Cory Booker-why is everyone so down?

[Hindsight was 2020]

In honor of the Castro thread I decided to dedicate one to the other guy who on paper looks good for 2020 but is a punching bag which is Cory Booker.

Why are people so down on Booker? He is a likeable, charismatic, well-spoken man that cares about the less fortunate. On paper he should be a great challenger to Trump in 2020 but some libs here are saying he will lose in a Mondale type landslide.

So why are people so down on his chances?

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Ties to Wall Street, sided with Romney over Bain Capital, supports the Patriot Act.

[Tintrlvr]

I think he'd have a very good chance to win in a general election, but I can't see him making it out of the primary. I do think he's less charismatic than is sometimes attributed.

[Progressive]

I like Cory Booker a lot...and it worries me that unless the candidate is Biden, Bernie, or Warren, people seem to shrug their shoulders

[Confused Democrat]

bald

[DS0816]

Corporatist tool.

From Democratic Party inside perspective—Cory Booker looks like good packaging.

Outside that bubble, and in the nation’s political landscape, Booker is shallow and is not a suitable fit for where the people who would normally vote for the party are heading.

If the Ds will not unseat Donald Trump, in 2020, and they want to lose, well then Cory could be of use.

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

Also effeminate. People speculated he was gay, and his senate opponent attacked him for getting his nails done and implied that he wasn't a real "guy" for possibly being gay. Trump would go a lot harder on him.

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

The far-left hates pragmatic technocrat center-left candidates. He's one of the most qualified and would make a pretty good Dem President if it wasn't for his ties to radical groups. *

*I speak, of course, of PETA.

[Progressive]

I have to say a lot of the potential male candidates for 2020 discussed on the Forum have been described as "too gay" to be on the national stage. I'm not someone who gets easily bent out of shape and I absolutely resent the 'PC police' but doesn't anyone else think it's really problematic to say things like that?

I say this as a gay man but also someone who wonders if people would say, "X is too black, Jewish, masculine, etc."

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

I have to say a lot of the potential male candidates for 2020 discussed on the Forum have been described as "too gay" to be on the national stage. I'm not someone who gets easily bent out of shape and I absolutely resent the 'PC police' but doesn't anyone else think it's really problematic to say things like that?

I say this as a gay man but also someone who wonders if people would say, "X is too black, Jewish, masculine, etc."

As for my comments, I'm simply referring to how the public would perceive them, and it isn't even based on my own perceptions. As I said, his Senate opponent basically implied he wasn't a man, you think Trump wouldn't get more vicious?

[Progressive]

I have to say a lot of the potential male candidates for 2020 discussed on the Forum have been described as "too gay" to be on the national stage. I'm not someone who gets easily bent out of shape and I absolutely resent the 'PC police' but doesn't anyone else think it's really problematic to say things like that?

I say this as a gay man but also someone who wonders if people would say, "X is too black, Jewish, masculine, etc."

As for my comments, I'm simply referring to how the public would perceive them, and it isn't even based on my own perceptions. As I said, his Senate opponent basically implied he wasn't a man, you think Trump wouldn't get more vicious?

No I know that, and I'm not necessarily criticizing anyone for individually saying it knowing that the GOP would try to pounce on it, I guess I'm just venting aloud how painful it is to read that. I also worry that it's true and even in a Dem primary, people would be reluctant to support a "gay sounding" or "acting" man

[Hindsight was 2020]

Corporatist tool.

From Democratic Party inside perspective—Cory Booker looks like good packaging.

Outside that bubble, and in the nation’s political landscape, Booker is shallow and is not a suitable fit for where the people who would normally vote for the party are heading.

If the Ds will not unseat Donald Trump, in 2020, and they want to lose, well then Cory could be of use.

You guys keep saying how hated Booker is outside "the dem insider bubble" but I have yet to see physical evidence like polling that backs that up

[RINO Tom]

Corporatist tool.

From Democratic Party inside perspective—Cory Booker looks like good packaging.

Outside that bubble, and in the nation’s political landscape, Booker is shallow and is not a suitable fit for where the people who would normally vote for the party are heading.

If the Ds will not unseat Donald Trump, in 2020, and they want to lose, well then Cory could be of use.

