Scathing portrait of Cory Booker by NYT

[Landslide Lyndon]

Ouch!
A star is fading?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/14/nyregion/promise-vs-reality-in-newark-as-mayor-eyes-higher-office.html?ref=nyregion&_r=2&

When snow blanketed this city two Christmases ago, Mayor Cory A. Booker was celebrated around the nation for personally shoveling out residents who had appealed for help on Twitter. But here, his administration was scorned as streets remained impassable for days because the city had no contract for snow removal.

Last spring, Ellen DeGeneres presented Mr. Booker with a superhero costume after he rushed into a burning building to save a neighbor. But Newark had eliminated three fire companies after the mayor’s plan to plug a budget hole failed.

In recent days, Mr. Booker has made the rounds of the national media with his pledge to live on food stamps for a week. But his constituents do not need to be reminded that six years after the mayor came into office vowing to make Newark a “model of urban transformation,” their city remains an emblem of poverty.

Cory Booker’s promise — captured in two books, two documentaries and frequent television appearances — was to save a city that had been hemorrhaging residents, industry and hope since the riots that ripped it apart 45 years ago. But a growing number of Newarkers complain that he has proved to be a better marketer than mayor, who shines in the spotlight but shows little interest in the less-glamorous work of what it takes to run a city.

[Meeker]

Booker has always had his detractors; he's never been the universally popular figure that the media might sometimes portray him as. As for the complaints in the article, I think most of the people annoyed by Booker's self-promotion are other Newark politicians who aren't as good at it. I only see one person who was willing to go on record criticizing him. If people on the whole were really frustrated with Booker over this then there'd be a clamoring to become the public leader of the anti-Booker faction.

Newark still has a lot of problems (and Booker has never claimed otherwise) but he's done a lot of good there in the midst of some very tough times.

[Blue3]

He's always seemed too happy with the spotlight to me.

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

He's always seemed too happy with the spotlight to me.

I've always felt like the minority when I say there's nothing really special about him when you look past his public persona. He's not an inspiring or as transformational a figure and orator that Obama is and was. He's just a nice guy, who has marketed himself into office by doing nice things.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

He's always seemed too happy with the spotlight to me.

I've always felt like the minority when I say there's nothing really special about him when you look past his public persona. He's not an inspiring or as transformational a figure and orator that Obama is and was. He's just a nice guy, who has marketed himself into office by doing nice things.

The Cory Booker for President people were certainly getting a little ahead of things.

[Meeker]

FWIW I've seen both Booker and Obama speak in person and say without a doubt that Booker is much more charismatic than Obama. Booker is also considerably more articulate at news conferences and in interviews.

[Blue3]

He acts like he wants to be Celebrity-in-Chief, not Commander-in-Chief

[Alcon]

That seems like a weird criticism to levy against a guy who's the mayor of a city in pretty bad need of positive publicity.  And most of these criticisms are "Newark still kind of sucks," which is hardly a big knock against the job Booker's been doing.  I'm with Meeker on this.

[RogueBeaver]

LOL NYT.

[Link]

How was that a "scathing portrait?"  Seemed like a pretty balanced piece.  Nobody is perfect.  Have any of you guys ever been to Newark?  I wouldn't want to be mayor of that place if the national economy was booming.  He did it in a recession.  His predecessor is in Federal prison for corruption.  If someone in Newark thinks Booker sucks I wonder who they are comparing him to because it ain't other Newark mayors.

Not sure why he would want to tangle with Christie in a gubernatorial fight though.

[fezzyfestoon]

Wow, that's ridiculous. People have been conjuring images of a negligent and distant Cory Booker since before he was elected. Any reasonable and balanced approach to analyzing his record as Mayor will lead to nothing short of admiration. Drive through Newark and you'll be amazed. But I don't think Kate Zernike has ever been to Newark, she's only heard of it because Booker was on TV.