Fox News
Expand
Browse All Video
Watch Live

You're watching...

Julian Castro: Barack Obama gets it

Details

  • Description

    San Antonio mayor gives keynote address at the DNC

  • Duration 18:47
  • Date

Clips

Also in this playlist...

Editor's Picks

Auto-advance: ON

Auto-advance
View All

Transcript

This transcript is automatically generated

Thank you.

My -- Americans.

-- -- -- -- -- -- before you tonight.

As a young American.

A proud American.

Other generation born as the Cold War receded.

Shape by the tragedy of 9/11.

Connect did -- the digital revolution.

And determined to reelect the man -- make the 21 century another American century president Barack Obama.

Am.

Am.

My journey that brought me here tonight began many miles from this podium.

My brother Corky -- I grew up with my mother Rosie.

And my grandmother beat -- -- My grandmother was an orphaned.

As a young girl she had to leave her home in Mexico and moved to San Antonio.

Where some relatives had agreed to take Hillary and she never made it past the fourth grade.

She had to drop out and start working to help her family.

My grandmother spent her whole life working hasn't made a cook and a baby -- Barely scraping by but still.

Working hard to give my mother and her only child the chance in life.

So that my mother could give my brother and be an even better when.

That's my grandmother got older she begged my mother to give -- grandchildren.

She prayed to god for just one grand baby before she died.

You can imagine her excitement when she found out her prayers would be answered.

Twice over.

She was so excited that the day before -- and I were born CNN amid new local golf.

And she won 300 dollars.

That's how -- -- our hospital bill.

By the time -- tonight came along this incredible woman who taught herself to read and write in both Spanish and English.

I can still see here in the room that lucky and I shared with her reading her Agatha Christie -- late into the night.

And I can still remember her every morning as lucky that I walked out the front door to school making the sign of the cross behind us -- Get -- most India.

May god bless you.

My grandmother didn't live to -- -- begin our lives in public service.

But she probably would have thought -- extraordinary.

The just two generations after she arrived in San Antonio.

One grandson would be the mayor and the other went beyond his way they're good people of San Antonio willing to the united -- My family's story is -- special.

What's special.

Is -- America.

That makes our story possible.

Ours is a nation like no other.

-- plates we're great journeys can be made and a single generation no matter who you are where you come from the -- is always.

-- -- Okay.

America didn't become the land of opportunity by accident.

My grandmother's generation and generations before all -- all beyond the horizons of their own lives and their own circumstances.

Believed that opportunity.

Created today it would lead to prosperity.

Tomorrow.

That's the country -- envisioned and that's the country they helped build.

The roads and bridges they build.

The schools and universities they created the rights they thought -- and Juan these open the doors to a decent job.

A secure retirement.

The chance for your children to do better than you did and that's the middle class the engine of our economic -- Where the hard work.

Everybody ought to be able to get there and -- hard work everybody ought to be able to stay there.

And go beyond.

The dream of raising a family and a place where hard work is rewarded.

Is not unique to Americans.

It's a human dream.

One that calls -- cross oceans and borders.

The dream is universal.

But America.

Makes it possible.

And our investment opportunity -- that a reality.

Now.

In Texas.

-- -- I -- Maybe the one place.

Where people actually still have bootstraps.

-- to pull themselves up by him.

But we also recognize.

That there are some things.

We can't do alone.

We have to come together and at -- an opportunity today for prosperity.

Tomorrow.

And -- And it stars -- education.

Twenty years ago -- -- and I left home for college and then to law school.

In those classrooms we met some of the brightest folks in the world.

But at the end of our days there.

I couldn't help but to think back to my classmates at Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio.

They had the same talent with same braves the same dreams as the folks we sat with the Stanford and Harvard.

I realize the difference wasn't one of intelligence or drive the difference was opportunity.

We're and -- In my city and San Antonio.

We get that.

So we're working to ensure that more four year -- have access to -- today.

And reopened cafe college.

Where students get help with very -- from college test -- to financial aid paperwork.

We know that you can't be pro business unless your pro education.

Am.

They're -- and student loans.

-- charity.

There -- Smart investment in a work force that can fill and create the jobs of tomorrow.

We're investing in young minds today.

To be competitive.

In the global economy tomorrow.

And it's -- Last year the Milken Institute ranked San Antonio as the nation's top performing local economy.

And were only getting started.

Opportunity today.

Prosperity.

Tomorrow.

Okay and -- -- Like many -- you.

I watched last week's Republican Convention.

And they told a few stories of individual success.

We all celebrate individual success.

But the question is.

How we multiply that success.

The absurd is president Barack Obama.

