Dear Moderates: Please Give Cory Booker a Chance

[brooklynite]

Slate

After almost every Democratic presidential debate, I’ve found myself asking some version of the same nagging question: Why don’t more people want to vote for Cory Booker?

In my heart, I know the answers. He’s relentlessly, unflappably earnest and corny—a fount of dad jokes whose speaking style, when cranked up to high, can make him come off as a campy youth pastor. (It doesn’t help in this regard that he decided to make “love” the central theme of his campaign.) There was his “I am Spartacus” moment during the Kavanaugh hearings (which, my God). As far as I can tell, he basically doesn’t have a health care plan. He will never, ever be beloved by the party’s left thanks both to his time as mayor of Newark, where he oversaw a massive and controversial charter-focused overhaul of the city’s public school system with a giant injection of cash from Mark Zuckerberg, and the fact that he’s the Democrat who decided it was a good idea to defend the honor of Bain Capital when President Barack Obama was hammering Mitt Romney for his time there.

And, to be clear, he’s not even my first choice for a nominee. Personally, I’m still toggling between Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

But here’s the thing: It is pretty clear that some portion of the Democratic Party has made up its mind to vote for a business-friendly moderate who wants to build incrementally on the Obama administration’s accomplishments, and who will try futilely to bring some measure of unity back to the United States. And if that’s what you’re looking for, Booker strikes me as the best of our current options.

[PatSeg]

1. Cory Booker sided with republicans

and pharmaceutical companies when it came to importing drugs and lowering prices. People have not forgotten and he gave the impression that he would do whatever best served his political career. I don't think that impression has gone away.

Booker is very likable and smart. He has some great political skills, but I think he has a long way to go before he can overcome that perception.

[pnwmom]

4. He sided with many thoughtful Democrats, including my own Senators.

Canada is about a tenth the size of the US, and they have no interest in becoming a medication-launderer for the US. During this discussion they made it clear that they would have nothing to do with inspecting or regulating drugs that passed through Canada on the way to the US; and we already have a problem with people importing fake or contaminated drugs from online pharmacies purporting to be in Canada.

We need our government to negotiate prices with drug companies, just like Canada does. Just like every other western country does. That's the solution; not routing all our drug purchases through Canada.

[Demsrule86]

9. My daughter was prescribed a life saving medicine...it was $1500.00 for a two week supply

Last edited Fri Nov 22, 2019, 11:27 PM - Edit history (1)

without a Canadian pharmacy we did not have the money to pay for it as my husband had been laid off...it is fine if there was an alternative to Canada...but many depended on this for lifesaving medicine...another reason not to vote for Cory...and there is broken window policing and hiring Giuliani's goon too.

[PatSeg]

10. If it wasn't for Canadian pharmacies

I also could not afford the medications I've been prescribed. It was hard enough recuperating from a serious illness, but then to be confronted with prescriptions I could never afford was devastating. I spent a lot of time online searching for alternatives and finally found two Canadian pharmacies that I have used over the past couple of years. One of the medications I rely on used to cost me about $30 out of pocket, now it is close to $400 in the U.S. The medication has not change at all, just the price.

I sincerely like Cory Booker, but we are among many people who have to deal with such life and death issues. All politicians make mistakes, but this one will stick for awhile. I'm sure he'll recover, but he's not ready for the White House.

[pnwmom]

18. I'm glad it has worked out for you, so far. But Consumer Reports, the FDA,

and others have long warned about the risks.

https://www.consumerreports.org/drug-prices/cheaper-meds-from-canada/

[Demsrule86]

22. What is the risks of not getting the meds you need.

I`ll take my chances,

[PatSeg]

29. Yes it has

and quite frankly, if it hadn't I would have had to go without. I don't have the time to wait for congress to do something about out-of-control drug prices. I've seen common medications triple and quadruple in a matter of a few years. The drug companies just keep raising prices because they can and no one is stopping them.

Many of us really have no other choice, fortunately I found a couple of companies that are trustworthy and reliable.

[customerserviceguy]

30. The FDA

is in the pockets of Big Pharma, and Consumer Reports staff are just a bunch of worrywarts.

If you use a Canadian online pharmacy that REQUIRES a prescription to be sent, faxed, or scanned and emailed in, you will find legitimate drugs at affordable prices.

I've been using Canadian pharmacies for years, and have never gotten burned following that rule.

[Demsrule86]

21. Agree.

[pnwmom]

13. I'm glad it helped you but other people have been poisoned by fake drugs that got routed

through Canada.

And there is no reason we shouldn't be able to negotiate prices like other countries do. That's what we should be fighting for.

[Demsrule86]

20. You have to be careful... the good ones are rated. But denying folks

a way to get meds who can`t get it any other way is wrong. We have no way to fix this presently.