You guys keep saying how hated Booker is outside "the dem insider bubble" but I have yet to see physical evidence like polling that backs that up

I have a feeling turnout from, ya know, loyally progressive Democratic voters - the heart of the party - would drop dramatically if he were at the top of the ticket.  Outside of a few tools on Atlas, most Democratic voters care deeply about economic justice; it's what ties a diverse party together.

[Hindsight was 2020]

Corporatist tool.

From Democratic Party inside perspective—Cory Booker looks like good packaging.

Outside that bubble, and in the nation’s political landscape, Booker is shallow and is not a suitable fit for where the people who would normally vote for the party are heading.

If the Ds will not unseat Donald Trump, in 2020, and they want to lose, well then Cory could be of use.

You guys keep saying how hated Booker is outside "the dem insider bubble" but I have yet to see physical evidence like polling that backs that up

I have a feeling turnout from, ya know, loyally progressive Democratic voters - the heart of the party - would drop dramatically if he were at the top of the ticket.  Outside of a few tools on Atlas, most Democratic voters care deeply about economic justice; it's what ties a diverse party together.

He could pick Bernie/Warren/or Fiengold as his VP

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Ties to Wall Street, sided with Romney over Bain Capital, supports the Patriot Act.

Yes, he's terrible, but he could still get nominated.

[politics_king]

I don't mind Cory Booker, I just think he would be an extremely weak candidate. He'd be better off in cabinet position or working in the Senate. He's a likeable guy but he has very questionable policy and where he stands on issues. But with Elizabeth Warren & him getting bigger responsibilities in the Senate, their setting themselves up for 2020 along with Martin O'Malley. I think John Bel Edwards will throw his hat into the ring too and I think we can suspect Bill DeBlasio as well, that's 5 candidates and I'm sure Sherrod Brown will have support. Al Franken took himself out of the running, he gets more work done in the Senate but could be an excellent Vice Presidential pick. I don't think the Democrats should run more than 8 candidates to go against Donald Trump.

[Saint Milei]

Poor man's Obama

[BlueSwan]

I think Booker would be a fine candidate for the general election. I am getting increasingly concerned about our own tea party. Please, let's not nominate a wing nut. The GOP smear machine will TEAR THEM APART, almost no matter how terrible of a president Trump turns out to be. The republicans are so much better at playing dirty politics, than the dems. Don't buy into the illusion that America is ready for a socialist president. It's not.

[Santander]

Ties to Wall Street, sided with Romney over Bain Capital, supports the Patriot Act.

These are honestly his best qualities.

[RINO Tom]

Ties to Wall Street, sided with Romney over Bain Capital, supports the Patriot Act.

These are honestly his best qualities.

LOL, you're a complicated fellow, at least.

[DS0816]

I think Booker would be a fine candidate for the general election. I am getting increasingly concerned about our own tea party. Please, let's not nominate a wing nut. The GOP smear machine will TEAR THEM APART, almost no matter how terrible of a president Trump turns out to be. The republicans are so much better at playing dirty politics, than the dems. Don't buy into the illusion that America is ready for a socialist president. It's not.

The Democratic Party needs a "tea party."

The Democratic Party, as for what it is now and who has the influence over the party, is The Republican Party, Part II.

They are masters at depressing their base. Under Barack Obama, the high point of Democratic Party electability was Obama's first election, in 2008, while the midterms [2010, 2014] were disasters. In 2012, Obama was re-elected with lowered support (most presidents re-elected to a second term gain). And the party lost the White House with Election 2016 with a worshipped-by-true-believers candidate [Hillary Clinton] who couldn't hold Wisconsin (Republican first time since Ronald Reagan was re-elected with 49 states in 1984) and both Pennsylvania and Michigan (last Republican in 1988).

There is no one, especially one who self-identifies as a Democrat, who should be accepting with this Democratic Party.

What needs to happen is the end of active Democratic Party careers of a whole lot of these people. They are damaging. And reform and realignment in the party, for an ideologically left-wing party (representative throughout the nation), is a must.

The only one of the two major political parties advancing their agenda is the right-wing Republican Party. The nation needs to be moving left on policies. The people are already there. They are there.

This Democratic Party loses, for the most part, because they are not enough of a contrast to the Republicans. They are different from Republicans on social issues. But, on others, they are too much like the Republicans.

[Mr. Smith]

It'd be like hoping for Charles Matthias to be the challenger to Jimmy Carter, Joe Lieberman against George W. Bush, Jon Huntsman against Obama.

See the problems with those match-ups? There's your answer.