge sex drive.

Joe made reference to Jack Kennedy and Bill Clinton.  I believe that their sex drive made them more effective in their jobs.  Napoleon Hill is not the only person to make that connection.  Google it. 
 
The problem is not with the sex drive, but with the ability to channel it and control it.  The public sees what they want to see.  Even the Bible records incidents of infidelity with noted characters.  There are cases where infidelity is accepted between partners.  I know of two such cases when I served in the military.  In one case, the man was incapable of satisfying his wife’s desires and arranged for a Sergeant to meet with his wife on a regular basis to satisfy her desires.  There are some women who become frigid and will overlook/accept her husband’s wanderings.
 
What about the marriage vows?  
In the United States, Catholic wedding vows may take the following form:
I, ____, take you, ____, to be my lawfully wedded(husband/wife), to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.
The priest will then say aloud "You have declared your consent before the Church. May the Lord in his goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings. What God has joined, men must not divide. Amen
Anglican:  Groom: I,____, take thee,_____, to my wedded Wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth.
 
What does “for better, for worse…in sickness and in health” mean?  Could that worse mean infidelity?  I find it interesting that so-called moralists accept divorce; the breaking of a vow made before God, but will not accept a person who may stray. 
 
I believe that there are capable men and women who would do well in public office, but are not willing to expose their private lives.  There are religious leaders who have strayed.  We witnessed that with TV Evangelists. 
 
Voting for competence in the job is what I believe is needed and not the person’s morals. 
I believe that killing is immoral.  GWB is an example of lying to go to war and responsible for the killing of thousands.  That is immoral.

This thread has wandered, but back to topic.  SA has lost a very good mayor.  He was easily confirmed as HUD secretary, as expected:

http://www.ksat.com/content/pns/ksat/news/2014/07/09/senate-confirms-castro-as-hud-secretary.html

Quote :

By KSAT Web-News Editor
Van Darden
WASHINGTON - After a brief debate, the Senate has confirmed the nomination of Julian Castro to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Nearly two weeks ago, the Senate banking community approved Castro's nomination.

Within moments of the announcement of Castro's confirmation as HUD secretary, statements of support began pouring in from politicians across Texas and the nation.

When Castro assumes his new role in Washington, current city council members will then formally inform the city clerk they would like to fill the mayor's seat.

Hopefully, our city council will do their jobs effectively. At least we still have Julian's twin brother, Juaquin, a congressman.