Already looking past November’s midterm elections to the 2020 presidential race, on Wednesday, the hosts of CBS This Morning treated former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro to a fawning softball interview in which they repeatedly urged the Democrat to run in two years and wondered how he could help mobilize liberal voters in the coming weeks.
After touting how Castro “emerged on to the national political stage when he delivered the keynote speech” at the 2012 Democratic National Convention and later served in the Obama administration as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, co-host Gayle King proclaimed: “Castro, who’s considered a rising star in the Democratic Party shares his life story in a new memoir, it’s called, An Unlikely Journey: Waking Up From My American Dream. His book comes out amid speculation that he will, in fact, run for president in 2020.”
Welcoming the Texas Democrat to the studio, King greeted him with, “Hello, rising star.”
Citing a recent Rolling Stone interview in which Castro acknowledged that he was considering a 2020 run but wouldn’t decide until after the midterms, King eagerly asked: “So what is it going to take for you to make the decision that you’re going to run?”
In part, Castro tried to turn the focus back to the midterms: “I believe that people are looking for a new generation of leadership, they’re looking for new faces. And so, I’m going to continue to help folks that are running before November 6th.” King interjected: “But is it your way of testing the waters for yourself, though?”
Later in the friendly exchange, Bianna Golodryga fretted that not enough Hispanic voters would turn out for Democrats: “You mentioned Beto O’Rourke....I watched the debate last night, Beto O’Rourke opened it up speaking Spanish. But there is real concern among Democrats that you’re not gonna see a big Latin – Latino turnout in 2018. Are you concerned about that?”
After Castro admitted that we was concerned and called for a long-term Democratic strategy to increase Latino voter turnout, Golodryga teed him up to make a get-out-the-vote pitch: “You write in your book, you talk about your mother having that passion and being very politically active, a chicana. What do you need to do personally, and the Democrats need to do, to spark that enthusiasm among voters that may sit this one out?”
Near the end of the segment, King wondered about the issue of civility:
But what about the tone of the race? You know, Michelle Obama set a very classy tone, “When they go low, we go high.” We have prominent Democrats like Eric Holder, who may also be running, who says, “When they go low, we kick ’em.” How do you – you have the President of the United States calling a woman “horseface.” Where do you stand on the tone of the type that is being set today in this country?
Castro began to answer: “I think that we need to call Donald Trump out and other folks out who are uncivil, who – ” King interrupted: “Do we need to kick ’em? Does Eric Holder have a point?”
As if the adulation wasn’t enough, co-host Norah O’Donnell wrapped the interview by gleefully announcing: “Alright, well, Mr. Mayor, full disclosure, same age, we were in rival high schools in San Antonio.” Castro flattered: “Yeah, but you look a lot younger than I do.” Co-host John Dickerson quipped: “He’s not running for anything.” Everyone laughed as the lovefest concluded.
That wasn’t the first time CBS This Morning promoted Castro as the future of the Democratic Party. The day after Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election, Castro appeared on the morning show with this introduction from King:
Hillary Clinton as you know fell short in the Electoral College, winning just two hundred and eighteen votes last night. That compares to the CBS News estimate of at least two hundred and eighty-nine for president-elect Donald Trump. He won Texas by a comfortable margin. Former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro is a rising star in the Democratic Party and joins us at the table.
On Thursday, it became clear that Castro had competition for CBS’s affection, as O’Donnell conducted a similar sycophantic interview with former Vice President Joe Biden. She touted him as Democrats “top choice” for 2020 and someone who “care[s] deeply about this country.”
Here is a transcript of the questions to Castro in the October 17 interview:
8:35 AM ET
GAYLE KING: Former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro emerged on to the national political stage when he delivered the keynote speech over here at the 2012 Democratic Convention. He went on to serve as U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Obama. Castro, who’s considered a rising star in the Democratic Party shares his life story in a new memoir, it’s called, An Unlikely Journey: Waking Up From My American Dream. His book comes out amid speculation that he will, in fact, run for president in 2020. Julian Castro joins us at the table. Hello, rising star.
JULIAN CASTRO: It’s good to be with you all.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: “An Unlikely Journey”; Castro on Memoir, Possible 2020 Presidential Run]
KING: This is the thing, Julian Castro, it says there is speculation because of your words. You did an interview with Rolling Stone and you said, “I’ll make a final decision after November, but I’m inclined to do it.” So what is it going to take for you to make the decision that you’re going to run?
(...)
CASTRO: I believe that people are looking for a new generation of leadership, they're looking for new faces. And so, I’m going to continue to help folks that are running before November 6th.
KING: But is it your way of testing the waters for yourself, though?
(...)
JOHN DICKERSON: What does “new generation of leadership” really mean when it’s at home, though? That’s a buzz word we hear a lot. What does that actually mean?
(...)
NORAH O’DONNELL: But in some ways that seems to be an implicit criticism of Joe Biden, who may run, Mike Bloomberg, who may run, the Leader of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, who may become the Speaker. Is that a criticism of that older generation?
(...)
BIANNA GOLODRYGA: You mentioned Beto O’Rourke. You’re sitting among two Texans here, Norah and myself. And we watched – I watched the debate last night, Beto O’Rourke opened it up speaking Spanish. But there is real concern among Democrats that you’re not gonna see a big Latin – Latino turnout in 2018. Are you concerned about that?
(...)
GOLODRYGA: You write in your book, you talk about your mother having that passion and being very politically active, a chicana. What do you need to do personally, and the Democrats need to do, to spark that enthusiasm among voters that may sit this one out?
(...)
KING: But what about the tone of the race? You know, Michelle Obama set a very classy tone, “When they go low, we go high.” We have prominent Democrats like Eric Holder, who may also be running, who says, “When they go low, we kick ’em.” How do you – you have the President of the United States calling a woman “horseface.” Where do you stand on the tone of the type that is being set today in this country?
CASTRO: I think that we need to call Donald Trump out and other folks out who are uncivil, who –
KING: Do we need to kick ’em? Does Eric Holder have a point?
(...)
O’DONNELL: Alright, well, Mr. Mayor, full disclosure, same age, we were in rival high schools in San Antonio. Go MacArthur Brahmas.
CASTRO: Yeah, but you look a lot younger than I do. [Laughter]
O’DONNELL: Thank you, Mayor Castro.
DICKERSON: He’s not running for anything. [Laughter]
O’DONNELL: An Unlikely Journey is on sale now.
