Not a fan of Booker, but it's interesting that few if any of the commenters who criticize his grandstanding as a do-nothing mayor of Newark have no experience in or with the city, while commenters who live or work in Newark give Booker high marks.
5
He hasn't done a thing so he might as well run for president.
4
Apparently he is looking to get into gladiator training what with his characterization of himself as Spartacus. What a joke, New Jersey deserves him.
6
Gov. Christie ordered a special election for the Senate seat at a cost of $12 million dollars to avoid having Booker on the ballot in November when he(Christie) was running for re-election. He was fearful that Booker would bring out more Democratics to the polls. I don’t remember Booker protesting about the wasted money. Everyone knew he was going to win.
2
Booker is not a broadly likeable politician and comes across as a phony. He has no chance to become president.
13
Please, please could we have some articles about issues and substance and policy proposals and legislation? Is the entire run-up to the mid-term elections going to be personality features, and whether the politicians posed with puppies or kittens, and ate bacon for breakfast in the diner? Remember when people kept saying Hillary never said what she stood for? Guess why that was. All we ever read in the paper was the staff gossip, the clothing commentary, the spats on the campaign trail, ad infinitum. Sorry for the rant, but jeez.
18
Hello: Solid piece, just weighing in to ask about the turn of phrase: "some Republicans say Mr. Booker has lost his broader appeal," followed, as proof, by a quote from a Republican strategist, Chris Russell. Why would Mr. Russell, who presumably makes his living by tearing down Democrats, ever say anything positive about Booker? Why would you go to Mr. Russell to figure out how Republicans feel about Mr. Booker, or whether Mr. Booker has broader appeal?
10
@Nicolas Kemper
Mr. Kemper, for me the important question is what Cory Booker achieved as mayor of Newark for seven years. It looked like very little to me.
9
@Linda
I practically never comment on anything but as someone who grew up in Newark, had a business in Newark and still follows Newark very closely I have to tell you that you couldn't be more wrong.
Maybe many of the things he did weren't showy but they made a huge difference in how the city was run. Many of the things that Ras Baraka is taking credit for are things that were initiated under Booker. Much of the downtown redevelopment (including the former Hahne's building that was vacant for many many years), revitalizing basic services (you couldn't get Sharpe James to do anything, except bleed the city dry) and just not being a crook, like almost all former mayors. He really did care about the city and brought about positive change.
4
Booker has Senator in front of his name because his opponent was weak .. not because of anything he did. He is a good at grandstanding -- got him elected in Newark. Wonder if he still owns that empty house?
Booker is educated beyond his intelligence -- not all that unusual in the Senate.
8
Just from watching my TV the Republican attacks on Senator Mendez are cruel but may just take Mendez down,where are the advertisements for Senator Mendez? ,or is he that popular in NJ the relentless Republican attacks on his character will not matter?
We cannot afford to lose one Democrat and the local Democrats who fund media have got to wake up to the bully attack Advertisements that the right wing know how to produce so well and play the same dirty game as they do in rebuttal .
1
@Carlyle T.
My typo and fading eyesight, it is of course Senator Menendez.
I was struck by the snarky tone of this piece. It sounds more like an op-ed than journalism. It's no surprise that Corey Booker may have national ambitions. So what? Nick should have used more ink discussing the specific candidates Booker is campaigning for and the Republicans he is hoping to defeat. This is just the kind of "journalism" Democrats roundly criticise when it comes from the right.
6
Booker called the upcoming election a 'moral moment' as he urges voters to support Menendez. Really?
37
The coastal elites will eventually come to understand that identity politics isn’t going to win elections in the south and midwest. The democrats efforts would be better spent on getting rid of the electoral college. Good luck!
9
@John While identity alone won't cut it, Booker doesn't rely on any kind of identity card. Identity politics would be going for an Asian lesbian or something because we've already had a straight man of color. Booker is better than Obama act 2. Booker impressed me in the hearings as a smart fighter, he's young, and his policy positions are spot on as far as I'm concerned. And getting rid of the electoral college is a separate issue. When he runs for the nomination Booker is the one I'm going to support.
5
@Robert David South, Watertown, NY & Newark, NJ are two glaring examples of what generations of corrupt Democrat political control can produce. Hard to understand why anyone would want more of that.
1
@Robert David South
But he accomplished very little as mayor of Newark, and that's his major experience to date.
Booker has some gigantic hurdles to overcome, especially the fact that he takes more Wall Street Money than any other member of congress.
https://www.wnyc.org/story/booker-gets-more-wall-street-any-house-senate...
His stance on charter schools is a hindrance to his obvious ambitions as well. The days of Democrat Identity Politics have passed him by.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
12
I was in Newark for work before and after he became the Mayor.
Huge change.
Unfortunately he is less clean than the SCOTUS nominee.
The DEMS making a mess of the nomination right now, will come back to bite them if Cory runs. I was there, he is not lily white, he's effective.
So maybe sand bag him for 2024, 'cos I tell you, he has no chance in 2020. But maybe later he could go all the way.
Or burn your best choice in 2020 in a sure loose loose bet.
6
Menendez a mentor? That is the only reason not to vote for this guy I would need. From an ex-NJ resident.
