# Booker presidency? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 14, 2017, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132 "2017-01-14T18:23:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/21 "2017-01-14T23:16:34Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Yeah? Well, you guys elected that Trudeau fellow! And there’s some _serious_ shit wrong with him! i just don’t happen to know offhand what it is! Some Canucks might think otherwise, but this one is disappointed by his support of [pipeline development](http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/federal-cabinet-trudeau-pipeline-decisions-1.3872828). At least he put the kibosk on the Northern Gateway pipeline, which took the edge off a little, but not much. Another “at least” - he’s not Stephen Motherfucking Goddamn Sonofabitch Harper. ETA: link didn’t work on my end, so: [Trudeau cabinet approves Trans Mountain, Line 3 pipelines, rejects Northern Gateway | CBC News](http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/federal-cabinet-trudeau-pipeline-decisions-1.3872828) ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/22 "2017-01-14T23:23:23Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > You mean Democrats like the Clintons? > > [http://www.wsj.com/articles/hillary-clintons-complex-corporate-ties-1424403002](http://www.wsj.com/articles/hillary-clintons-complex-corporate-ties-1424403002) > > [https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2015/04/24/hillary-clinton-peoples-champion-or-greedy-sellout/?utm\_term=.c95518301969](https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2015/04/24/hillary-clinton-peoples-champion-or-greedy-sellout/?utm_term=.c95518301969) > > [Did Big Business Cozy Up to Bill Clinton, Inc. to Get to Hillary?](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/28/did-big-business-cozy-up-to-bill-clinton-inc-to-get-to-hillary.html) > > etc etc. I really don’t think it’s fair to tie the Democrats to the Clintons. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/23 "2017-01-14T23:25:01Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > kibosk yikes - bit of a Freudian camisole letting slip my penchant for phone booths. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/24 "2017-01-15T04:21:15Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > I don’t think this vote will matter all that much in terms of the big picture. In general I think it’s more important to focus on the political talent of a candidate than their individual weaknesses . Almost everyone who ends up becoming President has serious weaknesses as a candidate and if they had lost you could easily make a reasoned case for why it was inevitable. With Obama the idea of an inexperienced black Senator from Chicago with Hussein as his middle name becoming a two-term president would have struck most savvy observers as ludicrous just a few years before it happened. The same with Bill Clinton and his obvious character problems. Both of them made up for their shortcomings with their outsized political talent. > > Of all the Democratic hopefuls, Booker seems the closest to them in terms of political chops. So the question isn’t whether he has this or that weakness but whether he has the eloquence,charm and savvy to glide over them the way Obama, Clinton and for that matter Reagan did. I suspect that he has but we don’t have to take it in on faith. It appears likely that the field in 2020 will be wide open and Booker will certainly have his work cut out to win states like Iowa and NH. If he can do well there, I suspect he will have the stuff to go all the way. So, “Never mind the untreated issues, this guy has roughly the same mix of flaws & strengths as the last two Dem Presidents, and we can market him the same way”? Yeah, considering what happened to Congress under the last two Dem Presidents, I think that’s over-confident. ---
**Author:** ![NiceGuyJack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/niceguyjack/32/3069_2.png) [@NiceGuyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NiceGuyJack)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/25 "2017-01-15T04:40:13Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > I don’t think this vote will matter all that much in terms of the big picture. In general I think it’s more important to focus on the political talent of a candidate than their individual weaknesses . Almost everyone who ends up becoming President has serious weaknesses as a candidate and if they had lost you could easily make a reasoned case for why it was inevitable. With Obama the idea of an inexperienced black Senator from Chicago with Hussein as his middle name becoming a two-term president would have struck most savvy observers as ludicrous just a few years before it happened. The same with Bill Clinton and his obvious character problems. Both of them made up for their shortcomings with their outsized political talent. > > Of all the Democratic hopefuls, Booker seems the closest to them in terms of political chops. So the question isn’t whether he has this or that weakness but whether he has the eloquence,charm and savvy to glide over them the way Obama, Clinton and for that matter Reagan did. I suspect that he has but we don’t have to take it in on faith. It appears likely that the field in 2020 will be wide open and Booker will certainly have his work cut out to win states like Iowa and NH. If he can do well there, I suspect he will have the stuff to go all the way. You make a good point, but I also get the feeling that there is a national change and awareness of the American voters. Clinton and Obama were certainly allowing donations to guide their decisions. After the last election, it seems more Americans are keeping a sharper eye on what is happening in Washington and thanks to Social Media, they have the ability to do so with ease. In fact taking this particular incident as an example, I think Booker was honestly surprised by the twitter back lash he received from voting against this bill. and now he is back peddling. I would venture to guess that Bernie Sanders truly raised the awareness of what was truly happening in Washington and even within the Democratic party. I find this quite interesting, top contributors for [Booker](https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00035267&cycle=2016) compared to [Sanders](https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00000528). ---
**Author:** ![NiceGuyJack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/niceguyjack/32/3069_2.png) [@NiceGuyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NiceGuyJack)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/26 "2017-01-15T04:48:59Z")
I find this quite interesting, top contributors for [Booker](https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00035267&cycle=2016) compared to [Sanders](https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00000528). Just fixed the links of the above. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/27 "2017-01-15T06:57:05Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I don’t think I deserve Trump. You’ll have to work on that, then. Vote in the 2018 midterms, for example. Write your congressional leaders to encourage them to resist stupidity. Of course, it may turn out that while you personally don’t deserve Trump, you’ll get him anyway since too many of your fellow Americans _do_. ---
