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(12,023 posts)I hear he's available to his constituents 24 hours a day and will actually come out and help you get your street plowed of snow.
And he also voluntarily lives in a run down tenement in a drug and gang filled neighborhood.
Unbelievable respect for the guy. Unbelievable.
nanabugg
(2,198 posts)He probably would be treated worse than Obama knowing the GOP.
mainer
(12,023 posts)Ohio Joe
(21,761 posts)I must admit, I've never heard of him before. I do always like seeing good people in Jersey... Seems the crazies from Jersey get so much more press. I'll have to learn more about him.
jerseyjack
(1,361 posts)Seneca Chief, Red Jacket in 1805.
Same sentiment. The hypocrisy of some Christian zealots is unabated.
barbtries
(28,810 posts)vanlassie
(5,681 posts)I will post it down line
madokie
(51,076 posts)who would be a good follow up to our present President.
Plucketeer
(12,882 posts), it sounds like he might be the president we THOUGHT we were electing in '08.
madokie
(51,076 posts)and I"m dang sure proud of that too.
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)President Obama---they're on the same page!
As a Buddhist, I totally support and respect this guy!!! So sick of the corrupt christofascists and their disgusting infiltration into the power systems of this country.
He (Obama) and We need more people like this (and like Elizabeth Warren, Nancy Pelosi, Al Franken, Bernie Sanders working TOGETHER!
(he looks like Vin Diesel, too. What's not to like?)
madokie
(51,076 posts)How a person handles emergencies tells all that needs to be said about them.
Remember when w flew all over the country running like a scared rabbit on the day of the 911 inside job. It told us all we needed to know about his sorry ass then. I'm proud that I consider myself in the same party of the good people who are fighting the good fight such as Mayor Booker and President Obama and the others you listed. Bernie might not consider himself a democrat and thats fine with me as he is on yours and my side fighting right along with us. Many times leading the charge.
When you stop and think about it Its an honor to be one of them, or should I put that as them being one of us. Either way it works for me.
peace
ellenfl
(8,660 posts)dubya's fly-over of no after katrina.
ellen fl
madokie
(51,076 posts)BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)You're right, about how people behave in emergencies! It tells a lot!
I'm actually even more glad to see that such excellent behavior is a pattern--for Booker, for President Obama, for those I listed....
An emergency is a short event, but what we do the rest of the time is key (imho...and on a personal note--I have a long way to go on that account, myself. Great in emergencies; lazy the rest of the time! )
freshwest
(53,661 posts)bonniebgood
(943 posts)PassingFair
(22,434 posts)He's a dreamboat.
I saw him on one of those genealogy shows "Finding Your Roots" ...interesting family history, too.
http://video.pbs.org/video/2209169895/
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)Booker's 2002 Mayoral campaign, which he lost, was chronicled by filmmaker Marshall Curry in his documentary Street Fight. The film was nominated for the 2005 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Since 2009, Booker has starred in the documentary series Brick City, which airs on the Sundance Channel. Season 2 of the series is currently airing. The series focuses on the Mayor and his tireless efforts to reduce crime in Newark and bring economic renewal to a city that has been blighted by drugs, gangs and unemployment for years. Brick City has won a Peabody Award, and has been nominated for a 2010 Primetime Emmy.
Booker also contributes to the 2011 documentary Miss Representation and comments on the representations of women in politics within mass media.
goclark
(30,404 posts)and Ms. goclark thinks he is a super star and a rising star in the political world.
Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)We could certainly use more like him in politics.
Liberal_Stalwart71
(20,450 posts)He's brilliant! He's an amazing person! He's also a hero (helping to shovel snow after a storm and rescuing his neighbor from a fire!).
AWESOME!!!!!
cyndensco
(1,697 posts)I hope to make eye contact with him also.
Liberal_Stalwart71
(20,450 posts)Congratulations to you and your son!!
Agree with the sentiment.
If you need to tell me how much of a Christian you are then you are not doing a good enough job acting in a Christian manner.
H2O Man
(73,592 posts)Thank you.
Little Star
(17,055 posts)EC
(12,287 posts)Cristy's job first.
mainer
(12,023 posts)It will be interesting to watch him in the years to come.
HappyMe
(20,277 posts)He's a good guy.
aikoaiko
(34,183 posts)And he was outstanding individual even back then.
I don't agree on all his positions but he is a good guy.
renate
(13,776 posts)That's super cool!
