My twitter timeline blew up this morning when news that Newark Mayor Cory Booker said this on Meet The Press this morning (About the 6:30 mark):
Appearing on NBC’s “Meet The Press” on Sunday, Newark, New Jersey Mayor and Obama surrogate Cory Booker said he was “uncomfortable” with the Obama campaign’s attacks on Mitt Romney’s career with Bain Capital.
“It’s a distraction from the real issues,” Booker said, of both attacks on Bain and Rev. Jeremiah Wright. “It’s either gonna be a small campaign about this crap, or it’s gonna be a big campaign about the issues the American public cares about.”
“I’m not about to sit here and indict private equity,” Booker added. “If you look at the totality of Bain Capital’s record, they’ve done a lot to support businesses — to grow businesses. And this to me, I’m very uncomfortable.”
Cory? Bro? I love you, man, but equating the Obama campaign’s attacks on Bain Capital to the attacks this week on the President about Rev. Wright is, how shall I say this gently? Complete bullshit?
If you’re a surrogate for the Obama campaign and the RNC is happily quoting you, You’re Doing It Wrong(tm).
Later on in the discussion, Jim Cramer comes out to the left of Booker on this and reminds us that, you know, Bain got rich by job un-creating a lot of people’s jobs. Jim effing Cramer is the voice of reason? C’mon Cory, you’re better than this.
[UPDATE] And yes, I understand asking the Mayor of Newark to attack Wall Street is like asking a Kentucky or West Virginia Democratic Mayor to attack Big Coal. It’s just not going to happen. But equating the Obama campaign’s attacks on Bain to the Jeremiah Wright nonsense is way the hell over the line and I’m calling him out on it. Period, full stop. [UPDATE 2] Booker follows up with this video clarification:
Ben Franklin
Then you must’ve seen the mutual masturbation clip of Christie and he yukking it up.
Politics makes verrrrrrrry strange bedfellows.
arguingwithsignposts
Oh, I will. Pick me! Pick me!
Anton Sirius
I started to watch that clip, then David Gregory showed up and I had to shut it off to avoid punching a hole in my laptop.
Hill Dweller
The obvious difference is Romney claims Bain’s goal was creating jobs, which it wasn’t, and his experience there makes him uniquely qualified to run the country. Romney made this part of his campaign, not Democrats. The Obama campaign would be stupid not to punch holes in Willard’s ridiculous claims.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
IIRC, the financiers of the NYC suburbs are major contributors to NJ state politics. This is wannabe Governor Booker talking. Stupid fuck.
The entire rationale of Romney’s candidacy is that he “knows the economy”, “knows how to create jobs” based on his tenure at Bain. The whole argument is moronic. Is he gonna ‘spin off’ West Virginia (no offense, Mr Cole) and Mississippi as underproductive subsidiaries? Lay off the elderly and the handicapped Medicaid patients? How hard is it to make this argument?
ETA: Huh. What’s the moderation trigger in there?
The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik
Pardon me while I facedesk. Repeatedly.
arguingwithsignposts
@Anton Sirius: I don’t watch any clips from “Meet The Republicans” for that very reason.
lacp
Cory Booker is a right-wing shill? Quelle surprise!
rikyrah
I’m glad they lit his ass up.
fuck Corey Booker.
Hill Dweller
Booker isn’t this stupid. What was his motive for saying this stuff while acting as campaign surrogate?
NCSteve
Newark is as much a city run by Wall Street ball polishers as New York. This guy criticizing private equity is about as likely as Bloomburg doing it. In fact, it’s even less likely than a gazillionaire who can self-finance his campaigns doing it.
But that’s the thing about Democratic politicians: all too often, if they perceive the slightest discrepancy between toeing the party line in front of a TV camera and protecting their own highly myopic perception of their personal political best interests, out the knives come. Many of them are still so bound up in Tip O’Neil’s “all politics is local” trope, which largely ceased to be true when the GOP went insane in the 90s, and they lack either the strategic sense or the moral courage necessary to see how intimately their reelection prospects are connected to those of the national party. And it’s not the dwindling Blue Dogs. For whatever reason, otherwise liberal New Jersey Democrats are just the absolute frakking worst about this kind of crap.
4tehlulz
When Blue Dogs pull this shit, they can at least claim they reflect their more conservative constituency.
Cory Booker is the mayor of Newark, what the hell is his excuse?
LosGatosCA
The difference between a conservative Republican TeaBagger and anyone affiliated with the Democratic Party is that the Baggers generally know where the jugular is and even when they don’t, they go for it, while Democratic operatives just want to be liked (or maybe it’s that they just want to be paid).
The Democratic political bible seems to be ‘How to underperform electorally by seeming to be/being weak and compromising in the face of relentless and extremist lies’ first edition written by Dukakis, updated by Gore, by Breaux, by Kerry, by Lieberman and enthusiastically edited by Shrum, Beckel, et al.
SIA
Ben Franklin
Many of them are still so bound up in Tip O’Neil’s “all politics is local” trope, which largely ceased to be true when the GOP went insane in the 90s,
The Tea Party transited from Show Trials at Village Events, but don’t assume they have taken in their horns. The quietude is because they are working hard at grass level to change the locals.
Let’s not underestimate them.
c u n d gulag
Why don’t Democrats know how to play this “Politics” game?
And, yeah, Mayor Booker, if you find yourself to the right of Jim Cramer, you’ve kinda lost your way.
parsimon
For what it’s worth, I saw that Booker exchange in real time on the tee-vee, and he went on to explain that he has a set of Obama surrogate talking points in his briefcase (so to speak), and they’re not remotely about negative attacks on Romney, but rather positive points about what Obama has done, what democratic plans offer, and so on.