**Author:** ![Salvor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Salvor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salvor)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/28 "2017-01-15T07:29:24Z")
Corey Booker is done. He is completely mealy mouthed when confronted with non pc topics, and now he is visibly seen as backing illiberal policies related to his pharma donors will and not the will of his constituents and those of the general liberal body. D O N E. He’s too much of a weasel to win, unworthy. I’m not saying we need the second coming of Bernie, but we need someone with a bit more spine, and it’s not Corey. ---
**Author:** ![Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pearl_Clutching_Provocateur)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/29 "2017-01-15T16:10:28Z")
Wait! I thought liberals loved regulation. We can’t trust Canadians to properly test drugs for safety. We need true blue American bureaucrats to test these medications. Think about our children. Our most valuable resource. The FDA should test these drugs multiple times and drag out the process as long as possible before exposing the American public to them. Trial lawyers need time to get ready to sue these greedy drug companies for the least side effect. And let’s face it, you only oppose Booker because he’s Black. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/30 "2017-01-15T17:04:06Z")
> [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > Wait! > > I thought liberals loved regulation. We can’t trust Canadians to properly test drugs for safety. We need true blue American bureaucrats to test these medications. Think about our children. Our most valuable resource. The FDA should test these drugs multiple times and drag out the process as long as possible before exposing the American public to them. Trial lawyers need time to get ready to sue these greedy drug companies for the least side effect. And let’s face it, you only oppose Booker because he’s Black. Holy gish gallop, batman! Is it random thought association day again? ---
**Author:** ![Salvor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Salvor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salvor)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/31 "2017-01-15T17:04:46Z")
> [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > Wait! > > I thought liberals loved regulation. We can’t trust Canadians to properly test drugs for safety. We need true blue American bureaucrats to test these medications. Think about our children. Our most valuable resource. The FDA should test these drugs multiple times and drag out the process as long as possible before exposing the American public to them. Trial lawyers need time to get ready to sue these greedy drug companies for the least side effect. And let’s face it, you only oppose Booker because he’s Black. You forgot about Corey being more likely to use the words Merry Christmas too (Merrry CHRISTY CHRISTY CHRISTMAS !!!), can’t forget to cover ALL the bases. Liberals do not love ALL regulation, in a way we are just less retarded versions of republicans. Ask liberals and conservatives what they think would be better from the following choices: More Regulation Less Regulation Better Regulation And I’d be shocked if we did not find that conservatives would be more likely to choose Less regulation than the other Two. I’m sure liberals would choose the more regulation option more than conservatives, but who would choose the RIGHT answer more often? Which group is more likely to choose better regulation? You know, the option that encompasses case by case analysis, where the superior solution MIGHT be less, regulation, or it might be more regulation, or simply more targeted regulation, or none, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/32 "2017-01-15T17:49:20Z")
> [@NiceGuyJack](#): > > I find this quite interesting, top contributors for [Booker](https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00035267&cycle=2016) compared to [Sanders](https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00000528). > > Just fixed the links of the above. Corey Booker is also from New Jersey which is pharma central so he has a lot of constituents who would have vested interests in wanting this defeated. It’s an economic issue for many people there. Similarly, Bernie Sanders while he was the Congressman from Vermont voted in general however the NRA wanted him to vote including giving gun manufacturers immunity from law suits etc. Now, did that mean that Bernie Sanders was a pawn of the NRA? I don’t think so. I think he voted that way because for the people of Vermont guns are an important cultural issue and he saw himself as voting for their interests. Perhaps it’s the same for him. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/33 "2017-01-15T17:53:13Z")
> [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > Wait! > > I thought liberals loved regulation. We can’t trust Canadians to properly test drugs for safety. We need true blue American bureaucrats to test these medications. Think about our children. Our most valuable resource. The FDA should test these drugs multiple times and drag out the process as long as possible before exposing the American public to them. Trial lawyers need time to get ready to sue these greedy drug companies for the least side effect. And let’s face it, you only oppose Booker because he’s Black. Republicans love regulations, too. It’s a useful way to ignore the Supreme Court. Look how Texas got slapped down for using over-regulation to shut down abortion clinics. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/34 "2017-01-15T17:53:40Z")
Their behavior during the confirmation hearings suggests pretty strongly that Cory Booker and Kamala Harris both want to be the next Obama and will both run in 2020. If Booker is the nominee, nearly every liberal will rally around him, and almost none will remember his stance on cheap foreign meds. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/35 "2017-01-15T18:08:34Z")
> [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > …I thought liberals loved regulation… Booker because he’s Black. You have a deaf gift for satire. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/36 "2017-01-15T18:16:31Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Their behavior during the confirmation hearings suggests pretty strongly that Cory Booker and Kamala Harris both want to be the next Obama and will both run in 2020. > > If Booker is the nominee, nearly every liberal will rally around him, and almost none will remember\*\* his stance on cheap foreign meds.\*\* The problem with that bill was it would allow consumers to order direct from foreign pharmacies with no real way to confirm these are legitimate pharmacies and if the drugs are the real thing. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/37 "2017-01-15T18:40:21Z")
Those Canadian rascals ! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/38 "2017-01-15T18:46:38Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > Those Canadian rascals ! Not just Canadian. The bill specifically allowed other countries. Also, many of the phony pharmacies claim to be Canadian. We even get spam from 'em here. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/39 "2017-01-15T19:18:49Z")
Leftists have disliked Booker for years, nothing new on that front. It’ll be interesting to see if they can stop candidates like Booker from grabbing the crown, or just make a lot of noise and depress voter turnout. > [@Procrustus](#): > > I don’t think the Democrats are known for selling out to big business. [Oh wait, you’re serious.](https://youtu.be/_n5E7feJHw0) ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132/40 "2017-01-15T19:59:16Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > [Oh wait, you’re serious.](https://youtu.be/_n5E7feJHw0) Maybe I’ve been spoiled by 8 years of Obama. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booker-presidency/777132.md?page=3)