I thought Julian Castro exceeded expectations in his keynote address. The speech itself was nothing special, but Castro rode its momentum all the way. He hit the right notes–middle class, family, opportunity, Mom, America, working together. All the cliches, in other words, but what is a keynote for if not to sound the right notes?There was none of the meanness of the Republican speeches. Castro has a very live face and he can turn expressions on and off, and the smile is huge. When he did attack, he did so in a way that let the audience have fun. The speech reminded me of Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech for vice president. I was at the GOP convention in 08, and I was struck by her ability to get her emotions into her words. Julian’s speech was similar in that he has a live face and he got his expressions into his words. He wasn’t at all overwhelmed by the moment. There’s a lot of political talent there. It’s just too bad he’s from a state where the Democrats won’t win for a decade.