Cory Booker: The system is rigged against working Americans

[TomCADem]

Democrats, not Republicans, are the ones taking fighting Republicans on tax cuts and rollbacks of regulations. Yet, Republicans are largely given a free pass because Donald Trump sucks up all of the attention.

https://www.salon.com/2018/03/08/cory-booker-the-system-is-rigged-against-working-americans/

To hear it from President Donald Trump, the economy is booming and everything is great. Senator Cory Booker, D-NJ, has a more distressing perspective — and he paid a visit to MSNBC’s “The Beat With Ari Melber” to ring the alarm bells.

“I see a very different economy from my dad's era to now because of things like the tax bill,” Booker said on Wednesday. “More, more powerful interests using their lobbying and their influence of money, Citizen's United to warp the system, to rig the system, against working Americans.”

Booker went on to say that he was not merely talking about low-income Americans. (According to the 2016 U.S. Census Bureau, 12.7 percent of Americans live in poverty.) “I’m talking about all Americans who are wage earners in this country,” he said.

Booker said he is seeing very “disturbing” trends in the economy — and once again pointed to the tax bill as an example. He said that lobbyists and corrupt lawmakers are pouring millions into ads to promote the tax bill and similarly unscrupulous agenda items. In addition to the tax bill, he said that stock buybacks could be promoting income inequality.

[shanny]

1. Very true, Cory

So why are you supporting bank de-regulation?

https://trofire.com/2018/03/08/corporate-democrats-join-republicans-to-help-deregulate-greedy-wall-street-banks/

[TomCADem]

3. Ah, the no difference between Republicans and Democrats Talking Point

Of course, left out of your post is that Cory Booker is against the current bill. I am predicting a bunch of twitter style attacks on Democrats who have been mentioned as potential Presidential contenders.

[shanny]

5. Ah the sweeping broad brush that discounts all criticism, accurate or otherwise.

Thanks for playing!

[TomCADem]

10. Yup, I Proudly Support Democrats.

You attack Cory Booker for standing up for the middle class and working class. So, I will proudly stand up for him.

[shanny]

14. So, Booker saw the writing on the wall.

Last edited Mon Mar 12, 2018, 01:40 PM - Edit history (1)

How do you feel about these folks?

Michael Bennet of Colorado
Tom Carper of Delaware
Chris Coons of Delaware
Joe Donnelly of Indiana
Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire
Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota
Doug Jones of Alabama
Tim Kaine of Virginia
Joe Manchin of West Virginia
Claire McCaskill of Missouri
Bill Nelson of Florida
Gary Peters of Michigan
Jeanne Shaheen of New Jersey
Debbie Stabenow of Michigan
Jon Tester of Montana
Mark Warner of Virginia

[Hortensis]

17. What are you DOING, Shanny? Fighting against Democrats?

Why didn't you list 36 you admire? Or one. This thread is about Cory Booker.

Btw, Sen. Booker quickly developed a very impressively long list of enemies in business and on the right who are anxious to block his career, which of course we now know means Russia also. These days we know who the right fears most by the amount and breadth of trash slung at them.

Here's Cory Booker on healthcare: I Support Medicare for All Because Health Care is a Civil Right, a Human Right.

[shanny]

32. Logistics. The list of Democrats I admire is too long.

And I'm glad Booker saw the writing on the wall, because some of his past actions have made him suspect with some. Good for him: he can learn.

The older I get the less interested I am in finding the right leader, and the more interested in finding the right servant.

[Hortensis]

36. And yet by failing to hit them, you HIT them.

Maybe just name one you admire next time. Logistics.

Btw, I so agree with that last. I've never needed or looked for a "leader," just people I can trust to use the power I give them well. And, yes, I really do expect all politicians to serve the people. If everyone had this attitude, well, it'd be a very different world.

[shanny]

45. OK, here's one: Elizabeth Warren

who, btw, hates the banking bill all those Democrats I named voted for.

[Hortensis]

51. Duck, Democrats. Incoming!!!

You might wonder if Warren would admire you, or perhaps you know the answer very well.