[PatSeg]

28. And meanwhile,

people will die while they are waiting for congress to fix it. I did a lot of research before ordering meds through Canada and I haven't had any issues with them. The only problem is it can takes weeks to arrive. I try to order in advance whenever I can and some medications I have to have filled here, like steroids or antibiotics, but they are usually the affordable ones.

[Demsrule86]

33. I did too, and it saved my child's life...I am sick of folks who are so pure that they would let

people die for their ideology. We have no other options at the moment...and Booker knew that when he cast his vote.

[PatSeg]

38. It was very disappointing

and I felt his response was inadequate.

I remember back when the Affordable Care Act was being crafted and Blanche Lincoln and Max Baucus voted against a public option or single payer, favoring a version that was more friendly to insurance companies. They did what they perceived as politically advantageous (turned out it wasn't) and hurt a lot of people in the process. Just imagine what the Affordable Care Act could have looked like if more Democrats had voted as Democrats. There are some votes that are hard to recover from.

[still_one]

51. As long as it is a Canadian certified pharmacy there should be no concerns about counterfeit drugs

[pnwmom]

55. And how is your average American consumer, many of whom were dumb enough

to vote for Donald Trump, supposed to be able to determine it is a "Canadian certified pharmacy"? The official looking website? The official looking numbers on the bottle? The friendly voice on the other end of the phone?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/gracemarieturner/2016/03/16/drug-importation-equals-unsafe-drugs-mr-trump/#708343396ecf

Republican candidate Donald Trump has not read this history and therefore appears doomed to repeat the mistake. In his seven-point health plan, he said that, as president, he would: “Remove barriers to entry into free markets for drug providers that offer safe, reliable and cheaper products… Allowing consumers access to imported, safe and dependable drugs from overseas will bring more options to consumers.”

SNIP

In August of 2003, during the earlier drug importation debate, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) examined mail shipments of imported drugs flowing to U.S. consumers through Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Carson, CA. Investigators found that 88% of the drugs they examined did not meet FDA standards. The packages often contained dangerous, unapproved, or counterfeit drugs.

SNIP

Canada spent $29 billion on prescription drugs in 2014 compared to $374 billion in the U.S. With Canada’s market less than 8% the size of the U.S. market, it simply is not feasible to expect to run a significant part of the U.S. drug supply through Canada to have its price controls imposed, and then have the drugs shipped back to U.S. consumers. In addition, any savings would quickly be consumed by middlemen and distributors.

But never fear. When asked about the potential impact of U.S. companies limiting shipments to Canadian pharmacies, a Canadian pharmacy owner and non-pharmacist told investigators for the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy, “We won’t have any problem getting drugs. We have creative ways to get them.”

Canadian health authorities have warned the United States that Health Canada will not take responsibility for the safety of drugs exported from Canada to the United States.

SNIP

[still_one]

57. It is not unlike those pushing the theme that marijuana is perfectly safe. That depends.

Last edited Sun Nov 24, 2019, 12:46 PM - Edit history (1)

Whose responsibility is it to tell people about potential interactions with Rx drugs?

The information regarding reputable pharmacies in Canada is easily available, and major consumer and MSM publications have listed them

https://www.cipa.com/rogue-pharmacies/identify-a-real-cipa-online-pharmacy/

The FDA doesn’t carefully regulate the supplement industry or it’s claims. Whose responsibility is that?

[pnwmom]

58. That might work for some individual consumers now. But what is being proposed by some people

is all US drugs being routed through Canada, as a backdoor way of imposing Canadian price controls on US-consumer-bound product.

Why not simply impose US price controls, like other countries do? It's beyond optimistic to think that the drug companies will agree to ship 10x as much in drugs to Canada at Canadian prices, when they know it will simply be heading back to the US. And Canada has publicly stated that it will NOT submit drugs traveling through the country to the same inspection and regulation as drugs purchased by Canadian consumers.

The org you linked to claims it has served 10 million US customers since 2002 and it is the only place to trust. There are 327 million Americans. How is that supposed to work?

[still_one]

59. You may have missed the additional information I added to my original response to you, which

added additional arguments of personal responsibility

In addition, the reason Booker's credibility on this issue is questioned, is because of his relationship to phrama.

https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2019/jul/02/donald-trump/cory-booker-and-drug-maker-campaign-cash-numbers/

The argument that one would be beyond optimistic to think that drug companies will agree to ship 10X drugs to Canada is correct, just as it is beyond optimistic that there will be legislation passed for negotiated drug prices at "reasonable" prices anytime soon.

Also just to make it clear I am not a consumer of Rx drugs from Canada or anywhere outside the U.S. but then again I am not in the position where I don't have the means, whether through insurance or out of pocket to pay for those meds. Some people are, and what do they do in the meantime while waiting for legislation that isn't going to be passed very quickly?

