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Subscribe to RSSUpdated 3:40 p.m. -- Newark Mayor Cory Booker will pass on a challenge to New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie, instead exploring a bid for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Sen. Frank Lautenberg in 2014.
In a video posted to Booker's YouTube page, the mayor cites the need to "finish the work we have begun" in his decision not the challenge the state's popular governor.
"Let there be no doubt: I will complete my full second term as mayor of Newark, New Jersey," Booker says in the 3 minute video. "And as for my political future, I will explore the possibility of running for the United States Senate in 2014."
Booker's choice comes as no surprise to many observers, who have noted that Christie's popularity has surged to all-time highs in the wake of his response to Hurricane Sandy.
A spokesman for Lautenberg said Thursday afternoon that the senator will not address the 2014 election yet.
"This is not the time for political distractions and the Senator will address politics next year," said spokesman Caley Gray in a statement.
Lautenberg, who was first elected to the Senate in 1982, will be 90 years old in two years when his term is over. The 88 year-old New Jerseyan underwent treatment for a cancerous tumor in his stomach in 2010.
The news was first reported by WNBC.
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I like Christie too...he has my vote
Christie has common sense...although not fashion sense.
Booker will be another rubber stamp for Obama, for more deficit spending, for further skyrocketing debt.
piggy -- why did you feel compelled to add the derogatory remark?
Actually, spending under President Obama is lower than the rest since Ike. It's the W.Bush bar tab coming due.
hi, billyboob-91210...which part of my comment is derogatory?
Christie is an obnoxious, fat slob.
There, now THAT is derogatory!
typo alert in #1.4
Sorry billybob, not what's in #1.4 (billyboob)
Merry Cliff-mas (fiscal Cliff-mas).
Sure it was a typo Piggy! Lol, funny how Billboob's avatar says "no whining" and his post is nothing but pure whining!
oSBORNEOMN160 - Totally against the rules! Buh bye!
Cristy is a union buster.
@ Arther66...Obviously you don't know Mayor Booker that well. He's very independent minded when governing. And I don't think he's the type to sell out his constituents like that either.
piggy -- the fashion comment was unneeded and condescending.
leroy - goodbye, you are ignored due to your continual disgusting comments
Or dietary sense. His health's at risk.
Christies willingness to give credit where credit was due with Obama after Sandy despite right wing talking heads bashing him made me believe he was a republican willing to do what was best for the country rather than spew irrational right wing hate. It would depend on his stance on issues but he's the only republican I've seen that I'd consider voting for. The republican party should try representing the views of the majority of their party instead of just the far right.
Meadenzp293: Only fools fall for these online auctions. Charging 60 cents for a bid raising it a penny then claiming the only cost was $48 is nuts. Multiply 60 times 1 to get the true price.
I wouldn't trust Christie to do the right thing over the GOP thing as far as I could throw him.
ALll a REpublican has to do is act like he is even slightly interested in working with the Democrats and he's lionized. Must be a symptom of the generalized disgust most people feeel at the REpublican lack of willlingnesss to govern.
Normally I don't like anything that smacks of age discrimination, but I don't think that Sen. Lautenberg should run again at the age of ninety years, particularly if he's in bad health. He deserves congratulations and thanks for his long service to the country though.
As for Gov. Christie, he's not the best but he's not the absolute worst either.
Bad health???? Well...as long as it's not bad breath
Good choice for Cory Booker. Chris Christie has a huge personality and everybody likes him, including me.
It just gets me a little when he goes "Jersey" sometimes.
I liked the way Christie reacted to Sandy. But remember until then he was a total Romney supporter. He also was anti-union. No matter how much we may like a Republican office holder personality,he/she comes in riding in the Republican clown car,and carrying all their baggage.That's why I never vote for any Republican candidate. I always wonder,if they are really as nice and reasonable as some appear at election time (Gov. Synder anyone),why are they Republicans.
Sorry, American Girl, but not everyone likes the Governor of Jersey....not even close. In fact, many agree that he is a bully in possession of occasional rumblings of conscience and nothing more.
His love affair with President Obama during Hurricane Sandy was a calculated political maneuver combined with a momentary recognition of the obvious, that the federal government and ONLY the federal government could save Jersey, as well as the Governor's own long term political ambitions, coming out of an unprecedented natural disaster.
