(ThyBlackMan.com) I am not a political pundit, someone who is a well- known expert, and whose opinions appear online or in the newspaper. What I am is a regular girl who loves politics, understands it from an activist, and a concerned citizen point of view. But, I have been called a political junkie at times.
With that on the record, it won’t surprise you to learn that I have been paying very close attention to the 2020 Presidential election. The 2020 Presidential elections, as of to date, consists of twenty-four Democrats – ranging from Senators to former Governors. These candidates are vying for the coveted spot of our Nation’s Chief of State. One of these Senator is the former Mayor of New Jersey, Cory Booker. By all accounts, Senator Booker seems determined and capable, but for one reason or another, he is polling at the bottom of every poll – especially with African-Americans. Since his announcement in February, many polls show him lagging with many of the unknowns running. A recent poll taken by Quinnipiac shows him at two-percent. More importantly, according to an article by Politico Booker is struggling to gain support from black voters; where despite his efforts, he is still polling in the low single digits.
If you’re like me, and you spent a lot of time reading polls, you can imagine the head-scratching moments I’ve had trying to figure out this
conundrum. It was bugging me that Booker – who is also biracial like our former President Barack Obama – was not gaining any momentum in the race. Why is that? Then one day, I was watching The Beat with Ari Melber on MSNBC, listening to Booker talk, when it suddenly occurred to me: Booker is not Obama! I realized, he lacks all the charisma Obama had when he was running for President. I know you remember: Obama was charismatic, charming, and funny. Not to mention, everything he said sounded smart, and voters like myself ate every word. Frankly, he had me at hello. Booker, on the other hand, is none of those things. For example, when you look back at the first Democratic Presidential debate, he looked very uncomfortable and out of place. Every word that came out of his mouth felt rehearsed, and without the emotions that should have come with them.
I know Booker cares about the people, especially those who are underserved and underrepresented. I also know he is not afraid to speak for the voiceless and marginalized. Still, polls after polls show he fails to stand out with African-American. Meanwhile, according to an article by Vox, he introduced a bill to fight poverty before announcing his candidacy. He called his bill the Housing Opportunity, Mobility, and Equity (HOME) Act of 2018. Based on the article, the HOME Act, ”In a head-to-head matchup of all five, [by other candidates] two plans (surprisingly) stood out as doing the most to reduce poverty at the least cost: bills from Cory Booker and Kamala Harris subsidizing rent for low-income households.”
The most important takeaway from his bill is, it’s designed to help minority communities facing the worst affordable housing crisis in decades – with no end in sight. Yet, it appears even that’s not enough to move him in the polls. Though, I will go on the record and say, Booker has more substance than the other candidates. Nevertheless, the question remains: why is Booker having a difficult time breaking through? Perhaps the short answer might be: we already had our Obama.
Staff Writer; Kency Desmangles
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