[pnwmom]

60. Those people you talk about are already ordering drugs from Canada. Nobody's advocating

that they be prevented from doing that.

The question is whether the US government should officially try order drugs from Canada rather than negotiate the same prices Canadians have.

[still_one]

61. You are right. I was misdirected by some of the posts saying the only way they could afford certain

drugs was getting them from Canada, leaving out whether the US government should use Canada as their supplier

That isn’t going to happen

Appreciate you correcting me

[pnwmom]

62. And you are someone I can always count on

to listen and reflect. Thanks, still_one.

[still_one]

64. ...........

[PatSeg]

11. Booker might have been more convincing

if he hadn't taken 100,000's of dollars from pharmaceutical companies. In 2014, he took more money from them than any other senator. It wasn't until 2017 and after much criticism that he said he would put a "pause" on taking contributions from drug companies “because it arouses so much criticism.”

To his credit, the "pause" seems to have become permanent and I'm sure he has a long, productive career ahead of him, but right now, this is still too fresh in the minds of many people. Maybe in four years, he can try again, though many senators have contributed as much, if not more to the country than a lot of presidents. Not everyone can be president.

[pnwmom]

14. He didn't take it from pharma companies -- that's illegal. He took donations from

EMPLOYEES of pharma companies. And that's no surprise because NJ and CT are the centers of the pharma industry. In my state we have Boeing and Amazon, so politicians get lots of donations from their employees.

Because he comes from Delaware, Biden got hundreds of thousands from the banking industry -- and he wrote bills that the banking industry favored, which hurt people who needed to declare bankruptcy. Do you have a problem with that?

[Demsrule86]

24. I dont have issues with keeping companies in your state in the black. Warren did

the same by voting to end medical device tax. However, I don't want to see people die without meds. It is different.

[pnwmom]

25. The R's controlled Congress, so no Canada drug bill would have been passed.

That vote was just for show.

But if a Dem gets elected in 2020, and the Dems control at least the House, we have a chance to get a bill passed. And it should be a better one that doesn't rely on a flood of unregulated drugs routed through Canada, but originating anywhere.

[Demsrule86]

34. Another reason not to vote for Booker. I am absolutely against such a bill unless healthcare is

fixed and it will take quite a while before that happens....if globalization is so great (and I have issues with this) why not medicine too...the prices are too high and diabetics and others are dying.Any such bill would worsen the situation. Do you understand how many people could die...and you can get the same drugs as here...you have to do your homework and have a valid prescription. I am surprised you would be in favor of this...I really am. This is not about ideology and elections but about life and death...no ideology is worth allowing people to die.

[pnwmom]

44. "Any such bill would worsen the situation"? What are you talking about?

Why would it worsen the situation, for example, if we had passed the bill allowing the government to negotiate drug prices as in other countries?

[Demsrule86]

48. What they want to do is shut down access to Canadian pharmacies...and I refuse to accept that as a

good idea...I don't give two fucks about their negotiations...having other options is worth way more than any 'deal' that will be made.

[pnwmom]

50. No, Booker and my Senators weren't shutting down access to Canadian pharmacies.

People who wanted to take the chance on buying drugs there wouldn't have been stopped by anything they proposed.

Why does Canada have lower prices? Because their government negotiates them with the drug companies. So it's illogical to say you want Canada's prices (without knowing you were getting Canadian product) but oppose the US negotiating the same prices.

[Hoyt]

26. Tend to agree. He later helped write importation bills to increase safety regulations,

and has been supportive of recent drug controls.

Like most issues nowadays, drug prices are not as simple as people try to make it. Who knew?

Interestingly, Canada does not cover prescription drugs. Most Canadians pay for their own drug coverage. Ironically, that’s one reason their drug prices are lower than ours.

[demosincebirth]

6. He sure did.

[Joe941]

47. This.

[beastie boy]

2. After each debate I have the same sentiment about both Booker and Harris

Except my plea is to all Democrats. They are the two under-appreciated jewels of the Democratic Party.
And neither one is my preferred choice. We have an embarrassment of riches in our pool of candidates.

[Jirel]

3. Yep.

Booker is my #3 choice. That being said, he'd be a #3 choice I'd be proud to vote for.

[judeling]

5. Booker was one of my orginal

candidates to look at.
I just decided he was not cynical enough to succeed Warren, Sanders nd surprisingly Klobuchar have it right, there is no point in an appeal to better angels its all in the dollars.

[Gothmog]

7. Last year I got to hear Corey at the Texas State Party fundraiser

We made him a honorary Texan. I like Corey and he is a great speaker

[Demsrule86]

8. He hired Ghouiani's ghoul and instituted broken window policing. This is why I don't support him and

won't. Should he be the nominee, he has my vote but I consider that unlikely.