He said that that’s the sort of thing that speaks to the people in town halls and such. I think his perspective is coming much more from the trenches, discussion ‘on the ground’ with voters: his point was less that both sides do it (“it” in this case being negative campaigning) and more that voters tune out on that kind of thing.
Whether he’s right on that is a different question.
c u n d gulag
My comment is ‘awaiting moderation?’
Jeez, there’s not ONE objectionable word or term in there?
‘Sup wid dat?
arguingwithsignposts
Thank you.
arguingwithsignposts
Also, fuck Bain Capital, and all that private equity nonsense.
I want some numbers, mayor. The only business they’ve grown is their own.
TheOtherWA
So glad I didn’t watch that show today. Would have had to buy a new tv after throwing stuff at it.
BGinCHI
Booker is the black
Jimmy CarterRonald Reagan.some guy
this is the fucker who wants to bust Newark’s teacher’s union.
go fuck yourself, Cory.
Linnaeus
Thank you, Zandar. It’ll be interesting to see what the Cory Booker fans I see on Facebook and Twitter have to say about this.
robertdsc-iPhone 4
Goddamned clown. Go fuck yourself, Cory.
Donut
There is a way to say you disagree with a specific line of attack without stomping on your team’s message. It’s not that hard to do … “well, I don’t know that I would totally agree with every minute detail of the ad, says, but you do have to agree that the president’s record of job creation is real and measurable, where Romney’s is not. Look at how many months of job creation we have had since 2009, compared to the Bush years, which Romney would take us back to in terms of economic policy. The president’s policies are working and Mitt Romney is stuck In the past with a failed ideology of tax breaks for himself and his rich friends.”
Not that hard. So…try harder, Cory!
BGinCHI
I’m in moderation for something. No idea.
We are in deep dogshit if politicians like this are so enamored of destructive capitalism. The IL state legislature is doing the same thing right now to public employees. If we can’t even get the Dems to fight for working people, we’re going to have to find someone who will.
Suffern ACE
I could agree with Booker that I wish we could have a campaign about those elusive “real issues that are facing America.” I haven’t watched the clip, so I don’t know. Did he actually start listing what some of those real issues are and what his party’s solutions are? That might have been helpful, given that he had such an important platform this morning.
arguingwithsignposts
It’s “Meet The Republicans,” so of course they aren’t going to b00k Bernie Sanders. Is Mayor B00ker even a real “surrogate” in the sense he’s been coached by Obama’s campaign, or do they just call him that because he’s black and has a D after his name?
Donut
Adding, I think Booker seems like a good guy, from what little I know, and seems to be a rising star worth watching, but he should know how to finesse this better. We need less Bkue Dog bullshit right now. Now is the time to hammer Romney relentlessly on EVERYTHING. No punches pulled. Lead or get out of the way, buddy,
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@BGinCHI: Me, too. I suspect Cory’s last name is too much like the American word for turf accountant
Suffern ACE
Reposted to avoid offending word:
I could agree with B00ker that I wish we could have a campaign about those elusive “real issues that are facing America.” I haven’t watched the clip, so I don’t know. Did he actually start listing what some of those real issues are and what his party’s solutions are? That might have been helpful, given that he had such an important platform this morning.
suekzoo
Why couldn’t Booker just say, “Government is not a business, and isn’t run like one. A better analysis of his experience would be taking a look at his governorship.”
How hard is that?
Hill Dweller
The twitter machine is telling me Booker is trying to walk it back, but he can’t put the proverbial toothpaste back in the tube.
As an aside, the half-wit running the RNC told the rotund hack of CNN this morning the proposed Rev. Wright attack ads were Obama’s fault.
quannlace
I think there’s something about being on ‘Meet The Press’ that makes your brain go soft.
SiubhanDuinne
@c u n d gulag:
@BGinCHI:
I think the FYWP spam filter dislikes the last name of the Mayor of Newark. It reverberates with all kinds of nasty çãšïñø references.
SiubhanDuinne
@SiubhanDuinne: Or what @Jim, Foolish Literalist: said.
(Hey, what happened to the edit function?)
arguingwithsignposts
@SiubhanDuinne: We’ve been here before. The spelling should be B00ker.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I don’t even try to watch these shows anymore. Even more than Monsignor Russert, David Gregory makes me want to go upside his head with a flounder. I don’t suppose any of our crack Dem surrogates pointed out that Mitt Romney’s trickled-down plans have been failing for thirty years? Or that the radical Obama’s tax plan is to the right of Mitt Romney’s new hero Bill Clinton’s? That those tax rates didn’t exactly stifle employment or job growth in the 90s?
I actually heard some brief discussion on MSNBC the other day, someone had the brains to point out that if you work at Staples, you don’t earn enough to support a family unless you’re in upper management. But I’m sure people at Domino’s have benefits packages that have them turing away applicants.
Suffern ACE
He could of course be acting as a surrogate for Obama in as much as Obama MAY not want this campaign to be about Mormon scripture vs. the African American Church, or high school misbehavior and “where was I during the Vietnam War” crap. At the same time, I would expect him to lob bombs at Romney’s character. He’s not going to run the Dukakis/Gore campaign (Here are my charts and graphs) because that has not worked very well in the past. The press gets bored and Republicans get a pass on their basic platform (Everyone gets a tax cut, none of the programs you like are touched, the budget is balanced, and military expenses are doubled, cause I love America and my opponent hates it).
arguingwithsignposts
I still want to know whether he’s an “official” surrogate or not. Wasn’t Hillary Rosen considered a “surrogate”?
Patricia Kayden
Didn’t Romneybot bring up Bain to show how he has experience creating hundreds of thousands of jobs (now revised downward to many jobs)?
Why isn’t it fair to show that Bain, in fact, did not create jobs, but simply made money off closing down companies and laying off thousands of employees?
