Proving the adage true that truth can be stranger than fiction, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) has announced that he is taking a shot at the Oval Office in 2020. The man who once claimed to be having a “Spartacus moment” is under the impression that real people actually take him seriously as both a politician and an adult.
Whether it is throwing fits that would make a three-year-old proud, confessing to sexual assault with the Top Gun theme music pulsing through his mind, or declaring “I’m Spartacus” whist “leaking” documents already approved for release, the truculent lawmaker seems determined to prove himself a real contender.
The Gamble
Announcing Friday morning that he would be running for president, Booker released a well-made video, in which those who have been paying attention to the dialogue-war of late will notice quite a few repetitions of “power words” that dog-whistle to the extreme left.
The word “collective” has myriad meanings depending on your world view. Suggesting that the “history of our nation is defined by collective action” signals a resplendent cri de cœur to those who see socialism, and even communism, as America’s future path. And it gets worse.
Booker is rather unsubtly calling on those who benefit from not only the intersectional hierarchy but also those who are rewarded for propagating it. Collectivism places the group above the individual, and with ever-growing divisions, creates victim upon victim.
Will regular folk recognize or understand that Booker is reaching out to extremists?
A Question of Temperament
After two and a half years of being told that Donald Trump lacks the correct temperament to be president, what we witness in Cory Booker is a man almost unhinged by his ideology.
Someone who cries “tears of rage,” as he admits, may well be a passionate individual, but it also shows that he is one who is not in control of himself. When news outlets like The Economist and CNN berate Trump for his temperament and inform readers that his unruly and wild streak is a threat to national security, we need to start asking ourselves if their standards will be applied equally.
Booker can’t control himself. We see it in his show-trial grandstanding, his impassioned pleas that smack of falsity, and most of all, we can see it in his words and actions.
Glory Hound
During the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, Booker showed his pomposity by releasing supposedly classified documents that purported to show that the nominee supported racial profiling. “This is about the closest I’ll probably ever have in my life to an ‘I am Spartacus’ moment,” he declared, suggesting that he may even lose his seat for doing so. Yet this was not the reality. [perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”24″]…was Booker lying, grandstanding, or just plain dumb enough not to know the difference? [/perfectpullquote]
In fact, the documents were not confidential and had already been released the day before by attorney Bill Burck. So, was Booker lying, grandstanding, or just plain dumb enough not to know the difference? Each comes with its own particular set of issues. If he believed that he was truly releasing classified documents, does this not show that he is unsuitable from a national security standpoint to be the Commander-in-Chief? If he was merely grandstanding, it shows a distinct lack of moral fiber. But if Booker truly tried to fleece the American people in what was his “unofficial” run for the presidency back in September, would his election not simply beget the ultimate House of Cards built on lies, machinations, and of course, a lack of transparency?
Never Fear
Cory Booker
There is something a little sad and ridiculous about Senator Booker running for president. He will never be able to get Republicans to follow him, and his intersectional platform will alienate much of the moderate left. And then there is the biggest hurdle: the Democratic Party. They do not want him. He is not one of their anointed few. They will make him a mere distraction for the media as he angrily implodes in every debate. And all the while, they will be taking the heat off the person they have already chosen as their nominee.
Booker is being used in the same way Bernie Sanders was. He doesn’t stand a chance and will be used up and spat out long before the nomination comes due. And as he is left on the benches, none will stand with him and say “I am Spartacus” in his defense.
