Why Is Cory Booker Spending So Much Time in These 3 Cities?

I started to support Booker when he first announced his run. There is much I like about Booker but the reparations plan he has, made me feel that while perhaps justified; may further divide a very wounded nation. I was surprised when other candidates picked up the “reparations thread” but then candidates say much when courting voters. But here is where Booker fell short. When I talked to my black friends; few had heard of Booker. That stunned me. If Booker is trying to set his image as the “next Obama” he needs to raise his visibility. His campaign is missing something that will energize Black voters.

Of course like most Times articles about the primary process, this one fails to mention the most interesting visit a candidate is currently taking. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is fulfilling her responsibilities as an active National Guard member and heading to Indonesia for two weeks for a training exercise. Politico, USA Today, Time, CBS, MSN, Fox and Axios are all covering Rep. Gabbard's service to our country. Where is the Times's coverage?

Booker cannot win without a commanding share of the African American vote. Obama was frequently criticized for failing to advocate enough for African Americans. Booker clearly will not let that happen. But to win against Trump requires more than 11 percent of the American people, he needs to win over other non-whites and the huge proportion of whites who do not agree with Trump's nor the Republicans. If Booker cannot project himself as a candidate representing everyone, he will not win.

I wish Democratic candidates would not use their race, age, or gender to win votes. It will further divide the country. When one group of people hears a candidate enticing people of their own identity, it turns off the other groups. Just speak about your platform, your accomplishments, and the people will decide. It is not a former VP's time to be POTUS. Nor should it be a woman, or an openly gay candidate. It should be who's most qualified to regain our democracy and place in the world. We have lost our country. We need a leader who can save us from the monstrosities of this administration. We should pronounce our primary candidate based on merit, not on identity.

I feel you too strongly sway the candidate's position by saying he's lagging in the polls. You position him as weak, setting the tone for the reader. At this stage, this kind of editorializing interferes with readers' wish for a neutral space to learn about the candidate.

If Cory Booker is so concerned about voter suppression, perhaps he can explain why in 2009 he supported Michael Bloomberg, who gave $2 million under the table to the Independent Party to pay for poll watchers to challenge voters in black and Latino precincts, instead of the African-American Democratic candidate. And what the heck does where you live have to do with anything?

It's not a matter of "either or" but of both. Democrats must work to turn out voters in cities like Detroit, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia, and they have to go after whatever disaffected Republicans and Independents there are and compete everywhere.

The Democrats do have a lot of potential votes in the three cities but how do you get people who normally don't vote to vote? Milwaukee is a special case because the voter ID law passed by the Republicans was designed to reduce voting by blacks and in 2016 it was very effective. One possible bit of good news in Pennsylvania is it has been reported that the population in the western portion of the state is dropping while the eastern portion of the state is thriving. Detroit seems a little strange because it was only large city in which Hillary Clinton did not badly defeat Bernie Sanders in 2016 among blacks. The Democrats should also pay more attention to Minneapolis and St. Paul because Trump almost defeated Clinton in Minnesota. Unless the Democrats can win Ohio or Florida or even Texas it would seem that the upper Midwest and Pennsylvania will be key.

How smart! Booker focuses on cities the Democrats must win by big margins. They cannot win Wisconsin without a big turnout in its largest city. Hillary Clinton didn't bother to campaign in Wisconsin. Booker must see how unwise that was. I'm encouraged that he is doing something that is politically smart, arousing voters in swing states Democrats must have.

The DNC ignored the wills of the People when they selected HRC as their candidate. There was just too much baggage from the Clinton era, violations of security with emails, etc., and an entitled smug personality and demeanor. She drove good Democrats to vote Independent or not vote at all. Worse, she guaranteed that "soft" Republicans would not vote for her even if they disliked the cWHr. Don't make such a huge mistake again even if one candidate can fill the DNC coffers. AND don't select a candidate who champions a single race or interest group over another. We need a strong Democratic leader who can unite us, mend our country, and help heal our wounded souls. Get it right this time DNC.

Booker is not my ideal candidate to top the ticket, but I give him credit for the work he's doing in key locations to get out the vote. As a VP on a Biden ticket, I think he's pretty close to ideal, if he doesn't blow up their relationship on the debate stage..

Michigan is not just Detroit. Wisconsin is not just Milwaukee. The United States is not just the Northeast corridor and the West Coast. As long as the Democrats refuse to recognize this, the more it will become a regional party that loses the Senate and the electoral college. Obama won just as much by reducing the Republican majority substantially outside the Democratic base as by energizing minority voters.

OMG!!! But, but, but... those places are in “flyover country”!!! Many people there don’t spend their entire day on the lookout for the latest style trends!! There are a fair number of people who aren’t even WOKE!! Hillary didn’t even bother to visit!! Will the Dems be OK?? Are they safe?? Well, not to worry - I grew up in The Bronx, lived in Manhattan, and lived in Park Slope. Now I live in Milwaukee, which has the fifth largest art museum in the nation, the fifth largest film festival in the nation, a ballet company, a symphony, two theatre companies, an opera company, the largest pop music festival in the country, three highly rated pro sports teams, the largest bike racing series in the nation, and an excellent and vibrant restaurant community. The Dems will be OK.