2016 Postmortem

Last edited Sun Oct 11, 2015, 11:33 PM - Edit history (1)

Castro has no real governing experience. None. The real power in San Antonio's government rests with their city manager; the mayor is a figurehead whose executive powers would make most European monarchs laugh. And HUD? Leaving aside the fact that the Obama White House has curtailed even the limited autonomy cabinet secretaries are used to (with the exception of Justice, which they've allowed to run amok), it's not like HUD is awash in recent accomplishments.

Here's a true fact: Sarah Palin had more executive and governing experience in 2008 than Castro will have in 2016. Castro's smarter than Palin, but his nomination would be more reminiscent hers than of any VP nominee, in either party, in living memory.

So if Castro ends up as the nominee, count on it reflecting only two things:

1) The Clinton's are cynical, calculating politicians without peer, and they're more than willing to put an underqualified running mate a heartbeat (or blot clot, in Hillary's case) away from the presidency solely -- and it will be solely -- because of his ethnicity; and

2) The Democratic Party is so incredibly bad at recruiting and sustaining talent that it can find no one from its fastest-growing and arguably most important demographic to run credibly as vice president. The fact that the GOP has a likely Hispanic presidential nominee in the offing and a plausible Hispanic veep (Susana Martinez) as a back-up, while we've got no one comparable, should shame our whole party.