Christie is all about Christie, which Romney learned all too late at the RNC. I, for one, do not now nor will I ever buy the "everyman persona" Christie chose to adopt in the early days of November simply to thumb his nose at the farther Right. Christie would have received just as much expedited disaster relief from Obama had he merely made the traditional public request, sans the hugging and nodding approvals for Obama's remarks at post-hurricane press conferences, as it was in Obama's best interest to offer those things irrepsective of whether Christie promised to become his new BFF.
No, Christie's embraces of and nodding approvals for Obama were merely substitutes for a middle finger aimed squarely at Romney. Not that a middle finger wasn't warranted, mind you, but Christie couldn't very well run against Hillary for President in 2016 with Romney already occupying the Oval Office in 2013.
All in all, Christie is a snake and he'll return to form as soon as the primary season heats up....to say nothing of his post-convention debates with Ms. Clinton.
Job1,
"Actually, spending under President Obama is lower than the rest since Ike. It's the W.Bush bar tab coming due."
This fallacy is so easy to dispprove that it's insulting to even attempt it. What is truly sad is that people sell this propaganda, and sadder still, that people would even buy it. Prayers to you.
Booker hasn't finished his job in Newark. Unfortunately personal ambition trumps public service.
Booker's term as mayor will end in late spring or early summer 2014. The senate election will be in November 2014.
"Let there be no doubt: I will complete my full second term as mayor of Newark, New Jersey," Booker says
... What are you talking about?
I don't think "the job" will be finished in Newark in Cory Booker's lifetime, let alone in mine. And last I checked, being a Senator was still considered "public service", only he would be serving an even larger public.
Personally, I think Cory Booker and Chris Christie each have their strong points and have something to bring to New Jersey, plus from everything I've read, they have an amazingly good working relationship and I'd hate to see them having to battle each other as much as I'd hate to see the people of New Jersey have to choose between them. This kind of sounds like a win/win to me.....
Seems to me that Larry Dash is just afraid of another possible future Obama, blackcatwhitecat. He doesn't want a Dem African-American in the Senate, just a Repub one, like the Tea Party fellow in South Carolina.
The Grand Old Party is DONE!!!!!!
And there is so much evidence of this:
* Strong majority in the House of Representatives
* 31 Governors
* The majority of State Legislatures
Oh, maybe there isn't.
Another more viable, SMART candidate will emerge instead of Booker.
You are correct ... his record sucks ..
So is "SMART" a code word for white perhaps?
Cory Booker has a brilliant future in politics! How would the GOP feel if the future holds another black man in the White House? Let's hope that that will happen! YEAH FOR CORY BOOKER!
Colin Powell would be a great choice. Of course the left largely views him as a "Tom". Radical dems fear educated blacks that understand how government is actually supposed to work in this country.
Powell disqualified himself when he sold out the American people and helped Cheney lie us into the Iraq war. Notice he has not held any office since late 2004.
I like Mayor Booker and i like Gov. Christie and the best part is they found ways to work together.
lisa -
Didn't see your comment before I posted mine above, but we're definitely on the same page here.
Hope everything's going well with you and your family after Sandy.
JoAnne in PA, Yes we are on the same page and thank you for asking about how we are doing after the storm. There is a ton of work to be done here but people are working together. I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season.
GodblessAmerica-1789597 Are you on Crack? I LOVE Colin Powell! I wish he would have ran agianst Bush. This country would have so much better off today if President Powell had been in charge! It was the Republican Party who hung him out to dry! Bush and Cheney gave him falsified info that he was suppose to convince the nation was true. What else could he have done, it was the President ordering him to do it!
It's not the Dems that have a problem with Powell. The Republicans set him up to fail so they could say even a great (black) man like Powell was a liar and a failure, there by proving a black man couldn't be trusted with true power! Nope! Your party tried to disgrace this disguished Veteran NOT mine!
Clinton Powell in 2016
antistupidity-Clinton Powell in 2016.
I like that.And there are a few others I could think of as well. Clinton-O'Malley,or Clinton-Booker if Hillary really decides to run.
Powell was mislead just like congress over Iraq. When you're president you can present evidence that supports your agenda and block disclosure that would discredit it. Bush's agenda was to finish what his father failed to do, it had nothing to do with concern for WMD. The problem was Bush Sr. was smart enough to know making Iraq an ally of Iran instead of offsetting them wasn't in our best interest. Bush Jr. was an idiot and didn't care.
Colin Powell was fed a load of bull excrement (by his Republican bosses, Bush and Cheney) and told to take it to the UN to justify an otherwise totally-unjustifiable war in Iraq. I noticed no Republicans calling for an investigation after the WMD myth was exposed.
