Cory Booker won’t give me a campaign button!

[Jim Lane]

My email to the Booker campaign:

I'm afraid I don't have time to volunteer but, with the race apparently tightening, I would at least like to wear a button. Is there a place in Jersey City where I can get a button? Thanks for your help!

OK, it was a bit of a white lie -- I have the time to volunteer, I'm just not motivated enough for a corporate tool like Booker. But I would at least have worn the button.

The campaign's reply:

Jim,

Sorry, our field offices only have enough buttons for volunteers. Thank you very much for your support.

In all my decades of political involvement, I don't think I've ever before seen a campaign where buttons were reserved for the elite and denied to the rank-and-file supporters who were deemed insufficiently worthy.

He has plenty of money, and buttons are cheap. Was this just an organizational screwup of not ordering enough, or does it reflect a basic attitude of disdain for the grassroots?

(Don't worry, Bookerphiles, despite this slight, I'll still vote for him, or more precisely I'll vote against Lonegan.)

[silverweb]

1. So sorry.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]If you really, really want a button (or other campaign gear), though, you can buy one -- or dozens -- here:

http://store.corybooker.com/

http://www.zazzle.com/cory+buttons

[Smarmie Doofus]

2. The answer is this:

>>> does it reflect a basic attitude of disdain for the grassroots? >>>

and ( probably) not this:


>>>Was this just an organizational screwup of not ordering enough, >>>>>


He's a Bloomberg Democrat.... quite literally; his bills paid by the Lord of the Manor. On this side of the river, people like this are called "Republicans."

I'm like you, though. I'd vote for him too. The other guy is even worse. And we need to protect the senate majority.

But what a WEAK, FLAWED candidate.

[frazzled]

3. You don't like him, won't help him get elected, but you want his button?

I might ask why, but I'm sure the answer would be too convoluted for my little head to comprehend.

Sooooo ... as someone who has worked on a LOT of campaigns, let me tell you I'm surprised there are even such things as buttons in Booker's campaign, because those things have sort of gone the way of, I dunno, the Walkman.

Volunteers usually get a sticker to put on their lapel when they go around canvassing door to door. For quite a number of years now, if you want a button (if such exists) or mug or T-shirt or whatever, you pay for it. It's called fundraising.

[Jim Lane]

4. I *would* help him get elected -- by wearing his button.

If nothing else, I'd be reminding people in my heavily Democratic neighborhood about this weird mid-October election coming up. (That, of course, is the fault of Chris Christie, not Cory Booker.)

As for why, I don't think it's convoluted. You're right that I don't like him. I dislike his opponent much, much more. I hope my approach isn't hard to understand: You support the progressive candidate in the Democratic primary, but, if he or she loses, you deal with the world as you find it. If, in the general election, you're faced with a choice between a mediocre Democrat and a nut-job Republican, then you hold your nose and vote for the one you dislike less. (I won't say "lesser evil" because calling Booker "evil" would be a little harsh. I think "mediocre" is about right.)

If I were a strategist for Booker, with his level of campaign funding (much of it from Silicon Valley and Wall Street), I wouldn't try to eke out a little more fundraising by selling buttons. I'd figure that the free advertising of someone wearing a button was worth more than the profit to be made by selling it. But maybe you're right that such thinking has become outmoded and it's all about the bucks now.

[lame54]

13. You can help Snickers by wearing their t-shirt...

but they'll still charge you for it

[DireStrike]

17. And when politicians are as popular as candy bars, they can charge too!

[Jim Lane]

19. Actually, I have some free t-shirts from companies that wanted the advertising.

You want to buy a boat? There's some outfit called Tahoe that makes them. I know this because I wear their t-shirt now and then, and I assure you I wouldn't pay for such a thing.

[SunSeeker]

5. Considering the disdain you spew, I find it hard to believe you'd wear his button.

Looks to me like you were just looking for a fight to pick.

With Dem candidates, you don't get buttons or other things that cost money unless you pay for them with money or time (that is why the volunteers got them).

GOP candidates tend to be swimming in cash but starving for supporters who want their trinkets, so they tend to be freer with their stuff. Romney could not find enough people to give his shit away to. I hear they ended up sending leftover Romney t-shirts to kids in Africa. Poor kids.