18
Well, you're not voting in NJ, so, yea.
6
Cory Booker is a true son of New Jersey, a state that is a living demonstration of generations of Democrat control and corruption. For an object lesson on what he can bring to the national stage, take a trip to his adopted “hometown” of Newark, where he was lately Mayor for eight years. Corruption, crime and crumbling infrastructure despite the highest taxes in the United States.
18
@Larry That's a hoot coming from a New Yorker.
3
Another empty suit with no accomplishments under his belt. Newark was a disaster before becoming mayor and it's still a disaster.
20
@Vincent Campbell -- Newark is certainly not "still a disaster." You're all wet on that one and I have to figure you haven't been keeping up. Newark is rising. Not saying it's due to Booker or any other politicians, although Sharp James saw the future. I would say the catalyst(s) are the business and investment communities that want to see Newark succeed and the NJ Performing Arts Center, which lifted (and justified) hopes for urban civility. Cross the bridge from that cultural oasis, Staten Island, and check it out.
6
Cory Booker is running on exactly what accomplishments to tell national voters? That he represents the state with the highest real estate taxes and second highest all-around tax rates (But it's always a fight to the top with New York, however.)? "Grandstander" seems to be his middle name. Senator Booker also has little knowledge that anyone lives south of Newark in this 5th-smallest state.
New Jersey has been ill-served for years by do-nothing senators --- Bill Bradley, Jon Corzine --- and Cory Booker is just another who wants to be famous. At least he's a native, unlike the previous two or our interloper from Massachusetts, Governor Murphy.
20
@CM Taxes are low in Mississippi and Kansas.
5
@Robert David South Don't know what your point was about KS and MS, but June2017 piece in Forbes declared KS tax cutting an all-round disaster: https://www.forbes.com/sites/beltway/2017/06/07/the-great-kansas-tax-cut...
@Robert David South
Yeah. Brownback has done great things in Kansas.
Taxes are low in these states because the spend nothing and it shows.
As a New Jersey voter I support Cory Booker but my reservations lie primarily with his lack of support for Israel. Like Obama and Warren, Booker also suffers from the vulnerability of biting down hook, line and sinker on the propaganda that presents Palestinians as victims, Israel as oppressor, when the true story is far different.
Noticeably absent from S. 720: Anti-Boycott Act cosponsorship is both Booker and Warren. Even Independent Angus King has signed on and other Democrats, far less worthy of presidential consideration, have signed on. This was Obama's foreign policy weakness and now Democrats have a chance to both fix it and knock Trump out of office.
We need a president who supports Israel without the chaotic insanity of alienating every former U.S. ally on the planet.
8
We need a President who hasn’t gone all-in for Israel and one who would never violate our First Amendment Right to talk about and boycott any thing we please by refusing to sign unconstitutional bills.
8
As a single issue voting democrat, I suspect you are fully supportive of trump’s cutting off aid to the Palestinians. Never peace is not the answer.
6
@Joe B. Wrong we need a president and a Congress that will not stand for disguised anti semitic efforts masquerading as some quasi fake human rights cause. The United States government is not in the business of boycotting and sanctioning our most trusted Ally an ally that has been doing our dirty work for 50 years.
1
He shouldn't be running for anything else. We don't need another centrist, GOP-lite candidate, regardless of minority status, to be running for POTUS.
7
I am a bit confused as to why the media, thus far, has not delved far more deeply into both Booker and Kamala Harris’s political pasts. A closer examination of Booker’s record as Mayor of Newark and Harris’s performance as a prosecutor in California might give many Progressives reason for pause. If Democrats are looking for candidates who eschew corporate dollars and influence, these two are not the answer. Do your homework , folks.
42
@Regina Patterson Such candidates don't have a chance. The best you can hope for is candidates who don't like it.
5
Sincerely hope that Booker is the dem nominee on 2020. Dude can't win and will ensure re-election of President Trump.
Keep America Great. Don't let America become a Newark or a New Jersey.
17
Yes, while NJ is near the top in most lists and NM near the bottom, your comment is noteworthy.
11
@Brewster Millions
I have been to New Mexico. New Jersey is Paris by comparison.
7
@Brewster Millions
If you have children to educate, you'd likely be better off in most places here in NJ than in most places in New Mexico. Is Brewster Millions a take off on the short story, I believe by Mark Twain?
Grandstanding, posturing, empty political rhetoric,and self promoting are rampant in our politicians including Booker.
"Here in New Jersey" many are looking for an elected official who has principles, unites people and is a leader unafraid to disagree with partisan dogma.
Thus far, Booker has exhibited none of those atributes.
32
Cory has been running for office since he was a kid! Go ahead, Dems... nominate him for 2020. You just doomed us all to four more Trump/Pence years!
31
In 1992, in the Stanford Daily, Booker wrote an essay that he had groped the breasts of a drunk woman at a party while in high school.
At the least, Booker needs to recuse himself from the Kavanaugh hearing. How could Booker possible be fair? In fact, Booker's disrespecting women should make him resign just as Al Franken did after a similar escapade. But, hey, "boys will be boys".
