What is unique about Cory Booker? He is the only rising star of his generation in the Democratic Party. Newly elected Senator Elizabeth Warren may have a minimum of incandescence on the left but moving beyond the senate at her age and playing a perpetual second fiddle to Hillary the Great means she is probably at the pinnacle of her of her career unless she can manage a Cherokee casino. I watch in bemused amazement as pundits of both persuasions bemoan the future of the Republican Party.
At 44 Booker may be the future of his party but he is a solo act. The average age of the speakers at the two political conventions last year was 28 years older among Democrats to Republicans. Looking at Booker's Republican age peers we find Bobby Jindal at 42, Nikki Haley, 41, Scott Walker, 45, Susana Martinez, 54, Chris Christie, 50, Mike Pence, 54 Sarah Palin, 49, Mike Lee, 41, Rand Paul, 50, Marco Rubio, 42, Ted Cruz, 42 and Paul Ryan, 43. Everyone of these people have the potential to seek and win higher office. Plus there is a huge roster of second tier, telegenic, congressional Republicans who could rise but have yet to announce an ambition for higher office including Jason Chaffetz, 46, Kristi Noam, 41, Trey Gowdy, 48, Marlin Stuzman, 36 (Watch him! He's Indiana's next senator.) and many more.
Booker and Christie play well together as the bipartisan team the public is said to want. Both have drawn media attention far beyond New Jersey by attracting national media doing the mundane business of governing. Booker appears on MSNBC's Morning Joe as often as Joe and Mika. Christie has an able videographer who must have shot hundreds of hours of him speaking and arguing and has edited the best for YouTube. It's a clever and original idea and it may work.
Steve Lonegan, the Republican candidate who will face Booker in the senate race is seemly over matched. Even in a purple state he would be the underdog but in blue New Jersey he will do well to be competitive. I would urge the national Republican Party to go all out, pedal to the metal, to paint Booker as the rather mediocre mayor of Newark he has been and to point out his dubious connection to Silicon Valley money. Waywire his video aggregation company is said to be losing cash quickly and it is supposedly being kept alive through early November so that it's closure doesn't hurt Booker's chances at winning the New Jersey Senate race. The 15-year-old son of CNN president Jeff Zucker had a position on the company's advisory board and had stock options in the company.
Even in losing if the Republicans can dirty up Booker as a wheeling dealing wannabe technocrat they could tarnish Booker enough to make him a second Bob Menendez rather than the second coming of Barack Obama. Booker is the only rising star in his party and killing his career will do damage well beyond New Jersey.
I generally like Cory Booker but lost tremendous respect for him when he changed his tune because his Leftist party demanded it. Also his city is one of the worst in the country, no, WORLD. It's like saying Dave Bing (whom I like) should run for POTUS because he's run Detroit and understands the problems with a crap sandwich. Yes, the Republican bench is not only deep but DIVERSE. The press mocked the RNC convention but I enjoyed much of it; Martinez, etc, were all testaments to the thriving Republican party that needs to break away from the RINOs like Christie, who, quite frankly, scares me. He's just another wolf in sheep's clothing. He might get the economy on track but he's a bully who really should just be another Democrat.
ReplyDeleteI don't have really strong feelings about Booker. He is ambitious enough, I believe, to challenge Hillary should he win a senate seat. I doubt if he can be defeated in Jersey but he could be damaged. For the life of me I can't see Christie winning a primary in Iowa or South Carolina. He could do like Giuliani and put it all on the Florida primary and lose there. Christie is pro life and Giuliani was not but any other contender is also pro life. I see Cruz and Paul but especially Paul winning more younger voters with his opposition to drones and NSA. What pains the media when they look at congress is they know it's the future. The party with ideas can attract bright, young people and Lee, Paul, and Cruz are very bright. Look at Massachusetts. Both senators, both recently elected, are in their 60's and both are older than retired Senator Jim DeMint. The Republicans have never controlled West Virginia yet the Democrats cannot come up with a credible candidate to replace Rockefeller. I guess our generation had its chance and screwed it up.
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