I don't even know his positions on anything other than the fact that he's against having a neighbor burn to death in a fire... but I also get the sense that he's a genuinely good guy and would make decisions based on compassion rather than political donations or expediency, so I might even trust him more than someone whose laundry list matched mine but might not have as strong a desire as he seems to have to do good by following through.
aikoaiko
(34,183 posts)He was a great athlete back in the day and I remember that he was particularly gracious when he kicked me ass on the 100 m hurdles.
I don't remember a lot of kids from my high school days, but I do remember him and his friendly attitude whether he won or lost. I suppose his charisma was there even back then.
Knowing where he came from, he could worked his way into the 1% through Wall Street, but instead he choose a most difficult political path where the need for leadership was great.
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)I seem to remember I disagree with his education policies.
aikoaiko
(34,183 posts)Hopefully we'll see good things from him in the future.
Booker is a Chris Christie Pal.
I'm from NJ and I wouldn't vote for him. Sorry. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/04/gov_christie_newark_mayor_cory.html
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)neoliberal smile.
plus some pithy bon mots about jesus.
Fritz67
(354 posts)...And not the kind of narrow-minded, exclusionary, judgmental, cold-hearted, bloodthirsty arrogance that's become the face of the religion, especially during the last thirty-two years or so.
hamsterjill
(15,223 posts)In MY opinion, at least. The quote from Mr. Booker is awesome, and more of the so-called religious fundies could learn a lot from it!
FailureToCommunicate
(14,020 posts)It would be nice if Cory Booker ran for that job!
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)and that might be his first step towards the WH.
rurallib
(62,441 posts)been a fan of his for years.
sinkingfeeling
(51,470 posts)Tommy_Carcetti
(43,191 posts)RZM
(8,556 posts)Ha just kidding . If all goes well Booker does have a bright future. I can see him becoming governor of NJ and moving up from there. He probably will run for president in a decade or two.
Jamaal510
(10,893 posts)I wonder if the RW will accuse him of not being a Christian, like how they do with Obama, and if the Birthers will come out even though he has a more common last name.
DesertRat
(27,995 posts)And I thought the same thing. I really like him.
xxqqqzme
(14,887 posts)tree on one of his programs. Booker and Barbara Walters were the subjects. Amazing man.
LongTomH
(8,636 posts)We need to get through 2012 first; but, we can start looking down the road.
dgibby
(9,474 posts)Warren/Booker. Great ticket either way!
one_voice
(20,043 posts)raouldukelives
(5,178 posts)Namvet67
(111 posts)JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)That's the real message of Jesus. I don't know anything about this mayor, so I can't say anything about him.
TahitiNut
(71,611 posts)... during the "undocumented" years of his life. Since he was called "rabbi," such training and education would make sense.
...there is a church in India founded by Thomas the Apostle who say Jesus studied there during those years. Like the idiots Europeans could be (and I can say this as I am of Euro descent), when they came upon this church, they burned it to the ground because it did not have any statues in it ~ because this church observed the Jewish theology of never having "any graven image" within the sanctuary. This was because this church followed more closely Jewish tradition, since it was a Jewish sect in the beginning. This church claims that Jesus visited there to study with the great Yogis as it is said much of the Torah is based on Sanskrit teachings.
I do not understand why theologians pay exclusive attention to the Greek Roman history than we do the more Eastern and Asian churches. This church in the state of Karala India was directly established by Thomas, a close friend of Jesus.
My 2 cents
Cat in Seattle
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Namvet67
(111 posts)are intolerant, fox-news-watching, war mongering, hateful biggots......IMHO
wryter2000
(46,077 posts)I knew about his heroism. Now this. I think I'm in love.
What a great example of a human being
Justpat
(3,567 posts)The heart of Quaker religion. It is why I jumped ship from catholicism thirty five years ago.
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)schools, and union-busting.
if you love the new compassionate feudalism, booker's your man.
Iwillnevergiveup
(9,298 posts)his alliance with Michelle Rhee!
http://blackagendareport.com/content/cory-booker-clear-and-present-threat-public-education
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)I so want to like the guy, especially since he went to Yale Law -- but why does he choose to associate with the likes of Rhee?
http://www.rheefirst.com
MH1
(17,600 posts)are SO much better than people who have low intentions and are good at convincing people they're "right" on everything.
I'd say Booker is probably in the top tier of Democrats in other areas, even if he's wrong on education.
Ninga
(8,277 posts)CakeGrrl
(10,611 posts)hifiguy
(33,688 posts)but didn't know that much about him.
