Mayor of Newark - Cory Booker

[Moooooo]

Cory Booker.

About a year ago I read an article titled ‘40 Best and Brightest” in which Cory Booker, candidate for Mayor of Newark, was mentioned.  I immediately became intrigued by this guy.  A Yale Law graduate and Rhodes Scholar obsessed with becoming Mayor of one of America’s most troubled cities.  What also flared my interest in Booker was his no nonsense style.  Example - He lived in the projects among his constituents despite the fact that he was fairly well off and could afford to live just about anywhere.

Anyway, I stumbled over this DVD, Street Fight , and decided to purchase it.



I’m really interested in this guy, so I’d appreciate hearing some of your opinions on his life and career (especially from NJ residents).


For those of you who are interested I’ve highlighted parts of his Wiki bio below-

Short Bio

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Councilman

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Booker lost his bid for Mayor in 2002, but ran again in 2006 and won.

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[MAS117]

Cory Booker is the future of the Democratic Party in New Jersey, no doubt about that.

[Keystone Phil]

Street Fight was amazing. I recently asked NixonNow if he could find me a copy because I had an urge to watch it again. This documentary helped me realize that former Mayor Sharpe James is one of the biggest pieces of trash alive.

[Moooooo]

Street Fight was amazing. I recently asked NixonNow if he could find me a copy because I had an urge to watch it again. This documentary helped me realize that former Mayor Sharpe James is one of the biggest pieces of trash alive.

I just purchased it online (its available pre-order at Amazon and the site I linked above).  Cant wait to watch as Ive heard nothing, but positive reviews thus far.

[Keystone Phil]

Street Fight was amazing. I recently asked NixonNow if he could find me a copy because I had an urge to watch it again. This documentary helped me realize that former Mayor Sharpe James is one of the biggest pieces of trash alive.

I just purchased it online (its available pre-order at Amazon and the site I linked above).  Cant wait to watch as Ive heard nothing, but positive reviews thus far.

Any political junkie would love it.

[Moooooo]

Mayor Sharpe James is one of the biggest pieces of trash alive.

From what Ive read you seem to be spot on.  Not sure if this is true, but I read online that he tried to brand Booker as the 'white', Jewish, Klan candidate.  Kind of a weird combo.

[Keystone Phil]

Mayor Sharpe James is one of the biggest pieces of trash alive.

From what Ive read you seem to be spot on.  Not sure if this is true, but I read online that he tried to brand Booker as the 'white', Jewish, Klan candidate.  Kind of a weird combo.

You just wait to hear what else that slime has to say...

[merseysider]

I've watched Street Fight (it was on TV over here on BBC4 a few weeks ago). I was really impressed by Booker and thought that higher office must surely beckon - Governor or Congressman perhaps? I get the impression that some real slimeballs have got elected in New Jersey over the years so he'd represent a definite improvement.

Sharpe James (the incumbent he unsuccessfully challenged in 2002) came across as a crook and a goon - he accused Booker of not being a 'proper African-American', and made a number of blatantly anti-semitic comments, saying that Booker's campaign was funded by Jews. The local cops were filmed shutting down businesses that had displayed Booker campaign posters. It was quite funny to see James at a campaign rally on the stage with then-Governor James McGreevey and various local Democratic dignitaries.

[poughies]

It was a great documentary..... I hope Booker runs for governor or senator one day...

[Moooooo]

Cory Booker is the future of the Democratic Party in New Jersey, no doubt about that.

I certainly hope that he is. Cory Booker is a great man, unlike the rest of the trash Democrats in New Jersey.

I take it the party bosses arent to fond of him?

[dazzleman]

What I've read about him is very positive.

We should remember though that Sharpe James was originally elected as a reform mayor also.  Long periods of time in a corrupt, single-party system will ruin even some of the better politicians.

I wish Cory Booker well.  Still, I don't think a place like Newark can ever thrive in the longer run as long as it's run by a one-party political machine, as most of our cities seem to be.  Their politics is a reflection of their basic dysfunctionality, and at the same time helps to perpetuate it.

[Keystone Phil]

Cory Booker is the future of the Democratic Party in New Jersey, no doubt about that.

I certainly hope that he is. Cory Booker is a great man, unlike the rest of the trash Democrats in New Jersey.

I take it the party bosses arent to fond of him?

Again, you'll see in the film the people that line up for Sharpe...and some of the interesting people that support Booker.

[DownWithTheLeft]

The man is great, Idk if it's been mentioned but he's living in the toughest neighborhood instead of the mayor's mansion.  The only problem for him once he is done being mayor of Newark is that he is not a corrupt member of the machine, and unless Sharpe James retires he really doesnt have a shot at a state senate seat let alone higher.

[Moooooo]

Street Fight Trailer

[True Democrat]

I saw this on PBS awhile ago.  It was really good.

[Alcon]

Is there any significant group which doesn't like him (at least in his current incarnation)?

[DownWithTheLeft]

Is there any significant group which doesn't like him (at least in his current incarnation)?

Not really, I would have to guess oddly enough the Democratic establishment does not like him for his harsh criticism at times of Sharpe James and the fact he stands up to corruption (although the Essex County machine is far from the Hudson)

[Smash255]

He has a very bright future ahead of him

[MAS117]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/20/nyregion/20newark.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin

[MAS117]

Is there any significant group which doesn't like him (at least in his current incarnation)?

The blood and the Crips. The Bloods were planning to assasinate him before he took office.

[RBH]

http://blogs.nydailynews.com/dailypolitics/archives/2006/11/an_image_proble.php

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[Keystone Phil]

I found out that Booker also supports school vouchers and campaigned for Lieberman this year. God bless this great man.

[Moooooo]

http://blogs.nydailynews.com/dailypolitics/archives/2006/11/an_image_proble.php

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This type of thing goes on all the time in politics.  If you have a winning team in place during the campaign... why not bring them in to help govern?

Witch hunt.

[dazzleman]

This type of thing goes on all the time in politics.  If you have a winning team in place during the campaign... why not bring them in to help govern?

[/quote]

Because they may be capable of helping elect you, but not of governing.  They're two very different skills.

Often, the people who helped get a politican elected become a major source of trouble for him when they're brought in to help him govern.  Booker is treading on thin ice, and ought to be careful, especially in the virtually communistic one-party system that exists in Newark.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

This type of thing goes on all the time in politics.  If you have a winning team in place during the campaign... why not bring them in to help govern?

Isn't that basically what Jimmy Carter did?