How is that not a fair attack? How is that comparable to Rev Wright’s sermons of many moons ago, which have already been parsed to death?
Booker is an idiot. Hope he likes Romneybot’s presidency.
parsimon
I could agree with B00ker that I wish we could have a campaign about those elusive “real issues that are facing America.” I haven’t watched the clip, so I don’t know. Did he actually start listing what some of those real issues are and what his party’s solutions are?
He actually did at various points, and it mostly had to do with creating jobs and supporting small businesses. He mentioned that the Obama admin has had 22 (I think?) straight months of economic growth, has cut taxes and/or provided incentives to small businesses numerous times and that this has been a tremendous help to people in his city, and so on.
He absolutely fumbled the remarks about negative attack ads, no doubt about it, but he was mostly on message. Also note, someone else on the panel observed that Obama had a big-money fundraiser just a couple of days ago in Chicago with a highly influential private equity guy; attacking private equity firms as 100% evil can easily turn on Obama, and B00ker was visibly grimacing about that.
Yutsano
@arguingwithsignposts: He’s a surrogate because MTP says he’s a surrogate and SHUT UP THAT’S WHY!! or something. But remember: in media must haz horserace.
eemom
Is this the same guy who saved somebody from a burning house a while back?
arguingwithsignposts
@Yutsano: Oh, wait, i didn’t check the link. It’s a TPM story. Should have known. Josh Marshall is the metrosexual Ariana Huffington.
The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik
@eemom:
Same guy, yeah.
parsimon
I believe he is an official surrogate, yes.
OzoneR
This would never have happened if Obama had just used the bully pulpit. If Obama used the bully pulpit and called Romney out on Bain, Democrats would always close ranks and back him up.
Smiling Mortician
@Suffern ACE: I would argue that the GOP nominee having a proudly cited history of gutting businesses, putting their employees out of work, and walking away with boatloads of cash actually is one of those “real issues that are facing America.” Of course, YMMV.
The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik
@Smiling Mortician:
And you know, massively relevant to his own admitted agenda of ‘My economy is better than Obamaconomy!’ Whereas Rev. Wright was almost never truly relevant as to Obama’s actual policies and agendas unless you truly believed that he was going to institute massive Black Liberation-inspired policies on a wide scale or something.
Way to own-goal it, Mayor. Oh, and kiss my ass while you’re at it. :/
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Mayor Cory is really jerking off to his own righteousness on Twitter.
Smiling Mortician
@The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik: Whereas Rev. Wright was
almostnever truly relevant as to Obama’s actual policies and agendas unless you are a complete fucking moron who truly believed that he was going to institute massive Black Liberation-inspired policies on a wide scale or something in the total absence of any evidence to support that belief.Davis X. Machina
He’s watching Obama, thinking “Next!”
Life’s like comedy, it’s all timing. Harold Ford Jr. was this much too early. Booker may be a little too late.
Corbin Dallas Multipass
They had the same discussion on Up with Chris Hayes. Romney introduced Bain into the discussion. The point of the argument is Romney doesn’t seem to sympathize. To wit, his job at bain required him to not sympathize.
The fact Jeremiah Wright is still discussed is kindof crazy.
Corbin Dallas Multipass
They had the same discussion on Up with Chris Hayes. Romney introduced Bain into the discussion. The point of the argument is Romney doesn’t seem to sympathize. To wit, his job at bain required him to not sympathize.
The fact Jeremiah Wright is still discussed is kindof crazy.
The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik
@Smiling Mortician:
Hrm….
Yeah, your edit is better.
Knockabout
And Zandar has become the thing he hates the most, a knee-jerk reactionary purist. Not even the Miracle of Newark is good enough to defend Obama policies anymore.
I laugh at the notion that this fool has any right to call out anyone. The rest of you shouldn’t be encouraging his delusions of relevance, either.
Go take a nap, Zandar. You’re overtired, son.
FlipYrWhig
@arguingwithsignposts: Josh Marshall doesn’t have the style or the build to be in the same neighborhood as metrosexual. He’s not even metrosexual-adjacent.
FlipYrWhig
@Knockabout: Uh, whut? If this had been Joe Manchin instead of the mayor of Newark, would you still think it was inapt to call him out?
Marcellus Shale, Public Dick
i respect his point.
the country is stuck in an inertia that disporprtionately favors the right. in order to pull it left you have to overcome that inertia. being just as good, or just as bad(as some voters will have it) isn’t going to cut it.
we have reality on our side, we don’t need to play tit for tat, or keep score on pushing negatives. we just need to make a postive case for moving the country out of the inertia.
FlipYrWhig
@Marcellus Shale, Public Dick: Yes, OK, but to make that point you certainly don’t need to defend the contributions of private equity firms to the economic well-being of the nation.
(Interestingly, my autocorrect wanted to change “economic” to “Ebonics” just then. Way to make me look like a racist, iPad.)
Julia Grey
Heh.
Steeplejack
@Suffern ACE:
A perfect summary of the Republican platform.
arguingwithsignposts
@Knockabout: O hai, stalker. Where you been? Did your stalkersignal fire up?
Corbin Dallas Multipass
@Knockabout: Atrios and Digby have similar posts.
parsimon
My previous comment still awaits moderation despite editing to correct for B00ker’s name, so I’ll go ahead and repeat it:
28: I could agree with B00ker that I wish we could have a campaign about those elusive “real issues that are facing America.” I haven’t watched the clip, so I don’t know. Did he actually start listing what some of those real issues are and what his party’s solutions are?
He actually did at various points, and it mostly had to do with creating jobs and supporting small businesses. He mentioned that the Obama admin has had 22 (I think?) straight months of economic growth, has cut taxes and/or provided incentives to small businesses numerous times and that this has been a tremendous help to people in his city, and so on.
