Rising Star or Fallen Angel?

BEYOND THE FACADE: There’s a Lot to Like About Cory Booker Until You Dig Deeper And Discover There’s Nothing There

By Kristen Luciani | The Save Jersey Blog

Facebook Newark SchoolsI believe that a lot of politicians begin their careers because they have a noble desire to improve the lives of people they aspire to represent. The call to public service is very honorable, but once the promises have been made and the campaign draws to a close, the newly elected official needs to start working to achieve the intended goals.

Often, this process will pave the way for a successful official to advance through the ranks to serve at higher levels of government. However, in other cases, officials start out strong and then their past ideals seem to lose steam as they try to advance what appear to be their own personal agendas. Gone is the freshman eagerness, replaced with the seemingly addictive draw of higher office, with all of the power and prestige that goes along with it.

Cory Booker is one such example of a leader that seemed to fall prey to the glitz and glamour of public office. The beginnings of his political career were certainly characteristic of an aspiring and enthusiastic public servant, someone who was on a virtuous quest to better the lives of Newark residents while simultaneously improving upon the city’s safety, security and infrastructure in the wake of Sharpe James’s disastrous tenure. The hero of Street Fight!

His first term was largely deemed a success. Booker reduced the city’s structural deficit, improved upon development of downtown Newark, the first two hotels were constructed on his watch and the city saw its first supermarket in decades open in the Central Ward. Yes, major improvements came to Newark under Booker’s leadership and he inspired confidence in the voting public that he could continue to drive transformational change to a crime-ridden and debilitated city in one of the most affluent states in our union. In short, he began to make a name for himself, a critical component of his future political endeavors.

Part of me is very impressed with Cory Booker – he’s a handsome, intelligent, well-spoken, thoughtful and charismatic political figure – but my primary criticism of him is the fact that he always seems to be “politicking.” I can’t accept anything he does as genuine, because he always seems to have cameras trailing after him – whether it be rushing into a burning house to save a resident, shoveling snow along the streets of Newark after a storm or rescuing an abandoned dog from the bitter cold.

He publicizes everything he does and that detracts from the authenticity of his actions. When he heard about the abandoned dog, why didn’t he just go and get the dog?? For that matter, why does he feel the need to take to his Twitter feed every time he is about to pull off some heroic feat? It would be a lot more palatable to me if he performed his deeds off the record, but then how would that impact his quest to highlight his image? Speaking of which, exactly how many mayors have been glorified in Vogue???

Now the city of Newark, which once seemed to be on the rise in Booker’s first term, is secondary to his very public profile. His critics, both inside and outside of the city, complain that his very demanding day job has taken a backseat to his future career goals as evidenced by the current state of his city. He knows exactly what to say to inspire confidence but has difficulty with the follow-through required to really make a difference, as evidenced by his current record.

“Taxes have risen more than 20% over the past three years, even after the city laid off about 1,100 workers, including more than 160 police officers,” observed the liberal New York Times in a recent profile. “Crime has risen, and unemployment is up. Schools remain under state control, and the city’s finances remain so troubled that it cannot borrow to fix its antiquated water system. While new restaurants have risen near the Prudential Center downtown, those in outer wards were placed under a curfew this year because of shooting and drug dealing.”

Do we really need another representative who can’t deliver on our behalf, Save Jerseyans? Is star power alone enough to get Booker elected to the Senate? That would be a very sorry state of affairs indeed.

The people of New Jersey deserve more than a Twitterific wannabe senator who likes to glorify himself through YouTube videos and seeks out any opportunity to hobnob with the rich and famous over remedying the ills of the city that he governs. The “campaign,” if you can even call it that without an official announcement by the candidate himself, is already in a state of disarray and Booker really seems to be ruffling some feathers.

Is the façade finally starting to crumble????

Kristen Luciani
About Kristen Luciani 55 Articles
Kristen Luciani resides in Monroe Township with her husband and three children, aged 7, 3 and 18 months respectively. She works full-time as an Information Technology professional, and writes for her own blog, titled “Me and My Three” (www.meandmythree.com), that focuses on finding humor amidst the challenges of motherhood.

1 Comment

  1. Substance? Never had it, never will. Suprosed it took so many so long to see through his line of BS!

Comments are closed.