Danger to working families: Cory Booker Hearts Private Equity -- And Their Hefty Campaign $$$

[brentspeak]

Booker spells disaster both for the Democratic party and to American people. This is a guy who George Will likes. Either Frank Pallone or (even better) Rush Holt -- two actual liberal Democrats who are not Wall St. tools -- should be the Democratic nominee for US Senator to replace the late Frank Lautenberg.

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/cory-booker-hearts-private-equity-and

Cory Booker Hearts Private Equity -- And Their Hefty Campaign Contributions
May 22, 2012 06:00 AM

It's no secret in my part of the world that Cory Booker is a very ambitious man, whose horizons stretch far beyond New Jersey. (Until the election of Barack Obama, many observers thought he would be the first black president.)

This might explain his fondness for Bain Capital - their employees were among his earliest financial backers.

Yes, the private equity firms love Cory for so many reasons. For one thing, he just loves their ideas about privatizing education:

Even putting aside direct donations to Booker’s campaign, Wall Street has also curried favor with the Newark Mayor through other routes. For example, Bloomberg chronicled in 2010 how Booker worked to raiseas much as $240 million from Wall Street and other American financial services hubs to invest in urban renewal in the city of Newark. By promising dollars for projects Booker backed, Wall Street has has possibly been able to exert a level of influence on him.

Another prominent Booker backer is Julian Robertson, a retired hedge fund manager. Robertson also happens to be one of Romney’s strongest backers, giving at least $1 million to the pro-Romney Super PAC Restore Our Future. Robertson’s $1.8 million in contributions to Restore Our Future make him the second biggest contributor, next to Bob Perry.

Lee Ainslie, the other hedge fund manager that helped spark Booker’s career, has given $100,000 to Romney’s Super PAC.

Booker also serves on the Board of Advisers of the education advocacy organization Democrats For Education Reform (DFER), a group that has in the past advocated that charter schools fund political campaigns out of their per-pupil budget in order to advance education privatization. DFER’s board is packed with both private equity executives and hedge fund managers.

[MrSlayer]

1. Booker is the last thing we need.

He's everything that's wrong with this modern Democratic Party. A complete and utter Reaganite.

[Starry Messenger]

2. More on DFER and Booker ties from my journal

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Starry%20Messenger/123

[hamster]

3. Booker is a scumbag union-buster with a D behind his name.

[forestpath]

4. When he defended Bain last summer that told me everything I needed to know about him.

[BrotherIvan]

5. In a nutshell

[Simian20]

6. Salon, other e-mags on Booker's mighty ties to millionaires

Newark mayor Cory Booker is more interested in leaving to collect money and make speeches than he is in helping blue collar Newarkers.

Salon: Cory Booker doubles down
http://www.salon.com/2013/07/09/do_liberals_know_cory_booker/

Republic Report: Cory Booker’s Political Career Guided By Top Wall St Donors To Romney’s Super PAC -Has lots on Booker's DFER connections:
See more at: http://www.republicreport.org/2012/cory-booker-romney-wall-street/#sthash.4DUwG1b8.dpuf

No, Cory, we remember Frank Lautenberg and you're no Frank Lautenberg. Rather, you like hanging with heirs, heiress, hedge-funders and shuttling around earning speaking fees:
The Guardian: Cory Booker: the inexorable rise of Newark's neoliberal egomaniac
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/11/cory-booker-newark-neoliberal-egomaniac

He's cleaning up in donations from real estate interests ... and promoters of privatization (like NYC mayor Bloomberg):
BuzzFeed: Ivanka Trump To Host Senate Fundraiser For Cory Booker
http://www.buzzfeed.com/rubycramer/ivanka-trump-to-host-senate-fundraiser-for-cory-booker