He absolutely fumbled the remarks about negative attack ads, no doubt about it, but he was mostly on message. Also note, someone else on the panel observed that Obama had a big-money fundraiser just a couple of days ago in Chicago with a highly influential private equity guy; attacking private equity firms as 100% evil can easily turn on Obama, and B00ker was visibly grimacing about that.
Carol from CO
The cory needs his wall street money.
Knockabout
@FlipYrWhig: Really? Because how many times has Zandar lectured us that we need “more and better Dems” then attacks a good Democrat for saying one thing wrong?
He’s gone after good people like Greenwald and Arianna Huffington for less. At what point did we decide Zandar had any qualifications as a political pundit? He’s a fat lazy PC help desk chump with serious hygiene issues who got fired for spending more time on his blog than his work and that’s fact, I was there when it happened. Ask him to deny it. He’s about as qualified to analyze political news as my daughter’s hamster.
I ask again, why do you tolerate his delusions of grandeur?
Baud
@parsimon:
When you’re a Democrat dealing with U.S. media, there is no such thing as being “mostly on message.”
Corbin Dallas Multipass
@Knockabout: @Knockabout: Also, saying “I love you bro” indicates exclusion at the level of purity? Okay…
Frankensteinbeck
@eemom:
And I think this is a valuable point. Nobody, NOBODY, is going to be your perfect hero. Always a mix of good and bad.
@Knockabout:
Good grief, no. We go after Greenwald and Huffington for much, MUCH more. For waging relentless campaigns of ratfucking negativism based on wild misrepresentations or outright lies. This guy just produced a severe facepalm, and the ongoing discussion is how important that misstep is in the grand scheme of things.
Keith G
Booker dragged a woman out of a fire and then turned around and threw the Obama campaign in one. This is a disaster on more then one level.
Last week the news was how Romney’s message got derailed, now Booker makes Obama look like a punk.
Marcellus Shale, Public Dick
@FlipYrWhig:
i thought the point was more about the back and forth on non-policy related negatives, and negative, gotcha campaigning in general.
its time to prove we believe our policy is better than their policy. that their policy is ultimately or immediately destructive. its about believing in what WE believe in. the right has already shown they really believe their bullshit.
i think its a good idea to see if the right wants to, or is capable of disarming their negative and party of no bullshit.
does anyone really want the gop attacking minorities with koch money? why not make them try to make the case positively for their ideas. we should all know they can’t do it, lets set the trap.
Keith G
How in blazes did my comment get in moderation? Someone, help!
arguingwithsignposts
@Knockabout:
I question this sentence, stalker.
Tim I
Booker was completely out of line. He had to know they were going to ask the question, so why not tell MTP he was too busy Sunday morning rescuing kittens from trees, or something.
parsimon
@Baud:
When you’re a Democrat dealing with U.S. media, there is no such thing as being “mostly on message.”
I understand, but I think I just disagree at least in this case. B00ker is his own man, is not actually an Obama campaign staffer with no other job, but is Mayor of Newark, and his deal is that he speaks to/from the issues that resonate for people in his city.
I’m as ready to condemn the “both sides do it” routine as the next guy, but I think B00ker is an asset. I don’t really want to go the Democratic circular firing squad routine on this one.
FlipYrWhig
@Marcellus Shale, Public Dick: Yes, agreed, that’s what the point was _more_ about, but B00ker took a detour in the process and ended up defending private equity as an engine for job creation. That’s what he’s getting slammed for.
FlipYrWhig
@arguingwithsignposts: Mostly I question the word in the middle, “good.”
arguingwithsignposts
@FlipYrWhig: Well, I was being nice, for a change.
FlipYrWhig
@Keith G: You can’t use the mayor’s last name because it’s also a term related to placing bets, which WordPress immediately exiles to the Phantom Zone.
Baud
@parsimon:
Sure, I’m not saying the guy is Lieberman or Ben Nelson. But he messed up, and he’s hopefully learning his lesson today. Tomorrow, we move forward.
Keith G
FYWP
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Baud:
That’s about the size of it. Even if B00ker’s “Here I am, the last virgin in the whorehouse, reading my Bible and praying for your poor souls” prattle were sincere and not a wink and nod promise of happy endings for Jamie Dimon et al, what the fuck does it have to do with pointing out that running an investment bank has as much to do with gov’t economic policy as running an upscale restaurant has to do with being a nutritionist.
Water balloon
Did Zandar murder knockabout’s dog?
I’m more interested in wife of Romney advisor and failed CNN host Campbell Brown’s op Ed complaining Obama is being condescending toward women. It really hit all the right notes, from all the women she knows who pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps with absolutely no help from government to the declaration that women’s health issues are totally irrelevant to women voters.
FlipYrWhig
@Knockabout: Uh, I think most of us are uncredentialed DIY pundits, and that never stops us from pontificating about various things, does it?
Silver
How’s that PE cock taste, Cory?
I bet those guys don’t eat much pineapple…
Baud
@FlipYrWhig: Wait, what? I thought all the front pagers here had degrees in blogging!!
If you can’t trust the Internet, who can you trust?
Jennifer
@Knockabout:
Fuck Arianna Huffington. She’s a greedy famewhore whose political principles are dictated by where she can make a buck. She was just as happy shilling for the Republicans before she “saw the light.” Her website is a piece of crap for which she was paid over a quarter billion dollars for the work of people she’s never even paid.
Last, but certainly not least, if it hadn’t been for Arianna, we would have never heard of that loathesome, and now thankfully dead, piece of shit that was Andrew Breitbart.
FlipYrWhig
@Baud: Oh, shit, I’d better get my certification renewed!
arguingwithsignposts
@Jennifer: I need a cigarette after that. thanks.