His background, per Wikipedia:
Booker was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in the predominantly white, affluent town of Harrington Park in Bergen County, New Jersey.[1] His parents, Cary Alfred and Caroly Rose (Jordan) Booker, were among the first black executives at IBM.[2][3] One of Booker's maternal great-grandfathers was Caucasian, and Booker also has African-American and Native American ancestry.[3][4][5] Booker is an alumnus of Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan, where he was a 1986 USA Today All-American football player.[6] Booker then studied at Stanford University, receiving a B.A. in political science in 1991 and an M.A. in sociology the following year. He played varsity football[7] ; he made the AllPacific Ten Academic team and was elected Senior Class President in the Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU)[8]. In addition, he ran The Bridge, a student-run crisis hotline and organized help for youth in East Palo Alto, from Stanford students.[9] While at Stanford, Booker also became good friends with Rachel Maddow.
Booker received a Rhodes Scholarship and studied at The Queen's College, Oxford, where he was awarded an honours degree in modern history in 1994. While at Oxford, he became friends with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach of the local chapter of Chabad and brought together a diverse community.
Booker obtained a J.D. in 1997 from Yale Law School, where he operated free legal clinics for low-income residents of New Haven. At Yale, he became friends with Rabbi Shmully Hecht, with whom he jointly founded the Chai Society (now the Eliezer Society).[10] He was also a Big Brother and was active in the Black Law Students Association. Booker lived in Newark during his final year at Yale and after graduation served as Staff Attorney for the Urban Justice Center in New York and Program Coordinator of the Newark Youth Project.
<snip>
That is an amazing resume. Clearly a man destined for bigger and better things.
riverbendviewgal
(4,253 posts)He has a great charisma that emits such empathy. I can envision him to be president of America.
VWolf
(3,944 posts)in his little pinky than Rmoney has in his whole ...... pinky.
As a NJ resident, I couldn't be more proud of him.
MoonRiver
(36,926 posts)Weirdly, he reminds me of Wes Clark!
Butterbean
(1,014 posts)Arkansas Granny
(31,525 posts)It was really interesting and showed a bit of Mayor Booker's personality. You can see it online here:
http://video.pbs.org/video/2209169895/
There is also a good article about him here:
http://www.citymayors.com/mayors/newark-mayor.html
He comes across as a sincerely genuine person.
blaze
(6,370 posts)I just watched the pbs video and, while we're not really talking about John Lewis, there was some remarkable background in his family tree!!
His Great, Great Grandfather registered to vote in 1867, two years after being freed from slavery! The Great, Great Grandfather of John Lewis, who marched with MLK, registered to vote in 1867!! (of course it all went to hell some 7-10 years later, but still....) Something in the Lewis blood! Such a cool story.
patrice
(47,992 posts)Wildfire1324
(2 posts)One of my favorite things about Mayor Booker (aside from him responding to me on Twitter) is the way that he uses Twitter to mobilize his resources within his community. Pothole on your block? Tweet the mayor. Elderly neighbor snowed in? Tweet the mayor. Power still out from a storm? Tweet the mayor. He's managed to cut out the bureaucracy in many instances and can get help to where its needed more quickly and efficiently. Amazing what can be done on that "internets"!
Taverner
(55,476 posts)joeybee12
(56,177 posts)And the sooner the better!
Rambis
(7,774 posts)bonniebgood
(943 posts)read more about Tim Ryan. He seems like a winner.
Rambis
(7,774 posts)soleft
(18,537 posts)Can't wait to check it out.
tilsammans
(2,549 posts). . . set sights on the WH!
LynneSin
(95,337 posts)Hell right about now a toadstool would be a better option for New Jersey than that idiot loudmouth fat-ass Chris Christie. And btw I will happily call Christie a fat-ass since he refered to those who collect uninsurance & welfare as fat-asses.
tilsammans
(2,549 posts). . . Christie's my one exception.
Who is he to call anyone else a fat ass?
LynneSin
(95,337 posts)wouldn't, by definition, the governor's salary be considered a government check
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)Keep wishing.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)"Christie and Booker are allies"
...not on everything: http://election.democraticunderground.com/1002226035
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)I can probably find one issue where I agree with Dubya. Doesn't make us allies.
Skittles
(153,178 posts)it has often struck me that I live in a more Christian way than almost any so-called Christian I know, and I am Agnostic - I've seen VERY few Christians actually WALK THE WALK
gateley
(62,683 posts)at work and I want to do the "Christian" thing, but my bosses, who proudly call themselves Christian, only want to do what's best for them.
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)you might ask why newark has so few city workers.
booker = neolib enacting neolib austerity & privatization policies.
http://coreyrobin.com/2012/04/13/in-which-i-rain-on-everyones-cory-booker-parade/
Do liberals love the Manhattan Institute? Do they favor the use of vouchers to take resources from public schools? Are they fans of the Wal-Mart Walton family? The answer to those questions is usually an unqualified no. Why then do liberals adore Cory Booker?