The difference between your posture and Warren, and it's night and day, is that she doesn't use the behavior of this conservative faction to smear herself and the far larger liberal faction.

[LanternWaste]

43. No doubt, you most likely miss the irony of your own allegation...

"Good for him: he can learn..."

No doubt, you most likely miss the irony of your own allegation...

[TomCADem]

21. Once Again. Focusing on Attacks on Democrats

Do you agree or disagree with the OP?

[shanny]

34. Do I agree that the system is rigged against working Americans? Sure.

Do I think that Cory Booker is a champion of working Americans? Not sure about that, or about other Senators on that list. I do know that having a "D" after your name doesn't automatically make you unworthy of any criticism.

Clear?

[George II]

54. You should look at Cory Booker's political career. He was a VERY popular mayor...

...of Newark, New Jersey.

Newark New Jersey is 52% black, 33% Hispanic (only 11% non-Hispanic white) with a mean household income of only $33,000, and 29% of it's population living below the poverty line. THAT is a working-class American city.

Elected twice, he won with 72% and 59% of the vote. Clearly the people of his home city see him as a champion of working Americans.

He then won his Senate seat by a 55-44% margin, relatively large these days.

[Hortensis]

55. And that last is in spite of major swiftboating.

The right identified him as a possible presidential candidate and has been working to destroy his reputation. The web's full of Booker trashing.

[alarimer]

22. Oh, but Democrats can do whatever they want and we're not allowed to criticize them for it.

Pointing out Booker's hypocrisy is worse than this bill, in the minds of some.

I prefer those who point out the hypocrisy of saying the system is rigged (and it IS rigged), while then voting to make it even more rigged.

[ehrnst]

23. What system is "rigged," and what Democrat "voted to make it more rigged?"

Last edited Mon Mar 12, 2018, 02:24 PM - Edit history (1)

After saying it was rigged?

Any facts to back that rant up?

I won't hold my breath.

[shanny]

35. Speaking of facts, where does the poster say "the voting system is rigged?"

[ehrnst]

37. A quick scroll up the page....

I prefer those who point out the hypocrisy of saying the system is rigged (and it IS rigged), while then voting to make it even more rigged.

Is that clearer?

[shanny]

38. Where would the words "VOTING SYSTEM" appear?

Poster is agreeing with the original post that "the system is rigged", and criticizing those who VOTE to make it more rigged. Nobody said anything about rigged voting systems except you.

Is that clearer?

[ehrnst]

39. Good point. I'll fix it. I've corrected my question, which still stands.

What system then are they referring to that is "rigged?" And what Democrats were they talking about that are "saying the system is rigged," then "voting to keep it rigged?"

Would you mind terribly making that clear, since the original poster seems to have decided to disappear, and you have taken over replying for them?

I'd be most grateful.

I won't hold my breath, however.

[shanny]

40. why are you asking me to get into someone else's head

when I merely pointed out that you were attributing to him/her a statement that he/she hadn't made?

Ask him/her or try to figure it out for yourself.

I won't hold my breath either.

[ehrnst]

41. Gotcha.

You didn't know what they meant either.

But you're with them.

[shanny]

42. What a boatload of bullshit.

Whatever they meant--which neither of us know for sure--they did not say what you claimed they did. Words matter. Facts matter. Reading comprehension is a thing.

Is that clearer?

[ehrnst]

44. A whole boatload?

Well, I don't know about that.

And who among us hasn't gone back and "fixed" their post when prompted?

[shanny]

48. I agree--it's rare.

Especially when their first instinct is to double down.

Congratulations.

[ehrnst]

49. Thank you so much!!

[Hortensis]

57. Rigged shmigged.

Calling this rigging is outrageous. It's like someone's who's not learned to throw or catch a ball well calling a baseball team "rigged" because those who trained and made themselves good pitchers and catchers -- before they tried out -- are assigned those positions.

Claiming that our best candidates, who made themselves strong and who can both win and go on to support our party's positions in congress, become our frontrunners because the system is rigged is at best deluded. Candidacies are like startup businesses. They build themselves. The party does not create them.