MikeJ
OT: I realise that polls mean less than nothing this far out, but what I just read at Taegan’s joint made me happy:
middlewest
This just proves Corey Booker (ohboymoderation) is a progressive hero and Obama is a secret republican. I don’t know exactly how, but my mother who watches too much MSNBC is sure of it.
Marcellus Shale, Public Dick
@FlipYrWhig:
meh, we can still complain about bain, and make all the bain jokes we can on blogs and ltwitter, in fact, that may be us fulfilling our role. maybe we just shouldn’t expect the pros to parrot our online army the way the right parrots theirs.
Yutsano
@MikeJ: SoBeale was all over that earlier. Sounds like the preachers might just be waffling on supporting a cult member. I’m thoroughly entertained.
FlipYrWhig
@MikeJ: Booman was citing a bad-news poll from North Carolina recently. I thought it sounded a lot like the piece he was citing was the usual white Southern Democrat insisting that the path to Democratic victory was stroking white Southern Democrats, but Booman was more concerned than that. So a close Tennessee poll is interesting on a number of levels that cut across the conventional wisdom.
FlipYrWhig
@Marcellus Shale, Public Dick: Ok, but it’s just an unforced error. It’d be like an up and coming charismatic Democrat saying he didn’t like the idea that Republicans were waging war on women, because a lot of Republicans just had women’s best interests at heart. I don’t think that a Sunday talk show is the right venue for handwringing and concern-trolling your party’s messages.
Heliopause
I assume your problem here is not with the first part of the statement but with the second. Obama’s campaign press secretary said of the ads, “we’re not questioning the private equity as a whole — the private equity industry as a whole. We’re questioning Mitt Romney’s economic philosophy.” And of course, Obama takes millions in donations from private equity. Your problem here is with Booker going off-script and not singling out Romney as a uniquely awful private equity manager. At least, that’s what I assume your point must be.
parsimon
@Baud: Comity!
lamh35
Alright, so if Booker’s so happy with what he said, why then is he trying to walk it back on twitter? he messed up and he knows it.
He went out of his way to say that he’s aware of the talking points, but he found Bain attacks distasteful. He f’d up and he knows it. Unofficial or not, his surrogacy duties should be suspended for a minute.
Villago Delenda Est
@suekzoo:
Waaay too hard for village vermin like the excreable Dancin’ Dave.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@FlipYrWhig: I’m congenitally incapable of getting more than cautiously optimistic, but as with the Senate races in Indiana and Arizona, every dime Romney (and Karl and the Koch and the RSCC) has to spend in NC, AZ and maybe TN is one he doesn’t have for FL, OH, PA and VA.
Mnemosyne (iTouch)
The mayor definitely needs to get his hand slapped for this, but this is how a city mayor learns what the national media is like and how to handle them. Live and learn, hopefully.
Davis X. Machina
Bo0ker’s watching Obama, thinking “Next!”
Life’s like comedy, it’s all timing. Harold Ford Jr. was just this much too early. Bo0ker may be a little too late.
Suffern ACE
@Mnemosyne (iTouch): Yep. I’m sure the “B00ker Slams Obama for Unfair Attack on Romney” headline on Fox probably is a surprise to him.
lamh35
Alright, so if Boo-ker’s so happy with what he said, why then is he trying to walk it back on twitter? he messed up and he knows it.
He went out of his way to say that he’s aware of the talking points, but he found Bain attacks distasteful. He f’d up and he knows it. Unofficial or not, his surrogacy duties should be suspended for a minute
Baud
I now have a strange desire to have my name be a verboten word on the Internet.
parsimon
@Water balloon:
I’m more interested in wife of Romney advisor and failed CNN host Campbell Brown’s op Ed complaining Obama is being condescending toward women.
It’s interesting in its way, but it’s a repetition of the conservative theme that the welfare state in general is condescending.
The Campbell Brown piece is speaking to (mostly white) upper middle class women. It’s an attempt to divide what solidarity there is among women. There’s not much new there; I don’t know whether there’s a need to try to counter it with a liberal message.
Suffern ACE
@Water balloon:
Whenever I hear that talking point from the upper middle class women who they’ve rolled out to make it, I keep wondering if they think that they are Jedi masters. “You don’t care about your healthcare. You want to increase the military budget.” I imagine that they are waving their hands in front of their keyboards after they hit send.
The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik
@Marcellus Shale, Public Dick:
There’s not parroting attacks, and then there’s trying to actively defang them. Booker’s comments were aiming for the latter by trying to make them off-limits, in equating them to the stupid Rev. Wright bullshit.
Baud
@Suffern ACE: “These are not the civil rights you’re looking for.”
lamh35
From Boo-ker on twitter:
“I’ll always prioritize my nation over a political party. & right now crass divisive partisan politics is not serving the citizens of my city”
Cory Boo-ker can kick rocks.
The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik
@Marcellus Shale, Public Dick:
There’s not parroting attacks, and then there’s trying to actively defang them. B00ker’s comments were aiming for the latter by trying to make them off-limits, in equating them to the stupid Rev. Wright bullshit.
The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik
@lamh35:
Funny, when it’s Dems doing it, it’s divisive partisan politics. When GOP does it, it’s ‘uniting the country’. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. Call this shit out when the GOP does it, not just when the Dems do it while referencing GOP transgressions for that stupid ‘both sides same thing’ sheen.
Hill Dweller
@parsimon: Campbell is married to Bush’s Baghdad Bob, who happens to be a Romney campaign adviser. I’m sure her op-ed parroting the Romney campaign’s narrative is just coincidence.
