Tag: Cory Booker

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Mayor Cory Booker performs first New Jersey same-sex wedding

I love that Mayor Booker is so joyful about being a part of the proceedings.

The Mayor had refused to perform an marriage ceremonies until ALL couples had the same right to do so.  But at the stroke of midnight, Booker agreed to start marrying gay or straight couples. 
Orville Bell and Joseph Panessidi were the first couple to be married.

Check out the Mayor’s smackdown of the lone heckler at the 2:15 mark. “Having heard no substantive, worthy objections…”

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New Jersey: Newark Mayor Cory Booker becomes 4th African-American elected to US Senate

Cory Booker becomes the 4th African-American to be elected to the US Senate

Congratulations Senator-elect Cory Booker!

With 99% of the vote counted, Booker beat Republican Steve Lonegan by 11 points, 55% to 44%.

“If you voted for me, I will make your proud. If you didn’t vote for me, I will work every single day to earn your trust,” Booker said in his victory speech.

Booker becomes the first African-American elected to the Senate since Barack Obama, and only the fourth popularly elected black senator since Reconstruction.

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Sarah Palin still writing “crib notes” in the palm of her hand

Sarah Palin's palm reveals her crib notes to herself to be clever when speaking. Apparently, a seven word phrase is hard to remember...

In a throwback to classic Sarah Palin, the Associated Press photographed the former half-term governor of Alaska’s palm with a note to herself as she rallied in New Jersey on Saturday on behalf of Steve Lonegan in the special New Jersey Senate race going on right now:

“We need a leader not a tweeter… That was poem-worthy – I’ve got to remember that one,” she said in her stump speech for candidate Steve Lonegan at the New Egypt Speedway on Saturday.

Lonegan and Booker are running for U.S. Senate in a special election Wednesday to fill the vacancy created by the death of Frank Lautenberg. Palin apparently needed extra help remembering the seven-word rhyme she praised. An AP photographer snapped a picture of the palm of her hand, revealing the words “leader not tweeter” written with a red marker.

Palin made no mention of her own tweeting history and Lonegan’s recently fired strategist who said he had interpreted Booker’s tweets to be a revelation he might be gay. While Booker has 1.4 million followers, Palin has 977,000. Lonegan has 5,200.

In related news, Palin has shared her opinion that the polls are currently lying about Cory Booker’s 12 point lead in the polls.

We shall soon see.  The special election happens Wednesday.

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New Jersey: Steve Lonegan aide fired after making crass, homophobic comments about Cory Booker

Rick Shaftan, an aide to Steven Lonegran, was fired after making crude and homophobic remarks about opponent Cory Booker

A top aide to New Jersey Republican senate candidate Steve Lonegan has been fired after making comments about Lonegan’s opponent, Cory Booker.

Talking Points Memo has published a interview they conducted with the aide, Rick Shaftan, in which he made several crass and homophobic remarks.

In a profanity-filled assessment of the race delivered via phone Thursday, Rick Shaftan, a senior staffer and key strategist on Lonegan’s campaign, suggested voters would be turned off by Booker’s “odd” behavior including Twitter messages the Democrat sent to a stripper, that Shaftan described as “strange” and “like what a gay guy would say.”

“It was just weird. I mean, to me, you know, hey, if he said, ‘Hey, you got really hot breasts man, I’d love to suck on them.’ Then like, yeah, cool. But like, he didn’t say that,” Shaftan explained. “It was like kind of like, I don’t know, it was like what a gay guy would say to a stripper. It’s the way he was talking to her. It’s just like like there was no sexual interest at all. I don’t know. To me, if I was single and you know like some stripper was tweeting me, I might take advantage of the perks of the office, you know?”

Sounds like a very classy guy, huh?

Shaftan was informed of his termination later that day.

Steve Lonegan issued the following statement soon after: “His comments are distasteful and offensive, and his contract as a vendor for my campaign will be terminated immediately.”

The special election to fill the open US Senate seat will be held this Wednesday.

(via Towleroad)

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New Jersey: NOM’s Brian Brown picks another losing battle

With only 3 days left in the campaign, and Newark Mayor Cory Booker 12 points ahead in the polls, Brian Brown of the hate group National Organization for Marriage jumps into another losing battle by throwing out a last minute endorsement of Booker’s opponent, Republican Steve Lonegan:

“Steve Lonegan is a champion for marriage, life and religious liberty and would be a leader in the US Senate for New Jersey families.

“He’s a tenacious campaigner and an even more effective public official. He will get immediately to work to begin to restore the direction of the country.

“Corey Booker expected a coronation, not a close contest. He’s been busy raising money in Hollywood and among the gay lobby, who’ve lavished money on his campaign because he shares their values.

“Meanwhile, Steve Lonegan has worked hard to talk about the real issues impacting New Jersey families, and voters are responding. We hope our independent expenditure effort can help propel him over the top.”

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NJ: Mayor Cory Booker leads Senate race by double digits with one week to election


Newark Mayor Cory Booker

The New Jersey special election for U.S. Senate is just over a week away, and Newark Mayor Cory Booker still holds a double-digit lead over Republican Steve Lonegan.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely New Jersey Voters shows Booker with 53% of the vote to Lonegan’s 41%.

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Cory Booker giving the perfect answer regarding his sexuality

Cory Booker on All In with Chris Hayes regarding his U.S. Senate opponent Steve Lonegan’s homophobic comments regarding Booker’s sexuality:

First of all, this is the ridiculousness of this point. The question should not be whether you’re gay or straight, but the question should be, why are you asking the question in the first place?

The point I’m getting the chance to make right now — and I really, really want to drive this home —  is that we need to stop in America talking abut anybody in a public realm, besides what is important: the content of their character, the quality of their ideas, the courage within their hearts to serve others.

Here we have an opponent trying to say god awful things, literally saying, I believe a guy should be a guy. Almost like saying you are not a man if you’re gay. That is so extreme.

Let’s shine lights on this for a second and understand that my father taught me what manhood is about. And it’s not about whether you play football or enjoyed badminton. Being a man is about love. About kindness to others. About standing up for what’s right, about doing what’s important to do in the unfinished business of America.”