# Cory Booker **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 28, 2019, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cory-booker/831645 "2019-03-28T02:49:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cory-booker/831645/1 "2019-03-28T02:49:16Z")
I am watching Cory Booker’s town hall appearance. My impression is that this guy is very lucid on a wide range of subjects. To the issue if beating Trump, I think that would be a good contrast. Trump is Derp all the time, and I doubt he could stop if he tried. I am already more familiar with him than, say, Tulsi Gabbard. I think he is strong on representing the poorest people, advocating good government, health care, climate change, others. He sounds in favor of gun regulation, which politically might be a liability but if you are going to pick one, favor progressives over conservatives, sure. I am seeing a lot of strength in this candidate. He doesn’t have Buttigeig’s or Tabbard’s military experience, but he is a seasoned politician, neither too old nor too young, fully plausible as POTUS. I also notice a hypnotic aspect like I noticed in Tabbard. She does it with the “two faces” effect, while Booker and Sarah Sanders achieve it through eyes that don’t focus on the same point. I mention Sarah Sanders because she is perhaps the most likable Trump Administration figure for me, and I think it is because of this hypnotic aspect. There is a crossover appeal in that, even though I can tell she is almost relentlessly full of crap. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cory-booker/831645/2 "2019-03-28T03:04:07Z")
Trump has shown that being derp all the time and full of crap is precisely what can get someone elected. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cory-booker/831645/3 "2019-03-28T03:22:57Z")
Okay, but because: sensationalism. Contrasted with substance? ---
**Author:** ![Celidin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Celidin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celidin)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cory-booker/831645/4 "2019-03-28T03:35:24Z")
I’ve been in Cory Booker’s court for several years now, since I met him when he was still mayor of Newark. The man knows his policy, and genuinely seems to care and fight for the poor, disadvantaged, and disenfranchised. He’s also the closest thing to a superhero we’ve seen in a politician, probably ever ([one example](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/13/nyregion/newark-mayor-cory-booker-saves-woman-from-house-fire.html)). ---
**Author:** ![Dacien](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dacien/32/5663_2.png) [@Dacien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dacien)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cory-booker/831645/5 "2019-03-28T22:12:56Z")
People I respect on the right acknowledged that the town hall went very well for Booker. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2019, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cory-booker/831645/6 "2019-04-08T19:11:42Z")
I was starting to like **Cory Booker** very much, if only by process of elimination. _Slavery reparations??_ :smack: Are the Ds determined to make Trump a two-term President? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2019, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cory-booker/831645/7 "2019-04-08T19:22:19Z")
I think Booker is the most naturally talented and charismatic politician in the race right now. That will serve him well in interviews, town halls, and especially the debates, which might give him a chance to stand out in the crowded field. ---
**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:** [April 8, 2019, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cory-booker/831645/8 "2019-04-08T19:48:10Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > I was starting to like **Cory Booker** very much, if only by process of elimination. > > _Slavery reparations??_ :smack: Are the Ds determined to make Trump a two-term President? :eek: This doesn’t seem like a bad idea. Let’s see what they come up with and then debate the merits. > [@](#): > > “It will bring together the best minds to study the issue and propose solutions that will finally begin to right the economic scales of past harms and make sure we are a country where all dignity and humanity is affirmed.” ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2019, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cory-booker/831645/9 "2019-04-08T20:03:09Z")
Yeah, not seeing the problem since I think almost every other Dem candidate also supports this idea. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2019, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cory-booker/831645/10 "2019-04-08T21:03:24Z")
What you guys think about reparations is irrelevant, as is what Democratic progressives think, as is what I think. The only people whose thoughts on the subject matter are the laid-off and disillusioned coal-miners and steel-workers of Pennsylvania. _What do you imagine they think about reparations for slavery?_ ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2019, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cory-booker/831645/11 "2019-04-08T21:37:03Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > What you guys think about reparations is irrelevant, as is what Democratic progressives think, as is what I think. > > The only people whose thoughts on the subject matter are the laid-off and disillusioned coal-miners and steel-workers of Pennsylvania. _What do you imagine they think about reparations for slavery?_ **septimus** gets it. Reparations are a primary winner and a general-election loser. Carry on. ---
**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:** [April 8, 2019, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cory-booker/831645/12 "2019-04-08T23:46:45Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > **septimus** gets it. Reparations are a primary winner and a general-election loser. Carry on. Even just a commission to look into It? I’m all for winning back the Rust Belt, but I don’t think we should walk on eggshells to do it. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cory-booker/831645/13 "2019-04-09T01:11:11Z")
I think reparations can be talked about - just don’t call it 40-acres and a mule ‘reparations’. Call it something else, like a equal opportunity stimulus or equal opportunity commission or something like that. FTR, I do think we owe black America one hell of a lot more than they’ve received. If black misery had ended in 1865, maybe we’re living in a different society. But the dream of white supremacy and the nightmare of white terrorism and pro-white apartheid persisted for nearly another century, and even after that, the lost cause myth continues to infect new generations who seek a better understanding of racism and capitalism’s legacy. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cory-booker/831645/14 "2019-04-09T15:19:57Z")
Back when he was mayor I heard Booker speak twice. He was every bit as good or better than Obama as a public speaker. But that’s Obama giving a prepared speech with a TelePrompTer. Booker was speaking off the top of his head without even any notes. I immediately felt I was looking at a future president. That was ten years ago. Now I’m not so sure. He did manage to extricate himself from the cesspool of Newark politics relatively unscathed (although with some valid questions about his effectiveness). But as he’s been gearing up for his run he seems to be trying to remake his image as being tough. His angry grandstanding during confirmation hearings does not play to his strengths and will only hurt him IMHO. That’s politics post 2016. Everyone thinks you need to be angry and have insulting sound bites because that got Trump air time. Booker has a natural warmth and charisma that should make him go far if he showcases it. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cory-booker/831645/15 "2019-04-10T17:15:35Z")
Obama was a brilliant organizer, a non-profit organizational builder. I think few people give him credit for his entrepreneurial skill simply because he never built a Wall Street business, but non-profit businesses are still very much businesses. You still have to bring in more than you spend; you just don’t have shareholders to pay. Obama built a machine. Except for Bernie Sanders, who has already clearly established that he can build a campaign from the ground up, it remains to be seen how the other candidates will manage in this regard. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2019, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cory-booker/831645/16 "2019-05-02T03:34:30Z")
subscribe on paper, Booker looks like one of the top candidates. But I don’t know much about him. I just gave him $3, so I expect he’ll be emailing me going forward. (I’ve been giving $3 to people I want to see in the first debate.) ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2019, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cory-booker/831645/17 "2019-05-02T13:25:09Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > What you guys think about reparations is irrelevant, as is what Democratic progressives think, as is what I think. > > The only people whose thoughts on the subject matter are the laid-off and disillusioned coal-miners and steel-workers of Pennsylvania. _What do you imagine they think about reparations for slavery?_ I think it’s an interesting strategy. If he could increase the African-American voter turnout by 10-15%, he could forget the angry white guys in the Rust Belt. Of course, that’s a tall order ( Obama increased the black turnout by less that 5%, IIRC) and I don’t know if it’s possible.