CHARLOTTE, N.C. — San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro’s keynote speech to the Democratic convention was a spicy blend of immigrant dreams and partisan bite.
The 37-year old Castro, a rising star in Texas but little known on the national stage, roused the packed audience at the Time Warner Center with a pointed message to voters: “Mitt Romney, quite simply, doesn’t get it.”
Castro’s tale was in part standard political fare for a party seeking to solidify its standing among immigrant voters.
Castro was raised by a single mother and a grandmother who both emigrated from Mexico, Castro and his identical twin brother Joaquin achieved happiness and success through hard work and a good education made possible by the American dream. But from there, Castro pivoted to an assault on Republican Mitt Romney, whose policies Castro said would “dismantle” the middle class if elected.
“We know that in our free market economy some will prosper more than others. What we don’t accept is the idea that some folks won’t even get a chance,” Castro said. “And the thing is, Mitt Romney and the Republican party are perfectly comfortable with that America.”