Am.

I.

Quite simply.

Doesn't get it.

A few months ago he did it a university in Ohio.

And -- students there.

Entrepreneurial advice.

Start -- business he said.

But how borrow money if you have to from your parents be told him.

-- What and I did -- that.

Am.

Her parents.

But that shouldn't determine whether you can pursue your dreams.

Not in America not here not in the 21 century.

I don't think governor Romney meant any harm I think he's a good guy.

He just has no idea how good he's had it.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- I mean some will prosper more than others.

Well we don't accept is the idea that some folks won't even get a chance.

And the thing is Mitt Romney -- the Republican Party are perfectly comfortable with that America.

In fact that's exactly what they're promising us.

The Romney Ryan budget doesn't just cut public education cut Medicare cut transportation and cut job training.

It doesn't just pummel the middle class -- dismantles its -- dismantles what generations before -- build.

To ensure that everybody can enter and stay in the middle class.

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.

When it -- still many people love they love and marry who they want to Mary Mitt Romney says no.

When it comes to expanding access to good health care Mitt Romney.

Or.

Actually.

-- And he had undergone.

An extreme make over.

Ready.

Got to say to Mitt Romney in November we are gonna say no or.

Of all the big -- we heard last.

Week in Tampa the one I find most troubling is this.

If we all just go our own way.

Our nation will be stronger for it.

Just simply sever the threads that connect it's the only people who go far.

For those who already ahead.

We all understand that freedom isn't free what Romney and Ryan don't understand is your opportunity.

We have to -- it.

It.

It.

That is the most prosperous among us do even better.

That somehow the rest of us will too.

Folks.

We've heard that before.

First they called it trickle down.

Then they called it supply side it now it's Ryan -- Romney Ryan or is it Ryan run me.

Either way their -- He's been tested -- failed our economy failed the middle class paid the price your family paid the price Mitt Romney just doesn't get it.

Okay.

Obama gets him.

A.

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.

Just a few years ago families it'd never -- -- anything found themselves at risk of losing everything.

And the dream my grandmother held.

That work will be rewarded.

But the middle class would be there or if not for her than for her children.

That dream was being crossed.

But then President Obama took office and she took action when Detroit was in trouble president Obama's save the auto industry and saying.

That the it.

Before him.

Republicans and Democrats tried to expand health care to all Americans.

President Obama got it done.

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.

I.

Now it's time.

Time for congress to enshrined in law their right to pursue their dreams in the only place they never called home America.

Years ago America stood on the brink of -- depression.

Despite incredible -- And united Republican opposition our president took action.

And now we've seen four point five million new jobs he knows better than anyone that there's more hard work to do.

But we're making progress.

And now.

We need to make a choice.

It's a choice between a country where the middle class pays more so -- millionaires can pay less.

-- a country where everybody pays their fair share so we can reduce the deficit.

And create the jobs of the future.

Funding for our schools and -- pell grants.

-- that invest more in education.

And it's a choice between a politician.

And rewards companies that ship American jobs overseas for a lead our -- -- jobs back home.

Yeah.

-- to me.

-- generation and for all the generations to come our choice is clear our -- to the man who's always children -- a man who already in our president Barack Obama.

-- -- Okay.

The American dream.

The American dream is not a sprint.

Or even a marathon.

But -- relay.

Our families don't always cross the finish line in the span of one generation.

But each generation passes on to the next the fruits of their labor.

My grandmother never owned a house.

She cleaned other people's houses so she could afford to -- her own.

She saw her daughter become the first in her family to graduate from college.

And my mother fought hard for civil rights.

So that instead of a -- I could hold this microphone.

While she may be proud of -- night.

I gotta tell you.

Mob.

I'm even more proud of you.

Right.

It.

Today my beautiful wife Erica and I are the proud parents.

Of a three year old little girl.

-- -- -- Named after my grandmother.

A couple of Mondays ago.

A couple of Mondays ago was her first day of pre K.

And as we dropped her off.

We walked out of the classroom.

And I've found myself whispering to her.

As was once whispered to me.

Get your -- media.

May god bless you.

She's still young in her dreams of -- yet.

But I hope -- reach him.

The dad.

I'm -- -- do my part and I know she'll do hers.

And our responsibility.

As a nation.

-- to come together and do our part as one community one United States of America to ensure opportunity for all of our children.

The days we leave it or not easy ones.

But we have seen days like this before and America prevailed with the wisdom of our founders and the values of our families America prevailed.

Where these generation going further than the last America prevailed.

And what the opportunity we -- today.

For a shared prosperity tomorrow America will prevail can't figure.

Okay.

Load More