But, let a Democratic president, and his person, Susan Rice, do their best to satiate the public's screaming need-to-know-everything, and right now, with respect to Benghazi, and all we're hearing is "lies! lies!" and "cover-up; cover-up."
You can't have it both ways people. As I've pointed out often in these past few days, the media are in a forked stick here. If they give information immediately, then have to change the story as new facts come to light, everyone screams, "lies! lies!" On the other hand, if they wait until some additional facts come to light, everyone screams, "cover-up! cover-up!" and wants to know what is so bad that we can't be told the truth.
As should be obvious to everyone but the followers of Faux news by now, it takes time to find out what happened, and early assumptions and impressions may have to give way to later facts. This is especially true in a situation where there is a lot of confusion on the ground.
And in the case of Benghazi, the CIA was attempting to keep its actions secret, thus the red herring of a film-caused riot. You can argue whether the CIA was correct in their actions, but they were the ones feeding Susan Rice the information she gave out. To hang it all on her is unreasonable.
Why on earth would any one support politicians from the corrupt urban wastelands: Detroit, Newark, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston, Cleveland? Crime in these areas is rampant. Every one of the listed governments are insolvent. There are active corruption probes in each of the listed governments.
There are good people willing to serve.
So you propose installing governments over these cities from places you deem acceptable? That works in Russia but here we have a constitution. You should read it. As for being fiscally responsible we as a country are also broke thanks to Bush and he's from Texas or maybe you didn't notice. Just because a president can print money and cities can't makes no difference, all are irresponsible.
Well, no matter who any of the candidates are for 2014/16, why hasn't everyone joined PAM? Here is the message I have repeatedly posted the past few months regarding our federal elections:
There is only one way to end the "money buying elections" issue and I've been trying to get everyone of you involved for over two years. If you haven't gone to www.faircampaignreform.us yet and gotten involved in the Popular Amendment Movement, why not? This is the ONLY way that the American citizens can ever take back the power of our electoral system. Congress will never do anything that will get past the current activist conservative SCOTUS to correct the problem. It is time to take the implied method that our founding fathers gave us, per James Wilson: http://www.usconstitution.net/constam.html
Popular Amendment
One other way of amendment is also not mentioned in the Constitution, and, because it has never been used, is lost on many students of the Constitution. Framer James Wilson, however, endorsed popular amendment, and the topic is examined at some length in Akhil Reed Amar's book, The Constitution: A Biography.
The notion of popular amendment comes from the conceptual framework of the Constitution. Its power derives from the people; it was adopted by the people; it functions at the behest of and for the benefit of the people. Given all this, if the people, as a whole, somehow demanded a change to the Constitution, should not the people be allowed to make such a change? As Wilson noted in 1787, "... the people may change the constitutions whenever and however they please. This is a right of which no positive institution can ever deprive them."
It makes sense - if the people demand a change, it should be made. The change may not be the will of the Congress, nor of the states, so the two enumerated methods of amendment might not be practical, for they rely on these institutions. The real issue is not in the conceptual. It is a reality that if the people do not support the Constitution in its present form, it cannot survive. The real issue is in the practical. Since there is no process specified, what would the process be? There are no national elections today - even elections for the presidency are local. There is no precedent for a national referendum. It is easy to say that the Constitution can be changed by the people in any way the people wish. Actually making the change is another story altogether.
Suffice it to say, for now, that the notion of popular amendment makes perfect sense in the constitutional framework, even though the details of effecting popular amendment could be impossible to resolve.
It was upon this basis that I and a group of other Newsvine posters developed these two amendment proposals in July/august 2010 when we saw what Citizens United was leading to in the Congressional and state-wide races. I then paid to host the website for promoting the Popular Amendment Movement effort. Keeping the website running is my contribution to the cause, since I live in the US Virgin Islands where we have NO vote for president, NO representation in the Senate, and NO VOTE on the floor of the House (only a vote in whatever committee(s) our Delegate to Congress can be assigned to.) Yet our entire governance is determined by Congress through the Organic Act. We are basically second class citizens in the US territories. I lost my voice in government when I chose to move from OH to St. Croix in 1995 (for better weather.) PAM is a totally grassroots organization. We do not solicit any contributions and we have no formal organization. The website is the basic "organization." Download the petitions below from the site, sign them, circulate them among family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Email to everyone you know. Help form a local grassroots movement to collect the signatures and petitions, then work with other communities to form county/regional groups and a state-wide movement. Check with your Secretary of State to determine how many valid signatures would be required for YOUR state to call for the constitutional convention that would be required to pass these amendments. BE SURE TO MAKE COPIES OF EVERY PETITION AND HAVE THEM "DATE STAMPED" when you file the original petitions so that you have a record of what signatures were filed and when. That is your protection to make sure that your Secretary of State can't deny you your rights under the Constitution. OFA and all other grassroots groups should have been assisting in this effort for the past two years. It is not too late to get this done before the 2014/16 election cycle.
