San Antonio's 37-year-old mayor Julian Castro wowed the crowd and pundits alike Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention in which he told his own American success story but also championed the Democratic policies of President Obama as the way for other Americans to achieve their goals.
"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," he said. "And the thing is, Mitt Romney and the Republican Party are perfectly comfortable with that America."
The young mayor went on to praise the president's efforts on jobs, health care, education, and immigration.
Barack Obama gets it. He understands that when we invest in people we’re investing in our shared prosperity. And when we neglect that responsibility, we risk our promise as a nation...When Detroit was in trouble, President Obama saved the auto industry and saved a million jobs. Seven presidents before him—Democrats and Republicans—tried to expand health care to all Americans. President Obama got it done. He made a historic investment to lift our nation’s public schools and expanded Pell grants so that more young people can afford college. And because he knows that we don’t have an ounce of talent to waste, the president took action to lift the shadow of deportation from a generation of young, law-abiding immigrants called dreamers.
At one point during his speech Castro led the audience in a rousing call-and-response that carried a chorus of "Mitt Romney says, 'No.'"
When it comes to getting the middle class back to work…Mitt Romney says No.When it comes to respecting women’s rights…Mitt Romney says No.When it comes to letting people love who they love and marry who they want to marry…Mitt Romney says No.Here’s what we’re going to say to Mitt Romney in November…NO.
Although Michael Steele, former RNC chairman, favored his conservative colleague Sen. Marco Rubio's speech during the GOP's convention, he echoed other analysts in calling Castro's a "knockout punch," during Morning Joe Wednesday morning.
"It was very well delivered. He had the right amount of humor, the right amount of digs," Steele said. "I think it was a very positive message that will play very strongly in the Hispanic community."
Castro was the first Latino to deliver a keynote address at the Democratic National Convention.
He said he hoped his speech would draw a distinction between the two presidential candidates, particularly that one would support the goals of the middle class and one would not.
"To point out the clear choice that this country has between a president who wants to make investments in education, infrastructure, in Medicare, and Social Security and all those things that have led to opportunity in our country," he said Wednesday on Morning Joe from Charlotte, N.C. "And you have Governor Romney who’s on the other side of that."