Enough of the self-righteous equalizing from Cory Booker [View all]

[bigtree]

Just who is Cory Booker defending when he describes the Obama campaign's attacks on Bain's job-destroying capitalism as 'politics as usual?'

And, why the hell is he equating personal attacks by the right-wing money men supporting Romney on President Obama's relationship with Rev. Wright with the proper criticism of Romney's financial career that the republican candidate for president is trumpeting as proof of his economic ability?

During a roundtable discussion on NBC's "Meet the Press," Booker described as "nauseating" the ad released last week about Bain's involvement with a Kansas City steel company that later went bankrupt.

from TPM: http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/05/cory-booker-im-very-uncomfortable-with-attacks-on-private-equity.php

Cory Booker: ‘I’m Very Uncomfortable’ With Attacks On Bain

“As far as that stuff, I have to just say from a very personal level I’m not about to sit here and indict private equity.”

“To me it’s just we’re getting to a ridiculous point in America, especially that I know I live in a state where pension funds, unions and other people are investing in companies like Bain Capital. If you look at the totality of Bain Capital’s record they’ve done a lot to support businesses, to grow businesses. And this to me, I’m very uncomfortable with.”

“But the last point I’ll make is this kind of stuff is nauseating to me on both sides,” Booker said. “It’s nauseating to the American public. Enough is enough.”

“Stop attacking private equity,” Booker continued. “Stop attacking Jeremiah Wright. This stuff has got to stop, because what it does is it undermines, to me, what this country should be focused on. It’s a distraction from the real issues. It’s either going to be a small campaign about this crap or it’s going to be a big campaign, in my opinion, about the issues that the American public cares about.”

I don't particularly have any other axe to grind with Booker, but he's not impressing me with this wash-over argument of his. If anything, his equalizing complaint is the 'politics as usual' that he decries.

How in the world is criticism of Barack Obama's relationship with his pastor the same as a focus on Romney's secretive financial past? Worker after worker is coming forward to denounce the policies of Bain which led to their firing, and to highlight the bankrupting and destruction of their company by the Romney-led private equity company.

If Cory Booker is really 'nauseated' by the Obama campaign's focus on the truth about Romney's money-making schemes and the communities and workers left jobless in his wake, perhaps he needs to sit this one out. To be fair, Booker has since tried to reiterate his support for the Obama reelection campaign with friendly tweets and such, but he completely misses the point.

Romney's money-making, job-destroying past is anything but "a distraction from the real issues," as Booker described the Obama campaign's focus. If elected president, Romney would do for American what he's done in the past with Bain. He's promised explicitly to favor big business bail-outs over human capital in his economic plan. What could be more relevant to our campaign?

For the time being, Mr. Booker? Just STF . . .