The people who created Barack Obama are already working on their next creation -- and that is Julian Castro.

This warning comes in the wake of a 2014 blog piece that claimed Julian Castro would be added to the ticket only to boost Hillary Clinton’s chances of winning Texas in 2016. I disagree that this is the purpose of adding Castro; rather, he is set to become the “Hispanic Obama” as Tom Tancredo’s excellent 2012 piece claimed. The main point here is that it is dangerous to underestimate the left’s ability to create political myths and Julian Castro is the perfect figure for this.

While Barack Obama has always been arrogant about becoming president, two recent examples are particularly galling. Although he was said to be joking, in his recent State of the Union Obama reminded the country that he’d won two elections. More recently, Obama’s team (and no doubt Obama himself shares the sentiments) mocked Mitt Romney for not running in 2016. If Obama weren’t so damaging to the country, conservatives would have the last laugh because without a fawning media, empty rhetoric and slogans, and illegal campaign donations, Barack Hussein Obama never would have won his party’s nomination in 2008 let alone become a two-term president. 

The Obama Nightmare is almost over, but Democrats now have a proven formula for keeping the White House: create a candidate who is impervious to criticism either because of race or gender, exaggerate their resume, get the media behind them, connect them to the popular culture, and watch the votes roll in.  Democrats are poised to nominate Hillary Clinton, although there are other options, among which Elizabeth Warren seems to be the most viable. Democrats will likely push for a Hillary presidency, but as always, they are taking the long view -- they want to follow the formula that got Obama elected and the likely figure is Julian Castro, former San Antonio mayor and current Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary.

Obama was the least accomplished person ever to be competitive in the race for POTUS, let alone win. His marginal accomplishments were all inflated. Unlike Obama, Castro has executive experience as mayor of a large city. Like Obama, he has degrees from Stanford and Harvard (and we know how the Left likes to tout prestigious educations). Also like Obama, Castro is young, handsome, charismatic, and he made his debut on the national stage giving the keynote address at a Democratic National Convention (Obama in 2004; Castro in 2012).  

The Clintons have already seen Castro’s potential, reportedly making a connection with him. There is no doubt the Clintons are planning on winning the nomination in 2016 and they are already looking for Hillary’s running mate. However, if the Obama example means anything, it is extremely likely that Castro will be the vice-presidential nominee no matter who is at the top of the ticket. His elevation to HUD secretary alone suggests as much.  Every other attempt to add to his resume or build his connections is merely gravy.

So why is this a problem? Conservatives are at risk of being caught flat-footed as both Republicans and Hillary were by the sudden emergence and meteoric rise of Barack Obama in 2007. In fact, Obama’s rise was so fast that Bill Clinton called it a “fairy tale” and accused the Obama campaign of using the race card against him. Furthermore, the Clintons were so shocked by the all-out leftist media secession that they praised Fox News for their fair and balanced coverage. The right needs to be forward looking and follow the adage of “those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” 

With Obama’s departure from American politics, it is easy to heave a sigh of relief. However, it is imperative that conservatives remain vigilant by learning from the 2008 election cycle. Liberals are always planning ahead; they are relentless in their pursuit of their agenda. It has never been about Barack Obama -- it has always been about the ideologically driven agenda. Obama has merely been a carrier of the torch for eight years.  He may well pass it on to Julian Castro.

So what can be done? As with fighting cancer, the first step is to diagnose the problem. In this case it is liberals have a successful formula. Also, Castro has a limited record. As mentioned earlier, he holds degrees from prestigious schools, but so did Barack Obama and he is arguably the worst president in our country’s history. Unlike Obama, however, Castro has had executive experience, both as a mayor and now as a member of the cabinet. What cannot be lost, in what is sure to be an absolute and positive media bombardment on his behalf, is that Castro is just another liberal ideologue that is going to push the same tired, destructive agenda that Obama will have pushed for eight years.

The second step is to formulate a treatment plan. In politics this is done through opposition research. Conservative journalists need to start this process now. This will pressure both Castro and his handlers. If enough light can be shone upon him before the liberal media is able to create his myth then the left will be pressured to seek possible alternatives. As it stands now, however, Castro looks to be the Democrats’ future.