After El Paso shooting, Castro loses his restraint -- and finds his voice
Meanwhile, Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke went the other way. He scolded reporters for not connecting the dots between Donald Trump's racist pitch lines and the bloodshed in his hometown. He threw up his arms and asked: "What the f---??!!"
And it was right. O'Rourke may not win the etiquette contest. But he spoke for millions of Latinos are, at this moment, looking at our country and likewise thinking: "What the f---??!!"
Another person who stepped up is someone who has known Castro since the womb -- his twin brother, Joaquin, who got death threats when he shared on Twitter the publicly available names of Trump's top donors from the Alamo City. All week, I've heard from Latinos who loved the stunt and said that the San Antonio
congressman has the stones to lead.
This week, Julian Castro found his footing and pulled a bold stunt of his own -- buying ad time on the Fox News morning program, "Fox & Friends" to deliver a personal message to Trump. In the spot, Castro tells the president: "Americans were killed because you stoked the fire of racists. Innocent people were shot down because they look different from you, because they looked like me. They look like my family. Words have consequences. Ya basta! (Enough!)"
That's what I'm talking about. Campaign ads are like salsa. The best ones have bite and make you cry. This one satisfies.
Welcome back, Julian.
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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com. His daily podcast, "Navarrette Nation," is available through every podcast app.
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