Cory Booker first came to public attention with a speech at a Manhattan Institute luncheon in 2000...Bookers maiden speech was a stale hodgepodge of bad political theater. It began with a phony sounding story of Bookers grandmother dispensing sage advice as he left for Oxford. It ends with attacks on public education itself.
Do Bookers liberal acolytes know that he favors public dollars for parochial schools? While lamenting the lack of academic achievement in Newark, Booker called for school choice, a code for vouchers. He said nothing about school funding formulas in New Jersey and around the country that take public school funding from cities like Newark and give them to the suburbs.
Who knew that liberals would support a Walton/Bradley supplicant? Booker knows they wont, so he tones down his connections to the right wing who put his name on the map.
http://www.blackcommentator.com/177/177_freedom_rider_cory_booker.html
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)I'm not a big fan myself.
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)is it all about their pr machines, their tv shows, and their "smokin' hot" publicity photos?
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)SMH
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)demmiblue
(36,875 posts)aikoaiko
(34,183 posts)Newark was and in many ways still is in a precarious position and it may need more creative responses than the mainstream democratic/liberal method.
B2G
(9,766 posts)doesn't hurt either!
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)education, etc. with the side effect of union-busting.
he's a neolib with a good pr machine.
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)Eight years ago, when Cory Booker made his first bid for mayor of Newark, New Jersey, I exposed him in the pages of The Black Commentator as a product of the Milwaukee-based Bradley Foundation and its network of right-wing think tanks. Back in 2002, Booker was a one-term Newark City Councilman and advocate of publicly-funded vouchers for private schools. Millions of dollars in contributions from his many friends on the Right allowed Booker to vastly outspend the incumbent mayor - but he still lost. I like to take a little credit for Booker's defeat, the first time around, for having warned Newark voters that Booker was a Trojan Horse for corporate right-wingers who were determined to privatize the public schools.
Booker won his second attempt to capture Newark City Hall, in 2006, and former Mayor Sharpe James went to prison for corruption. There wasn't too much Mayor Booker could do to privatize Newark's schools, since they've been under the control of the State of New Jersey since 1995. Then, last year, Booker got very lucky. New Jersey elected Chris Christie, a fiercely reactionary Republican, as Governor. Cory Booker - still the same Trojan Horse for the rich right-wingers that have funded his career - had found a political partner in his mission to turn over the public schools to corporations. Booker was already tight with the Black right-wing billionaire, Oprah Winfrey. It was on Oprah's show that fellow billionaire Mark Zukerberg, the FaceBook owner, announced a $100 million gift to Newark schools, to be administered jointly by Booker and the Republican Governor.
http://blackagendareport.com/content/cory-booker-clear-and-present-threat-public-education
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)But he's SOOO hot!
LOL
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)Don't be fooled by Booker's grandstanding and Christie's veto. Neither gives a damn about equality. He and Christie play from the same playbook. Both know the culture wars are loosing traction in the northeast and west coast. Chrisie is running for president in 2016 and he needs to convince the southern base of the Republic party that he's an authentic bigot, not a flip-flopping bigot (e.g. Romney
)http://www.bluejersey.com/diary/20442/chris-chistie-announces-he-is-running-for-president-in-2016
As for Booker, he and the D's have made backroom deals with Christie and the R's to endorse a neoliberal economic agenda to lower the millionaire tax, cut property taxes and privatize public schools by destroying the teacher's union. Further, when Lisa Jackson was NJ's EPA director, Booker arrogantly dismissed her by undermining environmental initiatives in favor of his corporate cronies.
The Ed Reform Gravy Train
It's a-puffin' into Newark - all aboard!
One of every three dollars of private money spent so far in Newarks bid to reform its schools has gone to consultants and contractors, many with ties to Mayor Cory Booker and acting state Education Commissioner Chris Cerf, records show.
The records, from the state Department of Education, are part of a spate of e-mails obtained by the Newark-based Education Law Center. They detail for the first time how the Foundation for Newarks Future has spent the first $13 million of the $148 million donated by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and other philanthropists to help turn around the citys struggling public school system.
While the foundation the group created to distribute the money spent $7.4 million between January and September of this year on school-based programs, it has also spent $4.3 million on political and educational consultants. At least $3.9 million of the consultant spending has gone to companies and individuals with ties to Cerf and Booker, records show
Booker is a velvet screw. Christie is a blustering screw. Both will screw the 99%.
http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/chris-christie-vetoes-marriage-equali
Mr. Sinister
(89 posts)And rumors aside, Americans are not yet ready for another single president. Look what happened with that Buchanan fellow.