Kane
So talking about what Romney did at Bain is not considered a “real issue.” And mentioning his record as governor is below the belt, so we shouldn’t talk about that either. And reminding voters of Romney’s countless changing of positions are deemed personal attacks, so that’s out of bounds as well. And pointing out that many believe that Romney is a member of a cult is too touchy of a subject, so no one is allowed to raise that issue. And no one should mention Romney’s taxes or his off-shore accounts or his Swiss bank accounts because those are all considered envious attacks.
Oh, and President Obama shouldn’t mention the mission of taking out Bin Laden, and asking what would Romney have done, because that’s considered “despicable.” And President Obama shouldn’t mention that he saved the American auto industry, because on further review, that’s what Romney wanted to happen all along.
It’s better if we just focus on how Romney wonderously “saved” the Olympics. You know, the real issue of the campaign.
Hill Dweller
@lamh35: How in the hell does undermining the Obama campaign and praising vulture capitalism help Newark?
Baud
@Kane: I don’t think Obama should touch Romney’s religion, but otherwise spot on.
The Snarxist Formerly Known As Kryptik
@Baud:
I think questioning him on the Mormon Church’s blatant political advocacy should be worth it, but there’s probably no way to do it without the usual bullshit shrieks of “OMG ANTI-CHRISTIAN! ANTI-RELIGION, BURN THE SCARY MOOSLIM BEFORE HE BANS THE CROSS!!”
parsimon
@Hill Dweller:
Hm? I didn’t say it was coincidence.
Suffern ACE
@Kane: No. We can only bring up Bain in reference to the number of jobs created, not the number lost. And we can only bring up the Ryan plan if we state “Well, at least it’s a plan. Where’s the Democrats plan” and never discuss its contents. Romney needs to be allowed to state “I have a plan to fix what’s wrong” and not say what it is, all the while stating that he’ll increase military spending to 4% of the economy, slash “spending”, limit the size of government to 19% of GDP, invade Iran, piss off Russia, ignore those “political” timetables for getting out of Afghanistan, all while balancing the budget after cutting taxes on the wealthy beyond even extending the Bush Tax Cuts. Well, he’ll make up for that by “broadening the tax base” which basically is saying that he is relying on the blood he gets from stones to demonstrate his fiscal responsibility. I think we’ve been here before with “Bush is the first MBA candidate” where everyone in the press pretends to look the other way at the feel good bunkum he’s promising.
NCSteve
@Ben Franklin: I should clarify. Obviously, all races depend on local political work, but what Tip meant was that national political races were ultimately determined on the basis of how well the federal government was taking care of issues of local or regional concern. And that’s just no longer true. National political races are now decided by national issues like the national economy and the price of gas and whether to drop freedom bombs on a new bunch of brown people, and by whatever stuff Rush and Fox tell the right wing yokels to be crazy about on a national basis–abortion, contraception, teh gays, gun rights, the War on Christmas, racial dog whistles, that kind of stuff.
lamh35
“The Obama campaign declined to comment, directing reporters instead to Mr. Boo-ker’s Twitter account, in which the Newark mayor told angry followers that he would be issuing a statement to “clarify” his comments on television…”
In other words, you on your own bruh.
eemom
@Knockabout:
k, that does it. First I thought you were a mere psychotic stalker — which while troubling from the perspective of Zandar’s safety, at least had the pathos of mental illness to excuse it.
Now, however, you reveal yourself to be a mere ratfucker, nothing more. So fuck off and die and do not trouble us any further. Thx.
lamh35
Boo’ker’s complete twitter “clarification” ain’t no betta. Good ole Cory can kick rocks.
“I will fight hard for Obama to win. But just as his 08 campaign did, I believe we must elevate & not denigrate. This is the Obama I know”
“But we as “the electorate” must also bear responsibility for changing the tone of politics as usual. Not just root harder for our side”
“Yes I’m sick to my stomach of the politics of destruction. We now have a fed gov that can’t come together & solve our nation’s problems”
“‘ll always prioritize my nation over a political party. & right now crass divisive partisan politics is not serving the citizens of my city”
“So I’ll clarify my comments on MTP. Yes, Obama must be re-elected. But we as a Nation owe it to him & ourselves 2 reject politics as usual”
parsimon
Can we at least agree that whatever else is said about the respective candidates’ pasts, and what those pasts might say about about how they might govern and where their allegiances lie, an increased attention to their policy proposals for the future is pretty important and hasn’t been discussed or emphasized enough in the public forum?
Kane
@Baud: It would probably best if the Obama campaign didn’t touch on Romney’s religion. However, there are some people who believe that Mormonism is a cult. Certainly this belief has been around much longer than the beliefs about the location of Obama’s birth. The media had no objection to constantly asking the Obama administration about his birth certificate, so why shouldn’t the media also inquire about Romney’s Mormonism?
lamh35
In other words, you on your own bruh.
“The Obama campaign declined to comment, directing reporters instead to Mr. Boo-ker’s Twitter account, in which the Newark mayor told angry followers that he would be issuing a statement to “clarify” his comments on television…”
Hill Dweller
@parsimon: I was being facetious, not criticizing you. Campbell Brown is a sellout, like the rest of the beltway press.
Raven
@Baud: Right, that’s what his fucking surrogates are for.
lamh35
Ugh…freakin’ Boo-ker.
lamh35
Ugh…
Donut
@lamh35:
It’s all about the citizens of Newark! Promise!
He ‘s just learned a lesson about playing in the bigs, and when to dodge and deflect, and when to separate yourself and be distinctive. I’m guessing the immediate pushback took him by surprise.
Baud
@Kane:
The way the media treats Democrats is not a good standard for how a competent and responsible media should behave.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@parsimon:
Bain Capital is, to me, a pretty good explanation of how Mitt Romney would govern and where his allegiances lie. I don’t think he would disagree. “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt”. “Corporations are people, my friend!” “Let the foreclosure process run its course, then the investors move in.” I can’t recall any instance of him saying, ‘Cut taxes on job creators’, but if he hasn’t, I doubt it’s a bumper sticker he would disavow.
lamh35
DecidedFenceSitter
@Baud: “My name is a spamming word?”