Why don't you call Lonegan's office for a button, then tape a slash symbol across it using strips of electrical tape? That would seem more in keeping with your stated feelings of aversion to Lonegan as opposed to support for Booker. And you'd be costing the Lonegan campaign money, albeit a small sum. Win-win.

[Jim Lane]

8. Let's at least bury this idea of poor underfunded Cory Booker.

You write:

With Dem candidates, you don't get buttons or other things that cost money unless you pay for them with money or time (that is why the volunteers got them).

GOP candidates tend to be swimming in cash but starving for supporters who want their trinkets, so they tend to be freer with their stuff.

Everyone finds it more thrilling to identify with David against Goliath, but the facts in this particular race don't fit the generalization about Republicans having the big financial edge.

First, as to the campaigns' own coffers:

Cory Booker raised more than twice as much as his opponent in the U.S. Senate race over the last two months, according to figures released by the two campaigns Wednesday.

Booker, the Democratic mayor of Newark, brought in $2.85 million between July 25 and Sept. 26.

The Republican candidate, Steve Lonegan, raised $1.13 million. In addition to raising more money, Booker has much more cash on hand. He ended the two-month period with $2.63 million cash; Lonegan finished with $241,000 on hand.

(from "Booker boasts wide lead over Lonegan in fundraising for Senate race", October 2, 2013)

Second, let's not forget the outside spending. The Center for Public Integrity, after a few paragraphs recounting the Booker campaign's warnings about right wing and Tea Party super PACs, reported:

But to date, no right-wing super PAC has seriously menaced Booker. Wealthy liberal super PACs and other outside political groups, meanwhile, are aggressively boosting him in his bid to replace the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.

Through early October, such organizations have spent more than $592,000 to advocate for Booker's election since he first announced his candidacy in June, with the bulk coming during the primary election that he easily won, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of federal independent expenditure data.

At least another $1 million is this week on its way soon courtesy of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's super PAC, the Independence USA PAC, the New York Times reported today.

. . . .

In contrast to Booker's super PAC bonanza, outside political groups have through the past weekend spent about $147,000 as of today to either attack Booker or promote his Republican opponent, businessman Steve Lonegan, himself a former mayor of Bogota, N.J., federal disclosures indicate.

(from "Booker burying Lonegan in super PAC cash dash")

To you and all the other Booker supporters who are apparently unhappy that my vote for him will be cast with insufficient fervor and adulation, my response is that politics is about coalitions. One attribute of successful candidates is that they get votes from people who aren't crazy about them. You don't help your candidate by dumping on people who are currently planning to vote for him.

[SunSeeker]

9. I did not say you had to show "adulation," I was commenting on your disdain for a Dem.

Your disdain for a Dem candidate on a site whose TOS is to vote for Dems is a bit much. I can't vote for him since I am in California. But I want everyone in New Jersey getting out and voting for him. Purportedly you do too. Or at least that is one of the reasons you give for being so peeved that you didn't get a free button: you think you walking around with that button could have gotten Booker some votes.

Which makes your vote-depressing tirade against the guy that much more ironic. And the fact that you are posting your anti-Booker tirade on DU makes it all the more odd. You should not be surprised to be called out on it. It is not the primaries any more. We need to get behind the Dem candidate.

If Booker has more money than his opponent, good for him. That is not the norm with Dems. I have no problem with him being frugal with his money. He can build up his war chest for when he inevitably runs against a well funded Republican opponent.

[Jim Lane]

11. You and I have different understandings of the TOS.

There are half a dozen independent candidates on the ballot. It's very likely that, if I troubled to learn something about them, I'd find at least one who'd make a better Senator than Booker.

But I haven't done that research, and don't plan to. I'll vote for Booker without regard to the qualifications of those no-hoper candidates.

The TOS means that I couldn't advocate a vote for one of those people, the Democratic candidate's opponents -- but I wouldn't advocate that even if I could.

The TOS does not mean that we must pretend all Democratic candidates are perfect, or that we're not allowed to note and discuss their flaws.

If I'm wrong about that, I'll await a corrective explanation from MIRT or an admin.

