Fuck this guy:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Former Bogota, N.J., Mayor Steve Lonegan's campaign team tried to pull back a racially charged tweet this week aimed at opponent Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Politico reports. Lonegan, a Republican, and Booker, a Democrat, are both running to fill the Senate seat left vacant by the late Frank Lautenberg.
The tweet, which was quickly deleted from the campaign staff's Twitter account, included an annotated map of Newark, which it joked came from Booker's debate notes on foreign policy. On the tweeted map, parts of the city were circled and labeled "West Africa," "Guyana," "Portugal" and "Brazil." The western tip of the city was labeled "Middle East," followed by, "Afghanistan Pakistan PLUS Bangladesh AND Trinidad."
In 2010, Newark's population was 52.4 percent African-American, compared to 13.7 percent African-American for the entire state of New Jersey.
The tweet came during Monday night's Democratic debate among New Jersey Senate candidates, according to Politico. Booker, U.S. Rep. Rush Holt, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone and state Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver discussed school vouchers, U.S.-China relations and national security. - Huffington Post, 8/9/13
Luckily this asshole has no chance of winning but still. Now this doesn't mean that I have officially jumped on the Cory Booker (D. NJ) train. I still prefer Rush Holt or Frank Pallone over him. Speaking of which, Holt and Pallone didn't hold back with their attacks towards Booker during the recent debate:
http://www.northjersey.com/...
Pallone and Holt wasted little time in attacking Booker, who has a commanding lead in the polls, demanding that he answer questions about his involvement with the video-sharing website Waywire. Booker only recently claimed a financial interest in the company on amended financial disclosure forms.
Pallone said Booker is too close to Wall Street and travels so much that he has been out of Newark for 20 percent of his tenure. Holt said Booker offers only “vague rhetoric.” The fourth candidate, Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, joined in, blaming the mayor for not fighting hard enough to fund the arts in his city.
“It’s obvious that my opponents tonight came to attack me, but I again want to get back to talking about you and the facts” Booker said. “And I have to point this out: We have two congresspeople who voted to deregulate the banks and contribute to our financial collapse, and we fought in Newark to create the biggest jobs boom there was.”
Booker never addressed the questions about Waywire, instead offering up his record in Newark of luring job-creating businesses and private investment to the city, including support for the arts. - NorthJersey.com, 8/8/13
Gotta give Holt and Pallone some respect for continuing to fight to win over support even if the clock is ticking. Especially Holt. Here's a little background info on Waywire:
http://www.usnews.com/...
Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., says Newark Mayor Cory Booker has "some explaining to do" about why his start-up firm Waywire quietly employed the 15-year-old son of CNN President Jeff Zucker as a board member paid with stock options.
"I read that in The New York Times yesterday and my jaw dropped," he said. "Mayor Booker has some explaining to do."
Andrew Zucker's position on the board of Waywire was revealed by the Times just six days ahead of the election that Booker is favored to win.
Waywire was founded by Booker, who reportedly serves as chairman, and two colleagues in 2012 to "collect, curate and share" videos. It has received funding from Google Chairman Eric Schmidt and TV host Oprah Winfrey.
A company spokesman told Fortune magazine that Booker was not directly involved in hiring Zucker's teenage son, who abruptly resigned his position Thursday afternoon.
It's unclear if the boy will retain his stock options, but Holt said that may not matter because "the company doesn't seem to be going anywhere." Indeed, the video service's website reportedly had just 2,207 visitors in June.
Kevin Griffis, a spokesman for Booker's Senate campaign, told U.S. News the popular mayor "is not involved in the day-to-day operations" of Waywire. - U.S. News, 8/8/13
By the way, Ray McGovern, former. CIA analyst and Co-founder, Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, wrote a great piece in support of Holt's candidacy:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
With eight years of experience as House Intelligence Committee referent for monitoring the activities of NSA. Holt is uniquely qualified to investigate those and other reported abuses in his characteristically tenacious way. I know Holt and have observed him at close remove; I am confident that the NSA, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security will find little grist for blackmail when they reach into the thick file they have on Holt -- as they have on all of us.
Absent that kind of worry, how much tolerance do you think Holt will show hapless perjurers like National Intelligence Director James Clapper who, as Director of National Intelligence still sits over the entire U. S. intelligence community? Nor would Rush Holt likely stop at Clapper among those at high reaches in Washington with intriguingly remote relationships with the truth.
All this is why, for my first time ever, my conscience dictates public endorsement of a candidate for the Senate. I feel I owe it to all Americans - but especially to the people of New Jersey, whom my wife and were sad to leave behind when we moved to Washington 50 years ago. The times require a Senator serious about protecting rights guaranteed us by the Fourth Amendment (and the rest of the Bill of Rights, as well), and the nation, as well as New Jersey, would have such a senator in Rush Holt. - Huffington Post, 8/6/13
At this point, given Booker's huge lead in the polls, it's pretty clear Booker has the nominee wrapped up. Now I will say it was encouraging to hear Booker Tweet this about Social Security and the chained CPI:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Now of course he'll have to put his money where his mouth is once he gets to the Senate but it's good to have Booker on the record about this issue and I expect New Jersey voters to hold him to that. See Booker is a guy I want to like but I just don't trust. He could earn my trust if he helped State Senator Barbara Buono (D. NJ) pull an upset victory by getting voters out to the polls after the Special Election for the Governors election but right now I'm doubtful. Booker's lead is due to his name recognition for sure but I think a part of it is due to the fact that he's been ignoring Holt and Pallone's attacks and kept a positive tone for his campaign. Holt and Pallone need to attack Booker to some degree to differentiate themselves from Booker but some times when you go too negative against someone who's very well liked, it creates an opposite effect. I think Pallone and Holt should've kept the focus more on the issues and not the attacks but then again, who know if even that would've worked. If you do want to help get voters out to the polls for Holt for the August 13th primary, you can click here to sign up:
http://www.rushholt.com/