Baud
@DecidedFenceSitter: Nice to meet you, Mr. C!alis.
Ben Franklin
@Suffern ACE:
Thanks. Mine was a minor point about how the locals are being hammered by TP, and that they haven’t surrendered yet.
Donut
@Kane:
There are some things we should leave to our pals on the far right fringe, and attacking someone based on faith is one of them. Not a good idea for a lot of reasons. I’d actually be okay with a reasonable debate and discussion about faith and religion intersecting politics – but that ain’t ever happening, so there you go.
lamh35
I’m too freakin’ mad at Boo ker. First for being an idiot and second for doubling down with his “divisive” GOP talking point language.
Ugh!
This is spot on, IMHO. This was about Cory and I’ll admit I was naiive enough to believe that naked ambition wasn’t Cory’s M.O. but I shouldn’t be surprised.
“Cory Boo ker, surrogate from hell”
http://www.salon.com/2012/05/20/cory_booker_surrogate_from_hell/
Zach
I hadn’t paid attention to the Booker bubble for a long time, but it looks like he’s totally bought into the common wisdom of the very serious people. Note that instead of talking about Bain, he says, we should talk about Obama’s success in cutting spending and cutting taxes. I mean, we should talk about that to some extent, but basing a campaign around the economic theme of every GOP campaign of the last three decades… probably not a winner.
It’s totally fine to point out that Bain Cap got folks fired to make money for it’s mostly-rich investors, many of whom sheltered their Bain funds outside of the country. It would be totally fine at any rate, but it’s particularly totally fine because Romney is basing his entire candidacy on his success at Bain as a “job creator.” His new ad frames his tax plan as cuts for job “creators.” The success of the Obama campaign will mostly be a function of its ability to convince people that putting money into the hands of the rich is not the best way to reduce unemployment.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Donut: a couple of weeks ago, Martin Bashir used scripture from the Book of Mormon to critique Romney as a liar, which I suppose passes for edgy commentary in today’s media landscape. St Stewart presented it as an example liberal anti-religios bigotry. If anything, Bashir was calling on Romney to live up to the standards of his faith, but that’s the media we’ve got, and someone who’s on “our” side.
parsimon
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Bain Capital is, to me, a pretty good explanation of how Mitt Romney would govern and where his allegiances lie
Probably so, but my point was that we — by which I mean the mainstream media, I guess — might want to attend to his policy proposals.
I don’t really expect Meet the Press to have a segment focusing on the Ryan budget plan and just what it would mean: they’d have to have Krugman on, for one thing, which would elevate the discussion from the giggling that Kim Strassal (of the WSJ) provides.
But let me straighten my collar and stop bitching about how stupid it all is. There have been columns recently noting that voters apparently just didn’t realize what they were voting to put in place. I suggest that Dems would do well to focus on that: the policies that are proposed, and what they would mean.
Ben Franklin
@Ben Franklin:
Fuck me. That was for SteveNC
Kane
@Baud: I don’t consider it out of line for a competent and responsible media to inquire whether a presidential candidate believes that Jesus ministered in America, whether he wears magic underwear, and whether he believes that there are multiple worlds and each world currently has people living on it.
I remember Tim Russert taking on Dennis Kucinich at a Democratic primary debate, asking “a serious question” of whether Kucinich saw a UFO. If the media can ask about UFOs, surely they can ask about a candidate’s most deeply held beliefs.
Jay
@Silver:
Gay – baiting AND race – baiting all in one post. Nice!
Eff off.
parsimon
@lamh35:
For what it’s worth, I’m going to take that Salon piece under advisement. It looks like a hit/smear piece, and I’m not willing to condemn someone for having been educated in prestigious places, but the rest of it I’m not going to ignore.
lamh35
@parsimon: I read the whole thing. I didn’t see it as a hit piece at all.
parsimon
@lamh35: I read the whole thing as well. Most of it is news to me. I take it under advisement, as I say.
AxelFoley
Only Democrats–only FUCKING Democrats–don’t know how to stay on message.
Thanks a lot, Booker, you dumb muthafucka.
David Koch
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Exactly.
He’s gonna run for Governor in either 2013 or 2017 and is already buttering up the money men.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@Knockabout:
Ahh, Zandar has a manic progressive stalker with glibertarian leanings. Nothing to worry about though because those types are all bark and no bite. Ugly critters but they do look cute when some crazy like Grover Norquisling calls to them and they run up to him with their tails wagging, tongues hanging out of their mouths, panting heavily.
Ok, “cute” might not be the best word…
AxelFoley
@Keith G:
In Soviet Russia, WPFY.
AxelFoley
@Knockabout:
Stopped reading right there. You exposed yourself as a troll now and forever.
Cap'n Swag
I think Booker’s comments got the attention of hipster Serious People like Dave Weigel, who gave him a RT.
AxelFoley
@lamh35: @ post #142
I always thought that Booker was gonna run for higher office like governor, congressman or senator someday, but this cemented it in my eyes. He’s running for one of those spots real soon.
lacp
Before he became mayor of Newark, the gentleman whose name sends comment into moderation was a big fav of the libertarians. Looks like he still has some interesting friends, at least when it comes to education:
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/newark-mayor-cory-booker-enraptures-crowd-at-afc-policy-summit-150215355.html
rikyrah
That piece at Salon is pure Corey Booker.
rikyrah
Willard Romney says that he is qualified to be President of the United States is because he knows how to take care of the economy and President Obama doesn’t.
He’s not saying that he had executive experience because he was the Governor of Massachusetts – something that he has completely run away from. Look at Willard’s campaign – it’s like his time as the Governor of Massachusetts just doesn’t exist.