KansDem
(28,498 posts)It seems the last several Presidents have had dogs (with the exception of Bill Clinton, who had "Socks," the cat).
Oh, and don't forget W and his pet:
Hey, George! He'll want more to eat than that!
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)gateley
(62,683 posts)butterfly77
(17,609 posts)to closely aligned with the republiCONS...
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)Vehl
(1,915 posts)While I appreciate his service and aid to those in need.
During the interview, I noticed him interjecting "By grace of god" or "Thanks to god" / "by god's will" / etc similar stuff)into his sentences more than a few times. Initially I did not pay any attention to it, but by the time he had mentioned it more than a few times, I was seriously questioning my first Impression of him.
No offense, but someone who puts god above everything else (or says God helped him do this that (a few times is kinda acceptable )) imho shows that he is looking to something else for guidance...a trait I would rather not see in a president. Would I vote for him if he is religious? sure. But I would refrain from voting for someone who brings God into every other sentence. If he is religious, be religious privately....instead of saying "god this" "god that" every other sentence.
Just my two cents.
loudsue
(14,087 posts)It's well put together.
We, in America, are in the business of selling images. It never works out too well for most of us in the long run, but it's effective. It gets people sold. It gets junk sold.
nradisic
(1,362 posts)Corey Booker - Smart, intelligent, compassionate, effective, educated and on it...we need him to oust lard-ass first, but he may be a good pick for national office eventually...
we don't want him for Gov of NJ. We want Christie out, but they'd better come up with someone better than Corey Booker.
got root
(425 posts)I should mention former catholic, but nonetheless
Iris
(15,665 posts)not long ago. Great episode. He actually moved into a housing project (or at least low-income housing) to be amongst his constituents.
Also, great story about rescuing his neighbor.
klook
(12,164 posts)and hyper-intelligent. I'm looking forward to more great things from him.
Note to self: Move in next door to this guy in case my house catches on fire.
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)he's a neo-lib.
seems democrats love that s**t these days.
klook
(12,164 posts)Im embarrassed to have posted here with only a surface knowledge of the guy's policies. Privatization of public services and union busting are anathema to me, so it appears that, like many, I was suckered by his telepresence and PR assets.
calimary
(81,437 posts)And presto-change-o, there he is!!!
I think he's a sure bet. I've thought that since the first time I saw him on TV somewhere. I was stop-in-my-tracks impressed. And that's exactly what I thought - I bet he's gonna be president someday. Felt it again when he got all that coverage for heroism during that fire, and he was so selfless about it! And then I thought - "... and I'm DAMN glad he's OURS! 'Cause he IS gonna be president someday and I'd hate for somebody that sure-fire and appealing to be one of the bad guys!"
jerseyjack
(1,361 posts)He is one of the best speachifiers you will ever hear.
Timbuk3
(872 posts)A true American hero.
It sickens me to think what a national campaign elicit from the hate and rage-filled GOP.
It sickens me to think what a national campaign WOULD elicit from the hate and rage-filled GOP.
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)of public services, union-busting, public funding to religious schools, and the promotion of charter schools.
DesertDiamond
(1,616 posts)that he is also a wise and eloquent speaker. But when I read that story about his heroism, I immediately wanted him to run for President.
rrHeretic
(52 posts)That's all I can say because he's voiced exactly what I think about so called religionists who just love telling everyone how spiritual he/she is but act like barbarians among the rest of us.
newspeak
(4,847 posts)yeah, he's got looks, he's a great orator, he did a heroic act; however, if he's into privatizing the shite out of public departments and is against labor; why in the hell would I vote for him? It means he's a neolib and has more in common with the corporate stooge repug party. Why in the world would I vote for someone who is another one for giving for profit corporations, instead of non-profit government service, our tax money?
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)and has a 'D' by his name, seems it doesn't matter that he governs as a winger.
vanlassie
(5,681 posts)To...get this...allow this fourth highest boycotted corporation with a horrible record of indifference to the health of babies, to run a program to Combat Obesity in NewArk!!! Many activists have begged him NOT to get in bed with this corporate bad actor, and he is unresponsive. He should be ashamed. Apparently he doesn't understand that infant formula is directly connected to childhood obesity. Nestlé is Gerber. Nestlé is well known for hostility towards breastfeeding.
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)Prometheus Bound
(3,489 posts)There's really nothing here.
I read here that he's smart and rescued a neighbour from a fire, and I see he has a nice promo poster.
Presidential material?