[SunSeeker]

15. What is the point of bitching about a Dem in the final days of his campaign against a GOP nut?

No one said you had to view all Dems as perfect. Quit throwing up bullshit assertions to avoid addressing my point.


What you're doing is playing into Lonegan's hands.

[davidpdx]

12. I've been here for 5 1/2 years and if someone grumbling about voting for a dem

were against the TOS this place would be empty. There are plenty of people who have grumbled about voting for someone at different levels including Obama. I'm not saying I agree with them, but it is THEIR RIGHT to do so.

Maybe you should look in your own back yard where your own senator, Diane Feinstein has jumped the shark quite some time ago. She has voted or taken stances against some things this year that are downright embarrassing.

I totally understand what the person whom you responded to was saying. We need more progressives and less corporate robots. The person said they would vote for him reluctantly. If I was in NJ I probably would too. The same goes for Feinstein.

I'm lucky to be from a state where I have two good progressive senators.

[SunSeeker]

14. The time to bitch about a Dem not being progressive enough is during the primary.

Not during the final days of a campaign against a horrific nutjob Republican. All that does is play into the hands of the Republican at this point.

And no, this place would not be empty. I've been here a while as well. It tends to be the same group of posters, sometimes reincarnated under new names, who come here to bash Dems.

[davidpdx]

20. Given the timing, there was no doubt Booker was going to be the nominee

Some of it was the advantage he had started to build for what was thought to be next year's race (before the incumbent died) and then the timing of the incumbent's death.

I've said this before, one of the problems is that incumbents will hold on to a seat until their death. It's happened quite frequently. This causes special elections and a scramble for who will run and won't run. In the Senate alone we've had Kennedy, Byrd, Inouye, and Lautenberg all die in the last four year. Ironically Lautenberg was the 300th senator to die in office. Granted it isn't as bad as it was if you look way down the list.

My point is given the circumstances did we have any other choice? No. Certainly the situation that happened before the primary was part of the reason why.

Yes, some people bash their own party. That happens. Prior to the shutdown people were on Obama's ass 24/7 for months. I think within a reasonable amount it is NOT against the TOS. Very few of them were banned. According to the admins those who come back as socks get banned. Yeah probably some succeed. That's just a part of having an open board. Again I think you are taking the TOS too literally given the comments that were made. If the OP had said (and I am using this as an example of what might be offensive) "Oh that Cory Booker SOB, he's a tool, blah, blah, blah" maybe that would be worthy of a hide.

It seems like your response is aimed at trying to gag another user by throwing the TOS at him. Again, I don't agree with that tactic.

[silverweb]

6. Pretty lame.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Just to clarify:
(1) You call and lie about your ability/intent to volunteer;
(2) You don't really like the candidate, except perhaps as the lesser of what you consider two evils;
(3) You don't plan on contributing financially to his campaign.
(4) You're offended because they won't give you a freebie button.

Very cute!

[Chan790]

7. Two thoughts:

1.) I have given you a button. The off-date skew (which always favors the GOP as they're more likely to show up to vote under sub-ideal conditions or on non-regular voting days) is going to cost Booker potentially 5-10% over actual margin of support on the day of the vote. That's the difference between winning and losing possibly. More visibility means less of a GOP skew in voting.

2.) Fuck Chris Christie

[SunSeeker]

16. So you're saying people shouldn't vote for Booker?!

"Spook"? WTF?

Not only is that offensive, but saying shit like that only serves Lonegan's interests. Do you trust Lonegan more than Booker?!

[MineralMan]

18. You use the word "spook" in reference to that candidate?

Really. I'm sorry. We don't do racism here on DU. Ever.

[RBInMaine]

21. Please spring for the buck or two and buy one. Easy.

[Jim Lane]

22. It's five bucks, I probably wouldn't get it before the election, and he has money anyway.

As I pointed out elsewhere in the thread, Booker has about ten times as much cash on hand as the Republican does, and that's not counting Bloomberg's PAC's million-dollar "independent" support.

I'd send five bucks to Alan Grayson for no reward at all before I'd send Cory Booker five bucks for a button.

Booker will likely be occupying that seat for the next few decades. If so, he will likely be infuriating me on a regular basis for all that time. Under those circumstances, my voting for him is enough of a concession, and I feel no obligation to do more.