He’s not running on foreign policy experience – remember the articles from last week about him ‘forming a foreign policy after the election’.
No. He’s staked his claim on why he should be President because he’s a rich White man, and the crux of that is Bain Capital.
I’m fine if he wants folks to judge him on his time at Bain Capital.
LET US DISCUSS HIS TIME AT BAIN.
Let us discuss the American workers that were given the shaft by Willard and Bain.
Let us discuss the fundamentals of how Bain made money. They weren’t about making jobs. They were about making money.
But, they don’t want to discuss that. They don’t want to talk about:
1. the jobs he shipped overseas
2. the companies he bankrupted
3. the people whose economic lives he ruined.
They wanna bullshyt and call that the President’s attempt at ‘character assassination’.
Just once I wish someone from the Obama campaign to retort – you’d actually have to HAVE CHARACTER in order for it to be assassinated, but I know they can’t.
It’s not character assassination to break it down to the American people that Willard and Bain didn’t give a rat’s ass about ‘creating jobs’. They were all about ‘ making money’. And, they rigged the game, so, whether the company succeeded OR FAILED – Bain made money.
The whole 99% vs. 1% isn’t about the 99% being ‘envious’. They just know unfair bullshyt when they see it.
People understand – if a company is doing successful, then yes, people should make money.
But, it’s hard to explain, in anything other than 1% ridiculousness, how, if you run a company INTO BANKRUPTCY, how your ass should walk away with MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
And, that is EXACTLY what Willard and Bain did – time after time.
Time after time, bankrupting companies, walking away from the pension and medical benefit obligations of employees and retirees, while making MILLIONS for themselves.
On top of that, not only walking away from those worker and retiree obligations, but putting the AMERICAN TAXPAYER on the hook for them.
All while Willard – AND BAIN – walked away with MILLIONS.
THIS is why Bain is fair game.
Willard has said he should be President because of his ‘ business experience’.
Therefore, every inch of what was done at Bain is part of what the American People have a RIGHT TO KNOW.
And THAT, Mayor Booker, is why the attacks on Willard at Bain by the President – ARE ON POINT.
David Koch
to be fair, Russert did hit Mittens for the Mormon’s history of racism on MTP.
David Koch
@Davis X. Machina:
hilarious.
Obama is a great communicator with rock star like charisma.
B00ker is a bore.
ohsuzanna
There’s no “I” in “team” unless you’re Cory Booker and then there is nothin’ but “I”s……mememememememe….he was clearing his throat for an aria……
FlipYrWhig
I put B00ker in the same box as Andrew Cuomo. Fair?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@FlipYrWhig: On substance? Sure. And he’s not the first Dem to get squeamish about going after Bain. But would Cuomo have been as ham-fisted in his original comments and as self-righteous in his defense as B0oker has been? (you have to look at his twitter feed) I don’t know, my hunch is that the NY(C) media has made Cuomo a bit more prime time ready.
jcgrim
Booker is a corporate shill. He’s been playing right along with Christie’s union attacks and privatization schemes. Sometimes they’ll play good cop/bad cop and Booker plays the “good” democrat for the media.
Keep calling Booker what he is- a corporatist Republican.
FlipYrWhig
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I’m just curious about these guys who are solid-to-excellent on social issues but have god-awful economic views and instinctually sympathize with management and capital over labor.
We’re used to the DLC types who are lousy on both, and we’ve beaten up people like Stupak and Kaptur who believe in populist economics but get squeamish on social issues (sometimes because of their Catholic backgrounds).
But there’s this whole other category that has been able to skate in the blogosphere. And I’m getting leery of them too.
Silver
@Jay:
Where did you get race out of that? Pineapple? Are you that stupid? Lets go to the telestrator and break the post down:
PE guys (and they are overwhelmingly male, which is why it didn’t make sense to make a joke about Cory chowing down and getting his red wings from PE women, hence the cock remark) don’t tend to be very empathetic. In fact, you’re more likely to find empathetic people at a Libertarian Asperger’s convention. So they also aren’t the type of guys (and again, overwhelmingly male) who are going to care how their semen tastes, they just want you to swallow.
Pineapple is said to make semen taste sweeter. Not something your average PE guy cares about, as I mentioned above. I believe if I was going for a racist remark, I would have probably worked in some watermelon or perhaps fried chicken.
As an aside, do the people who communicate with you in real life buy Crayolas in bulk from Costco?
AxelFoley
@rikyrah:
Was I the only one who had an orgasm after reading this?
Jay
@Silver:
You know what, chief? There’s a variety of pineapple that’s white on the inside
If you’d called B ooker a “coconut,” your racism would’ve been only slightly less obvious.
FlipYrWhig
@AxelFoley: You can really taste the pineapple.
Silver
@Jay:
Except I didn’t call Cory a pineapple. I called him a cocksucker who swallowed.
So, your basis for calling me a racist is that I proposed that a bunch of overwhelmingly white males don’t eat much pineapple? That’s Sarah Palin stupid. Keep up the good work, my friend.
Jay
@Silver:
If you have to spend multiple posts explaining yourself, you’re doing the whole “clever” routine wrong.
GFY, dog – whistler.
Joe Brown
I watched MTP yesterday and was a little by the resulting brouhaha. Cory Booker is absolutely right. People are nauseated by political attacks that distract from the real issues.
Thoreau said, “I can’t give you a sure-fire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all the time.” Booker is a man who speaks the truth. And wingers, left or right, are not going to like it. I hope this steels him for the battles he’s going to face ahead, because this country needs him.
Cory Booker 2016.
Silver
@Jay:
No kidding. I feel like Bill Hicks trying to explain to the fucking waffle waitress what I’m reading for…