What Cory Booker Accomplished

The Bulwark: “We were frankly a little gobsmacked, both at the physical feat involved and at the rhetorical one: He seemed to strengthen as he went on, and the last hour was a soaring call for the nation to rise to meet the present moral moment.”

“Democrats are out of power all over Washington; their options for countering the Trump program are grievously limited. But anti-MAGA Americans have been dismayed by how complacent many elected Democrats appear to be about that state of affairs. They’re clamoring for leaders who—to borrow a phrase—know what time it is. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has become a real party figurehead in recent days just by being willing to show a little fight and fire.”

“Booker’s historic speech puts him right up there with her among the Democrats who are proving they’ve got something to bring in the current moment. Who knows how broadly it will resonate outside the Democratic base—but the base desperately needs leaders to steer their rudderless party right now. At a minimum, he gave them that.”

For members: A Stunt Worth Doing