Booker, Christie Stand Up

New Jersey Politicos Work Hard To Aid Victims Of Storm

I hope, hope, hope, hope that Cory Booker is the standup guy he appears to be.

Why? Because I could vote for him.

That is, of course, if the Newark, N.J., mayor decides to run for national office.

Booker got a lot of national attention post-Sandy for his efforts to help his constituents during and after the storm. While most of his mayoral compadres were likely hunkered down in the relative safety of emergency command centers, Booker was on the streets offering help to the city’s most needy.

Booker, 43, is mayor of, arguably, one the country’s bleakest cities. Newark has a performing arts center, a museum, a symphony hall. Rutgers — you remember them as a team that smacked the Razorbacks — is there, as are several corporate headquarters.

Still, with a population of more than a quarter million, estimates put the number of residents living in poverty at one-third that number. August numbers report the unemployment rate in the city at nearly 16 percent.

Obviously, Booker carried a heavy load as mayor of Newark, then Sandy hit. Estimates were that 94 percent of the city was without power at the peak. Without power, Newark residents were without heat in dropping temperatures and without any way to charge their cell phones.

The latter may sound facetious, but it isn’t. Cell phones are how many people communicate now. Past storms have blown cell communication to the wind. Sandy, however, proved just how vulnerable we are now that so many of us rely on cell phones.

But back to Booker.

Booker, in his second term as mayor, is a social media maven. He has 1.2 million followers on Twitter — that’s a few more than me. It was on Twitter that Booker kept a dialogue going during and after Sandy. Need diapers? Send him a tweet and he was there. As he was with milk and food.

One constituent tweeted him about a group of homeless people gathering under a bridge seeking shelter from Sandy. Booker was there, helping move them to safe quarters.

A man who appears to be proactive rather than reactive. I like that in an elected official.

And he’s got book learning. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stanford University. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in modern history. Oh yeah, don’t forget the law degree from Yale University.

Clearly, Cory Booker could have gone wherever and made his mark. Instead, he returned to his hometown — he actually grew up in an affluent suburb — where success should catapult him to national recognition. However, failure — and that can’t be ruled out — won’t help his street cred.

When NBC’s Tom Brokaw interviewed Booker Thursday after the storm, he looked tired, admitting he was fueled on caffeine and adrenaline. There was no indication when he would rest.

What I really liked about Booker is what he said about his efforts to help the residents of Newark during the crisis. He told Brokaw he thought his actions helped “ignite the spirit in others.”

That’s something we should all strive to do.

The other politico winning accolades during storm coverage was New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

I generally dismiss him as a blowhard. I have to say, however, when his constituents were in the crosshairs, he was there. He dismissed partisan politics and praised President Obama for working with him to get help to New Jersey residents.

Christie, considered by many to be a rising star in Republican politics, won no friends in saying that. I did not get the impression he is a man who cares what people think. Knowing party politics, he may regret that.

Christie angered that radio guy, what’s his name? Ah yes. Rush. Rush called Christie “fat” and a “fool.” He even implied that the governor and president had a romantic thing going on.

The only fat fool in this scenario is Rush.

Someone needs to cut off his power.

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You can help the folks along the East Coast who will struggle with the after-effects of Sandy for months to come. The American Red Cross is accepting donations online at www.redcross.org/donate. You can also donate $10 via text message: text REDCROSS to 90999. Donate by phone by calling 800-RED CROSS or-800-733-2767. And if you prefer the U.S. Post Office, mail your check to American Red Cross. P.O. Box 4002018. Des Moines, Iowa. 50340-2018.

Leeanna Walker is local editor of the Rogers Morning News and the Springdale Morning News. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NWALeeanna.

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