Cory Booker is my hero and our future President of the United States

If you don’t know who Cory Booker is, that’s okay.

Honorable Cory Booker is the mayor of Newark, New Jersey. If you are unfamiliar with Newark, New Jersey, that’s okay too. You are not alone. I only know of Newark — well New Jersey — because I lived in Manhattan. But if you are here, reading this, politics, government, and POTUS (President of the United States) is somewhat of an interest to you…right? RIGHT? (Just nod your head yes.)

Well, our country is in deep sh*t and Mayor Cory Booker gives me hope. He makes me believe in politicians again. So what makes me believe he should be our future president? He is different, and here is why:

1. Who
The man is well educated, yet aware of the realities…well aware, as in, first hand. Who else grows up in an affluent area, attends Stanford University earning a B.A. in poli sci, an M.A. in sociology, studies abroad at Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, obtains a law degree at Yale, then chooses to live in notorious projects How do I know it wasn’t for show? He remained in those projects after he was appointed to the respective positions. People. That is over ten years of living in the ghetto, by choice. Then…THEN moves into another decrepit area (well, straight hood) after his resident projects were torn down. Who does that? Cory Booker does.

2. What
He has all those academic accolades, so what? Well this is what. In one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S., Newark, where the high school dropout rate was 60% and a poverty level of 30% and all sorts of unfathomable statistics, he ran for mayor. Lost. Did a lil of this (and I say that lightly.) Ran again. Fought a political battle, and won the mayoral race. Once in office, he drops the crime rate more than 30% among countless achivements. (latter is PDF)

3. Why
Mayor Booker cares — truly cares. He is the real deal. How do I know?
– He showed up to a constituent’s home after reading a complaining Tweet and shoveled snow (source)
– Holds monthly office hours sessions for residents (source)
– Goes door to door to educate the people in his city about their options. (source)
– Performs customer service and interacts one on one with his constituents. (source)
– Not just against political corruption but fights it. Like, cracks down. (source)
– Maintains his own social networks (by choice) — his Facebook is pretty awesome — to have his own voice heard. [sidenote: Mayor Booker, please update your blog!]
– Declined offers for political fast track. A 2002 Senate seat — which would’ve put him two years ahead of President Obama as the only African American man in Senate at that time — and turned down President Obama for a role in the White House to continue his efforts in Newark. The White. House. For Newark. Really? REALLY? WTF. And I’m not in disbelief only because I hate New Jersey.

The more I Google, the more articles I read, the more I get to know the man, I cannot believe a legit politician like him exists. We need more citizens like him in office.

No.

We must want people like Cory Booker to lead and represent our country. It is our responsibility — we the everyday people — to elect officials like the Honorable Mayor Cory Booker into national government. And I truly hope, one day, Mayor Cory Booker will be President Cory Booker.

…I hope.

Connect with the Mayor:
+ On Twitter: @CoryBooker
+ On Facebook: http://fb.me/corybooker
+ His official site: http://corybooker.com