I do think we need to hold countries accountable who violate trade agreements that are already in place. We need to get stronger about enforcement, that in the future if we strike a trade agreement, toughening up labor standards and environmental standards and enforcement standards is something we absolutely need to do.
— Julian Castro
The No. 1 thing I want a voter to think about when they see my name, or hear my name, is what I stand for, and what I want to do for them and their family while elected.
I believe people want a President for all Americans. And so I'm out there talking about what we can do for every single American.
I believe in the Green New Deal. Fundamentally, what we recognize is that we don't have to choose between protecting our planet and growing our economy and creating jobs and opportunity.
In my plan, I call for breaking up ICE and returning its enforcement functions to the Department of Justice.
I actually believe that one of the lessons of 1993 and 1994, as well as 2009 and 2010, is that when a Democratic president has the opportunity - with a Democratic Congress - that you shouldn't wait to push significant legislation, whether it's health care, immigration reform, other measures.
What I believe we need to do is to be the smartest, the healthiest, the fairest and the most prosperous nation on earth. So in order to become the healthiest nation on earth, we need a different health care system.
I have a track record of getting things done as secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
My People First Education plan includes universal pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds, because the research is very clear that if you have a dollar to spend in education, it's best spent early on with high-quality pre-K so that kids can get off to a strong start.
The number one way that we can address these long-term challenges of poverty, of education, is to invest in early childhood education.
Being the keynote speaker at the convention this year is an honor I don't take lightly. I know I've got some big shoes to fill. Two conventions ago, the keynote speaker was a guy named Barack Obama.
Republicans are so far out to the right, it's pushing people into the Democratic Party.
Hopefully, in not a too distant future, we will see a Latino president, and who knows how's that going to happen. It's just a matter of time.
Some people are lucky enough to borrow money from their parents, but that shouldn't determine whether you can pursue your dreams.
My grandmother, when she was young, would've walked past shops where some folks had out a sign that said, 'No Mexicans or dogs allowed.'
I see myself as a bridge-builder who can understand both sides.
Technology has transformed how we live, learn and work, but not everyone has been able to participate in these developments.
Oh, when I was mayor of San Antonio, I pushed for expanding high-quality, full-day pre-K. We didn't have the resources to make it universal, but you could clearly see that that was what I wanted to do.
But one of the most enjoyable things for me is that running for office gives you this license to enter the world of somebody else and to hear about the dreams that they have for themselves, for their family, for the country.
You know, I'm speaking for myself. I didn't like to have to speak filtering for what I thought somebody else would or wouldn't want me to say.
I can understand the value of the immigrant experience and that we have become the nation that we are because people like my grandmother were able to make a life in this country.
I don't believe we need to choose between addressing economic issues and addressing issues of social or racial justice.
I grew up Catholic. The Catholic faith has played an integral role in my life. At the same time, I don't think that there is a single person that doesn't have some disagreements with their faith.
I do believe that being in public office is all about making choices. And if I'm president, I would steer this nation in a direction where we embrace progressive values.
I started when I was 39 as a cabinet secretary, and so I feel like I have lived an experience in my life where I can relate to families that struggle, and are scraping by and scrounging.
People are getting more active and living healthier in San Antonio, whether it's walking, cycling, or using our parks. We now have concrete evidence that our investments are paying off and positively impacting the health of our families and the overall quality of life in San Antonio.
The destiny of the Latino community is interwoven with the destiny of the United States.
San Antonio is an ideal market for Major League Soccer. It's time that we put our best foot forward.
I want to be able to pick up a list of names of graduates from high schools and colleges in the city and to see that that list is longer than it was when I started in 2009.
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.
The Tea Party definitely scored a significant victory with Senator Cruz's election in 2012 and scored victories in some statewide primaries. But to me, as the Tea Party gets stronger within the Republican Party in Texas, the prospect of a blue Texas becomes stronger and stronger.
First thing that I put up in my office here at City Hall was a poster from 1971 when my mother ran for city council.
I had the blessing of opportunity. You need the folks in the boardroom who have consciences and the people in the streets who can picket at the right time.
Hispanics have been among the biggest beneficiaries of the Affordable Care Act.
You know, I'm not unwilling to listen to people just because where they're coming from. I'll listen to them, but I'm not going to be beholden to them.
I am going out there working hard every day making sure people know that my vision is a compelling one for my country, that I have the experience and that I can win against Donald Trump.
To me, as I see it, reparations would be something that is fairly specific to the descendants of slaves, and it would also be an official apology from the United States government for slavery.
Throughout our history the United States has benefited form having stronger relationships, including investments in Europe, that have kept us and the world safer and benefited us economically.
I focus on telling the truth and painting a vision of what the country can become in the future if we make the right investments together in things like health care, and education, and jobs and opportunity.
To me, what I believe is that everybody should have the ability to enroll in Medicare. If somebody wants a supplemental plan or a private plan, then I believe they should be able to do that as well.
If the choice is between universal health care or fixing our broken immigration system or upholding a 60-vote filibuster rule that is nowhere in the Constitution, I'm going to choose actually making progress for the American people.
Got a call on April 16, 2014 from President Barack Obama - I remember the date because it's not every day that the president calls you and asks you if you want a job.
The overwhelming success of San Antonio B-Cycle has proven that San Antonio is a model city for bike-sharing, and as we work toward creating a fitter city, the bike-share program encourages a more active and healthy lifestyle.
Even though I grew up and I didn't always like getting dragged to the meetings or the rallies or the speeches, I developed a very strong respect for participating in a democratic process.
The advantage that Democrats have is that they're a big-tent party.
I wanted more people from my city to be able to have the kind of opportunity that I had.
We all understand that freedom isn't free. What Romney and Ryan don't understand is that neither is opportunity. We have to invest in it.
I grew up in a Texas where people would say, 'I didn't leave the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party left me.' Now, the reverse is happening. People are leaving the Republican Party because the Republican Party is going too far to the right in Texas. And that's a source of great potential support for Democrats.
The only part of my mother's experience that still gets to me is the way she and people like her were looked down upon for asking America to be America, for asking for full and equal participation in our democracy.
This thing has been studied to death by Republicans and Democrats: several committees, including in Congress, that have all said, 'Yes, of course what happened was tragic, but Secretary Clinton was not in any way at fault,' and what you have here with these e-mails is basically a witch hunt.