[ehrnst]

59. Yes, and hiding behind passive agressive language

doesn't change it.

[alarimer]

60. The economic system for one.

Did you not see how 17 DEMOCRATS have voted to rescind the banking rules put in place after the recession? Including Booker. This will guarantee another recession at the hands of the banks.

Are you unaware of the vast and growing income inequality in this country and how votes such as the above will make it worse? Booker is a hypocrite. He claims to be against the system that is rigged, yet votes in favor of returning us to pre-recession conditions that will make another crash worse (and certainly worse for those on the bottom).

The top 20% of US households own 84% of the wealth. This is what I believe Booker meant when he said the system is rigged because those percentages are only getting worse. Yet this bill will make it worse. It removes anti-discrimination requirements and all but the biggest banks will not have any oversight requirements at all, opening up the possibility of more failure that will hurt people.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/economic-inequality-it-s-far-worse-than-you-think/


https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/6/17081508/senate-banking-bill-crapo-regulation

[ehrnst]

27. Crickets....

[shanny]

31. Good point. I'll fix it.

[George II]

50. Unfortunately to some, not being perfect 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year...

...just isn't good enough.

Sadly if it's not 100% it might as well be zero.

[ehrnst]

25. Yep. More Twitter style attacks in 3...2...1...

Patrick Kennedy has already been trashed....

[Exotica]

8. he voted against it, here the 16 Democrats and one Ind. who voted to dereg the banks

Michael Bennet of Colorado
Tom Carper of Delaware
Chris Coons of Delaware
Joe Donnelly of Indiana
Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire
Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota
Doug Jones of Alabama
Tim Kaine of Virginia
Angus King of Maine (I)
Joe Manchin of West Virginia
Claire McCaskill of Missouri
Bill Nelson of Florida
Gary Peters of Michigan
Jeanne Shaheen of New Jersey
Debbie Stabenow of Michigan
Jon Tester of Montana
Mark Warner of West Virginia



https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=115&session=2&vote=00048

[appalachiablue]

30. #29.

[George II]

46. "Ring of Fire"?

[mcar]

2. Sen Booker is correct

[Quixote1818]

4. He is finally picking up Bernie Sanders talking points. nt

[Hortensis]

6. Booker's the real thing, and notably, a real achiever.

Admirers started calling Corey Booker Supermayor, you know, as he worked to turn around his troubled diverse NJ city (250K) of Newark. It's still and always in need of further turning, of course, but no honest person says Booker didn't make real progress during his two terms.

Did you hear about the time Cory Booker chased down an armed robber in front of city hall? How about when he ran into a burning building to save a woman’s life? Or when he shoveled snow from residents’ driveways after a blizzard? All true. He also rode with cops on night patrol, answered citizen complaints over Twitter and lived for eight years in a high-rise apartment where many low-income tenants rely on federal housing assistance. The story of Booker’s two terms running Newark reads like a tall tale or even a comic book: Cory Booker, Supermayor.

www.governing.com/gov-what-cory-booker-accomplished.html

"No matter who you are, no matter what your color, creed, how you choose to pray or who you choose to love, that if you are an American - first generation or fifth - one who is willing to work hard, play by the rules and apply your God-given talents - that you should be able to find a job that pays the bills."

"Don't speak to me about your religion; first show it to me in how you treat other people. Don't tell me how much you love your God; show me in how much you love all God's children. Don't preach to me your passion for your faith; teach me through your compassion for your neighbors. In the end, I'm not as interested in what you have to tell or sell as I am in how you choose to live and give."

Cory Booker

(Sanders reportedly did a decent job as mayor of an affluent, almost all white Vermont town of 35K. Under Sanders, the town became sister cities to 3 overseas towns, and he lead delegations to visit them. Different places call for different types of mayoring. But, as the above quotes would lead anyone to expect, there is no Sierra Blanca on Sen. Booker's record. )

[ehrnst]

7. Indeed. (nt)

[Me.]