[PatSeg]

12. Was that when he was mayor of Newark?

[Demsrule86]

35. Yes, we were living out that way...it was terrible.

[PatSeg]

46. That's really disheartening

in so many ways.

[Demsrule86]

49. I really liked Sen. Booker...I was very unhappy about it. I remember him on HGTV with

the renovation and revitalization of Newark properties...but he hired Giuliani's guy and then adopted broken window policing which is a disaster and unfair to the poor and particularly to minorities who are often targeted.

[PatSeg]

53. That was something I didn't know about him

[Blue_true]

15. My guess is he will be on any nominee's short list for VP. nt

[lostnfound]

16. An encouraging thought. I think he has gotten better and better.

he seems more centered and deep , honest than he used to sound. I like him a lot.

[Blue_true]

17. He seems to be a good guy. Authentic. Supports industries that are major employers in his state,

you don't have to "read" him, he let's you know where he stands.

[lostnfound]

19. Rhodes scholar smart but doesn't speak in twenty dollar sentences

Seems to focus on principles and values, rather than just intellect

[Demsrule86]

37. He would not be an asset in the general (baggage)and will deliver no states to us.

[lostnfound]

41. Depends on who is the nominee, but I understand your point nt

[Demsrule86]

42. Which nominee do you think Sen. Booker would be an asset to? Just curious.

[lostnfound]

56. I'm no political genius

But it depends on how the eventual nominee gets attacked. Might make a difference in counteracting possible voter suppression narratives.

[Demsrule86]

65. I am not a genius either...makes sense.

[customerserviceguy]

31. Only

if Warren gets the nomination. That's the only person he supplies balance to among the top tier of Democratic candidates.

I'm sure Joe Biden would never pick him after his joke about Joe being high.

[UniteFightBack]

23. No. nt

[emmaverybo]

27. Never for the primary. He milked the Biden offense for his own political benefit, before that was

not a good mayor, with his punitive policy, and the final straw for me was his immature, derisive “are you high?” response to Biden. Cheap shot to get a laugh, but unpresidential and beneath both his dignity and Biden’s.

He’s a Rhodes scholar. He can do better.

I don’t trust him. He’s calling candidates to common purpose one moment and bashing the next.

A certain mean spiritedness in him.

[Demsrule86]

36. He also went after Pres. Obama. I have never cared for him not since he was Mayor of Newark. I

think his time there is why he is not doing better in the primary. The same could be said of Harris...her time as AG has hurt her IMHO. I like her better than Sen. Booker though. If I were Biden, I would not choose Harris or Booker as VP. They have been awful towards him in the primary...and I know he helped Sen. Harris with her Senate election. You have to be able to trust your VP.

[emmaverybo]

39. I did not know Booker went after Obama. Unforgivable! What is amazing is that the very people

Biden has helped turn on him. Seems a pattern. I agree that Joe should choose a VP he can trust.
All is actually not fair in love, war, or politics.

[Demsrule86]

43. I agree...and that tells us something about the character of those who do this...

[The Valley Below]

54. I started out the campaign season torn between Cory Booker and Joe Biden.

Which I resolved by pulling for a Biden/Booker ticket in my mind.

But wow. The cheap attacks have put me off Booker, big time.

Especially when he's ostensibly run on "lead with love."

He's broken my sense of trust as well. Unfortunately.

[Kahuna7]

32. No. He continues to play the race card against Biden. No. Can. Do...

Also, he keeps taking shots at Biden like he's the authentic black candidate and Biden is just fronting. Sigh. Look Booker up in Wikipedia. See where he's from. His home town is less than 1% black right now. That mean's it was close to zero when he grew up. He carpet bagged himself into Newark politics. He's not from Newark.

[Green Line]

40. No

[madville]

45. Nope. He's too kooky to ever be taken seriously

I’m still embarrassed for him for the Spartacus moment.

[redstateblues]

52. He just doesn't connect with me. Not sure why.

[dsc]

63. His position on charter schools in anethema to me.

It was why Obama was low on my list of choices and Booker is worse than Obama was in that regard.

[Hoyt]

68. Why do you think Obama and Booker support charter schools?

[BlueWI]

66. I like Booker.

He strikes me as sincere, highly accomplished, and humble enough to evolve over time. He and Yang are the best of the more moderate wing, IMO, although his ability to build a strong campaign is still in question.

I don't agree with all that he does, but I could say the same about other candidates. Didn't agree with the pharma votes, but if the Iraq vote doesn't define Biden's career, the bad pharma vote doesn't define Booker. I appreciate a candidate who has risen from modest roots to become highly accomplished and retain their ethical compass.

Leaning these days towards Warren still, with Sanders, Yang, and Booker in the running but less likely. Wisconsin is not an early primary so I want to see who comes out of the early states strong.

[TexasBushwhacker]

67. I've always liked him

I don't know why his campaign hasn't gotten more traction.