Petition for US Constitutional Amendment For Election Reform
We, the undersigned US citizens, duly registered voters in our respective states/territories, do hereby petition for our state to approve the following amendment to the United States Constitution by the method noted below.
Election Reform:
1. Abolish the Electoral College (Repeal Amendment 12)
2. ONE NATIONAL primary date to be held on the Tuesday eight (8) weeks prior to the General Election day for Congressional offices and for the President. Candidate petitions must be filed with the local/state elections boards 60 days prior to the Primary Election date. Federal election petitions shall be uniform in every state and shall include a “contract with the voters” that spells out clearly what that candidate stands for on all issues that they may have to address in elected office. They shall be held accountable in court for breach of that contract if elected and any/all terms are not met.
3. NO campaigning allowed for any elective federal office more than 60 days prior to the National Primary Date.
4. NO campaign contribution shall be donated to any candidate of more than $200 from an individual or $500 maximum from a family (spouses/children living in the same household.) No donations shall be made to a candidate more than sixty days prior to the primary date. No candidate shall contribute from their own funds more than 60% of the total donations from other private individuals.
5. NO campaign contribution from any PAC, corporation, union, non-profit organization, special interest group, etc. shall be allowed for any elected federal office.
6. NO third party campaigning (separate PAC ads, corporate ads, etc.) for/against any candidate shall be allowed at any time during or before the election season.
7. NO party conventions shall be held to select the presidential candidates. The selection must be done at the ballot box in the primary election.
8. The One Man/One Vote Supreme Court ruling shall be enforced by this Amendment, namely that NO federal candidate selection shall be by any means other than the ballot box on Primary/General Election Dates.
9. National Party Organizations shall NOT raise money for or donate to specific candidates of their party prior to the dates outlined above.
10. PAC’s shall NOT be granted tax-exempt status by the IRS, and any non-profit organization who uses their funding for political purposes shall lose their tax-exempt status.
11. All lobbyists shall be outlawed from influencing Congress at all times.
This amendment shall be approved ONLY by State Constitutional Conventions to be called within 90 days of this petition being submmitted to a state’s Secretary of State. A minimum of 25% of the registered voters in each state shall be required to further this petition to the respective Secretary of State.
Name Signature State Address
Petition for US Constitutional Amendment For Congressional Term Limits
We, the undersigned US citizens, duly registered voters in our respective states/territories, do hereby petition for our state to approve the following amendment to the United States Constitution by the method noted below.
Term Limits for Congress:
1. Representatives to Congress shall serve no more than two two-year terms in the House.
2. Senators shall be elected to no more than two six year terms in the Senate.
3. No elected official shall serve more than six terms in office in any combined elected offices (House/Senate/Presidency.)
This amendment shall be approved ONLY by State Constitutional Conventions to be called within 90 days of this petition being submmitted to a state’s Secretary of State. A minimum of 25% of the registered voters in each state shall be required to further this petition to the respective Secretary of State.
Name Signature State Address
Constitutional amendment is non starter.
US Supreme Court has said no and end of the subject,
Besides There is no chance or no groudn swell support or even serious talk.
Good luck.
You'll never get 25% of registered voters to sign such a petition. Most voters pay little attention even to who's running until the debates.
YAY! That's what I hoped he would opt for. He needs to build his creds in the senate - then he can look to being governor or president. And it's what my home state needs. Lautenberg represents some of the worst Jersey corruption - Booker has none of that kind of baggage.
Lautenberg is a great Senator. You are ill informed if you think he is corrupt.
Because he doesn't have a chance to beat him..Duh..
With this news and the fact that Tim Scott will represent SC in the Senate, I now know who two of the politicians will be on the opposing tickets for the Dems and GOP come 2016. Mark my words!!!
Who - do tell.
Both Booker and Christy seem appropriate for New Joyzee. Frankly I don't care which one wins.
Booker will be a shoe-in for that Senate Seat. He live cheap, $32.00 per week for food, same as food stamps.
What luke warm Has stated is right, if you remember correctly, in 2008 candidate Barack Obama projected his vision a bit and the words he stated went un heeded by many who decided to elect him anyway.