13. Pretty Amazing

When's the last time you heard of either a mayor or Senator chasing a robber down the street?

[JCanete]

15. seriously, there are other things on Corey Booker's record, and Sierra Blanca is not the

stain that people continue to try to make it.

But! Let me just say, I am mightily encouraged by decisions Corey Booker has made in the recent months, and this kind of rhetoric from him. If this is the kind of candidate we get if he throws his hat in to the ring, I'll certainly be paying attention to him.

[ehrnst]

24. Booker isn't the only Senator with "things" on their record.

Things other than Sierra Blanca. Many things.

[sheshe2]

52. Paul Wellstone called it...

Paul Wellstone would later call this injustice against the people of Sierra Blanca a case of "environmental racism”.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/2/8/1481494/-Sierra-Blanca-Bernie-Sanders-Paul-Wellstone-a-Poor-Minority-Community-and-a-Nuclear-Waste-Dump

This from the late great Senator Paul Wellstone.

[Cha]

9. I think Cory Booker is doing this on his own..

nothing to do with BS.

[George II]

58. No he isn't.

[Me.]

11. Yes They Are

& thank goodness for them

+

[Cha]

12. Mahalo for calling out

trump lies, Senator Booker!

[Jamaal510]

16. K&R

[Hortensis]

18. Cory Booker's Environmental Justice Act would once again

allow private citizens to sue in environmental damage cases though no intentional racial discrimination had been proven. As in Flint, citizens being poisoned somehow have to get regulatory agencies like the EPA to investigate and prove for them not that they're being poisoned but that it is intentional before they can bring suit in court for environmental justice.

Like other Democratic bills, it's sitting waiting for US to give Democrats working majorities in congress.

Mother Jones/City Lab: On October 23, Senator Cory Booker, one of the members of Congress most capable of harnessing bipartisan cooperation, introduced the Environmental Justice Act of 2017, which was devoid of one Republican sponsor.

If passed, the bill would force the federal government to strengthen legal protections for communities of color and low-income people. However, as Charles Pierce wrote in Esquire.com, while this bill is necessary, it “doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in the Salton Sea of ever making it to the floor, let alone getting a vote.” SkoposLabs gives the bill a 4 percent chance of enactment.

Representative John Lewis has been trying to pass an environmental justice law since 1992, but to no avail. To understand why Booker won’t give up on legislation that has such a lengthy record of failure, it’s important to understand something about the history of environmental justice federal policy. ...

Which is why Booker’s law is important: One thing that it does is restores the private citizen’s right to sue over these matters, so they don’t have to wait for the EPA. Waiting for Scott Pruitt and Donald Trump to enforce environmental justice protections is out of the question.

Imagine if there had been a policy that required Michigan to consider all possible harms to historically disadvantaged black families in Flint before it made that fateful decision to switch out its water source.

But Booker is not new to this fight. He has been working to strengthen environmental justice policies since he served as mayor of Newark, under somewhat hostile conditions as well. While his latest legislation is national in scope, the impacts would be felt most acutely, if passed, in cities and communities. Imagine if there had been a policy that required Michigan to consider all possible harms to historically disadvantaged black families in Flint before it made that fateful decision to switch out its water source. Actually, one already existed, with that requirement. But it is only an executive order, which exposes the limitations of that policy medium. Booker’s law would force government officials to make these considerations to protect cities like Flint that are already vulnerable to environmental crises.

[SunSeeker]

19. K & R

[TheFrenchRazor]

20. been rigged for a long time. redistribution of wealth from the 99% to the 1%. nt

[Basic LA]

26. Glad he's speaking up for Wage Earners

That's how to rally the Dem base. I'd like to hear the term Employees used, too. Or American Employees. I think more people identify as Employees or Wage Earners (or even Working Stiffs) then they do with Workers or Labor.

[KPN]

28. Good to hear Booker saying these things.

[appalachiablue]

33. Booker has many talents, glad to see him speaking out on this major problem.

K & R

[sheshe2]

53. Thank you Cory Booker.