22
@Amy
"At the least, Booker needs to recuse himself from the Kavanaugh hearing. How could Booker possible be fair? "
Why?! Thats ridiculous!
If Booker has publicly acknowledged his crude behavior, written about it in proper context, fully owned it and recognizes how disrespectful it was, why on earth should he recuse himself? Seems to me this is where his value as a principled leader is clearly evident, and particularly to this incident. A man who has fully grasped his mistakes, changed his behavior and grown and matured further as a contributing individual in greater society. He is demonstrating EVERYTHING that Kavanaugh is not.
With shallow, sanctimonious, throw-away dismissals (a lá 'boys will be boys') we all lose out.
21
@Amy Another reason I'm for him. He didn't issue a fake apology after getting called out, he checked himself early, demonstrated years of exemplary behavior and efforts, and openly confesses.
7
@Amy
Since it now seems clear that Kavanaugh did nothing at all to discredit himself, what Booker did is obviously far worse.
When Al Franken was found to have done something very similar to what Booker did, Franken had the decency to resign. Not so for Booker.
5
I don't think he will be reelected in New Jersey. I think he's a do nothing senator who is portraying himself as a second Obama. By the way we don't need a second one
21
"Opportunist" doesn't do Cory Booker justice, but fortunately his talents are limited. The operative word would seem to be "phony".
And better packaging isn't the answer. The last thing the Democratic party needs now is another Wall Street-financed candidate pretending to be a populist. The two prior ones -- Hillary and Barack Obama -- got Trump elected, in case nobody noticed.
26
Running the horrendous high-crime city of Newark isn't going to sell well in the rest of America.
27
I was skeptical about Booker when he was the Tweeting Mayor. I was wrong. Dude is clearly up for a fight. Go Cory
12
I hope he does not run for President. I believe he would be an awful Candidate and what we need is a strong one who can take out Trump.
15
Grandstanding and lackluster accomplishments in the Senate are not qualifications for the presidency. Hope he and other lightweight would-be presidential aspirants will move aside and support strong/er candidates.
The neophyte Senator should concentrate on developing and passing practical legislation; though it’s good to learn he’s campaigning for fellow Democrats.
28
@Sam, grandstanding and lack of accomplishment didn’t hurt Obama or Trump. Never underestimate the stupidity of the American electorate. They will vote for a compelling story (Kennedy (pick one), Carter, Obama, Trump) over accomplishment every time.
3
Something about Booker annoys me- not sure why- he went too hard against Kavanaugh and sounded like a bully...even though I am not a Kavanaugh fan... My two cents from central NJ
13
This Jersey girl was 100% fine with Booker releasing those emails. The republicans are trying to ram through a sketchy man picked by a "president" currently under investigation for Conspiracy Against the United States and obstruction of justice and possibly other charges. The republicans withheld most of this candidates emails till the night before the hearing and now are completely failing to do their due diligence in vetting their candidate by not ordering an investigation into credible attempted rape charges. They are ignoring what's best for this country in exchange for protecting a possible traitor, letting industry rape the country and punishing women. Steve Bannon once advised the republican party to ignore women and don't even bother to go after their vote. I remember Bannon was mocked. What if the republicans are taking his advice? Feels like it.
16
Where is the outrage from liberals towards Corey Booker? Why does he still have a job? He, unlike Brett Kavanaugh, admitted to sexual assault. Shouldn't he be impeached?
Where is the pink hat movement now? We're all confused.
26
@Jerome It seems that movement realized that "men bad women good, let's have a sex war" isn't a good approach. You can't just have a stick, you have to have a carrot. You have to say not just what men shouldn't do, but what they should. One error shouldn't condemn anyone eternally. It's all about behavior over time. What should men do when they find themselves having sinned? They should admit it and repent before getting caught. They should live it down over the years. Booker is the poster for that.
4
Why should New Jersey citizens believe this self proclaimed Spartacus guy? His on-the-record of abuse of women while at Stanford should be reexamined by voters before they make him a presidential candidate.
24
@MCH Link to evidence please.
@Robert David South He admitted it. What further proof do you want?!
Booker and all New Jersey Democrats are tying themselves too tightly to Menendez. The last time they had a scandal plagued Senatorial candidate up for re-election, they replaced him on the ballot. That was Robert Torricelli. They should have done it again.
Menendez is his mentor? That sounds bad. When you embrace the stinky, you smell yourself.
43
@RM Unfortunately, that is true. Unfortunately, the NJ Democratic Party did not support a true competitor to challenge Menendez in the primary. Instead, a woman with no experience, no name-recognition, no money, no nothing took it upon herself to run against him and got nearly 40% of the vote. What does that tell you? It tells me that had a viable challenger ran in the primary, that is who would be on the ballot in November.
And Corey Booker was one giving his full-throated support of Menendez. I really do like Booker, but that put on big stain on him for me. People need to start thinking more about their values and the country and less about their party (especially the NJ Dem Party, which is particularly stinky).
13
where is all the outrage now, I guess if the womanizers and scammers are in your own party you look the other way.. Hypocrite to the "Newark Degree".
15
@RM And when you vote Republican, for ANY office, you smell even worse!