{We are going to fundamentally change america} "hope & change" "Yes we can"
When he said fundamentally change America, did anyone have an idea of how radical that change was going to be? If not, you should have been. Your next clue should have been when he stated, “We will change America, we will change the world” Arrogance? Maybe, but also someone with an agenda that does not include keeping America the way we know it. Or how about when he said, “We are not a Christian nation.” Did any of these statements not bother the American people and if it they did not, why?
America has become Numb and unfeeling to the reality of life. Many are living in fantasy of the moment ideology, Where you can spend all your money, and then spend someone else s money when it comes time to pay it back---> you don't have too, you just keep spending.
As long as, "If it feels good do it", anyway... Just one or two examples would be, first: "the anus" designed as a exit ONLY... However as time progresses it is glorified more and more ass a portal of pleasure. Completely ignoring its original function as exit only, Butt, If it feels good do it...
The same thing is applicable, to using Abortion as a form of Birth control... let's have sexual intercourse there is no accountability if you get pregnant and you do not want the consequences then abort it...
"IF IT FEELS GOOD DO IT"
un protected sex " dont worry about disease or sickness "IF IT FEELS GOOD DO IT"
Anal sex "IF IT FEELS GOOD DO IT" Driving a car at 120 mph in a school zone "IF IT FEELS GOOD DO IT"
Flying a jet airliner into a building "IF IT FEELS GOOD DO IT"
Killing a border agent "IF IT FEELS GOOD DO IT"
Watching porn"IF IT FEELS GOOD DO IT"
Beating your wife "IF IT FEELS GOOD DO IT"
Killing Yourself "IF IT FEELS GOOD DO IT"
Culturally, We have side stepped our Original path, and have been in uncharted territory for some time now. As we progress further into the abyss of depravity the appalling in-differences we subject ourselves too will be starkly more and more shocking. However, 4ward -------->ho
"Get Used Too It"
Are we there yet?
The sooner we hit bottom after going off the cliff the better.
The fiscal cliff was driven off of a long time ago, were already in freefall just waiting to hit bottom...
Can not wait for the sudden stop, the screaming from the leaches will be loud enough to break glass when the Government has to stop their monthly sty-pens, lol...
Were borrowing 46 cents of every dollar we spend right now boys & girls ... how long can we keep that up?
/./././. crickets :0) jiffy pop
btw what will be the next catchy phrase or name for it when we have another perceived crisis to talk an listen to the lame stream lap dog media about ???
all this bovine excrement is boring let the govt raise taxes on everyboby let the spending cut go on as planned let the chip fall where they may......
Yep hopefully we get to stop funnelling tax payer money to billionaires through the pentagon. Military caontractors and suppliers are the biggest leaches on the gubment gravy train!!!!
I hope you are right frank
Good for Mayor Booker!!!
Repigs. None (means not one) would rush into a burning building to save someone's life. Ever. Cory Booker will always be a hero for that one, simple (inspiring) act. I can count on one finger the number of Repigs who'd ever consider entertaining the vague notion to help someone else, ever - by putting their own lives at risk. They may be out there, but I do not (and have not...and I'm nearing 60) ever known of such a creature. Cory Booker is pretty magnificent in my book.
Booker is going to be a powerful Democratic politician. People don't doubt his authenticity.
actually, those of us who actually live in newark don't doubt his authenticity..we know he's a fraud.
From what I've read and interviews I've seen, if he's not a Jekyll and Hyde, I'd like to have him in the Senate. I hope people look into his record rather than taking Flavor of the Month's word for it. Not a good habit to fall into. Take a lesson from the teabag earrings bunch. Deliberate voting is better than following the political fad crowd.
What if Christie changes mind and goes for Senate.
That will be ...c...o...o.....l
Time to retire Lautenberg, and its time our laws change and limit the age of elected officials to at the most 70 years of age.
70 is when they start to become effective. Think about the supreme court.
Billybob, I agree with you. Time to hit the ignore button for Leroy "Mooncricket" Brown.
I'll run against Christie ... me vs him in a 10 miler .... anytime ...... anywhere... oh, run for NJ Gov .... R U CRAZY!
2014
As I read some of these comments, I found myself being caught up in the negativity. We must not talk about our president or anyone else, but we should pray for them. Please, forgive me if I offended anyone, for we all have our opinions, but it is God that is omniscient.
I am a conservative and Christie did piss me off when he was bear hugging Obama and going on photo ops with him. Mr. Christie, you are a smart guy and should work on fixing your self. Throwing Romney under the bus wasnt cool man. Not keeeewwwwwllll at all