Patterico's Pontifications

8/29/2013

Booker denied being gay in ’00, now says gay rumors are ‘wonderful’

Filed under: General — Charles C. Johnson @ 2:59 pm



[Guest post by Charles C. Johnson]

Although Mayor Cory Booker now refuses to say whether or not he’s gay and says gay rumors about him are “wonderful,” Booker told the New Jersey’s Star Ledger that he wasn’t gay in 2000.

“[Booker] keeps copies of fliers about him on his desk, street literature that denounces him as a carpetbagger and a liar. Broadsides that say the bachelor is gay,” wrote Bob Braun of the Star Ledger on February 2, 2000. “‘I’m not,’ he says.”

Is it too cynical to think that maybe the reason he didn’t want people to think he’s gay then is that he wanted to represent blacks in Newark?

The answer seems to be because Cory Booker has a bigoted view of blacks. Witness T. Bone, his fictitious drug dealer friend exposed over at National Review by Eliana Johnson.

Booker likely thought that a friendship with a street thug would play well in seedy Newark. He likely also thought that keeping his sexuality on the down low would play well, too.

Now that he doesn’t need the blacks he doesn’t have to worry and can play footsie around the closet.

But if he wants to be president, he has to play an Ed Koch by refusing to answer every question about himself except the one about his sexuality.

–Charles C. Johnson

UPDATE BY PATTERICO: I don’t care if a politician is gay.

Time will tell whether that is Booker’s only issue, though.

UPDATE x2 BY PATTERICO: Foo Bar points out in comments that Booker described himself as a “straight male” as recently as July 22. Without more, this seems like a non-issue to me.

67 Responses to “Booker denied being gay in ’00, now says gay rumors are ‘wonderful’”

  1. T-bone was a fake but accurate composite, just like Obama used.

    JD (efc5b7)

  2. Imagine the OUTRAGE if Sen Cruz or Sen Paul made up an imaginary friend that allowed them to tell stories that caricatured people in a manner that let the politico push their narrative.

    JD (efc5b7)

  3. Cory Booker can say what he likes, but the truth is that he’s as gay as a baboon’s bottom.

    ropelight (16e2e0)

  4. Do you think he might be evolving?

    elissa (fdb36e)

  5. You mean willing to answr every question about himself, except…

    Ed Koch was very friendly with the Catholic archbishop of New York, probably because he thought they were in a similar situation.

    Sammy Finkelman (6c9102)

  6. Strange. One would think that some old girlfriends from Stanford or from early in his working career would emerge with “Yeah, Cory and I were tight back in the day. We were almost married, etc etc.” Funny how that hasn’t happened.

    Almost as if no one can recall Booker even being with a member of the opposite sex, period.

    Strange. What a way to run a Senatorial campaign. “Vote for me because I….am soooo evolved and 21st century! I’m down with the NEW civil rights (for homosexuals) AND I can also lay claim to belonging to the group that traditionally benefitted from civil rights.”

    Strange.

    Kenneth Simmons (88736a)

  7. I, for one, find Booker’s sexuality to be one of the least objectionable aspects of his candidacy.

    JD (efc5b7)

  8. wow…a Demonrat that lies about things.

    this is totally unexpected and unprecedented.

    redc1c4 (abd49e)

  9. Raise your hand if his sexuality is in your top 10 things you would care about for a US Senator.

    JD (efc5b7)

  10. As long as he whispers sweet nothings to his electorate, he is a lock.

    mg (31009b)

  11. Quite honestly I think whether he’s gay or not and what he says about sexuality is not going to be terribly impacting to his candidacy in New Jersey one way or the other. But the brouhaha gets him some publicity, national name recognition, and prolly some extra contributions from certain well heeled constituencies.

    A good image consultant or his own campaign strategist likely worked with a willing and cooperative reporter to get the issue out there so as to be able to manage the timing and the narrative on their own terms. Even maintaining “ambiguity” can be a planned strategy.

    elissa (fdb36e)

  12. Booker is a renowned civil rights leader even if he has imaginary friends and lies about his sexuality to keep minority votes.

    Just ask tifosa.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  13. some extra contributions from certain well round heeled constituencies

    FTFY!

    redc1c4 (abd49e)

  14. Bro set Booker up.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  15. Hey, lay off Booker, he’s about as good as Democrats get.

    Milhouse (3d0df0)

  16. From USA Today:

    Booker generally doesn’t answer when asked about his sexuality, but in interviews has referred to former girlfriends and dating women. In a July 22 interview with Gannett New Jersey newspapers’ editorial boards, he noted he is “a voice for marriage equality that had me the national speaker in Washington, as a straight male, the national speaker for the Human Rights Campaign.”

    Foo Bar (a1da86)

  17. Sounds like T-Bone was slipping teh legendary hot beef injection to Booker, if only in his fevered dreams…

    Colonel Haiku (fec36a)

  18. Besides, having to look at Ariana Huffington’s puss and listening to her Dracula impersonation might turn anybody ghey!

    Colonel Haiku (fec36a)

  19. tube steak boogie!

    Colonel Haiku (fec36a)

  20. ghey mayor bounces
    one dice game to another
    in Gritty City

    Colonel Haiku (fec36a)

  21. Bill Clinton still has vivid memories of T-Bone’s church being burned down.

    GrgTex (2c0dac)

  22. Has to be a transgender in New Jersey that will run against him.
    The democrats could have some interesting kitty fights in the primaries. This could be a serious popcorn election.

    mg (31009b)

  23. “he just ain’t like us”
    sez Weak-Knee Willie to crowd
    “who minces like that?”

    Colonel Haiku (fec36a)

  24. He referred to himself as a straight male about a month ago (see comment 16 above).

    Foo Bar (a1da86)

  25. Speaking of upcoming primaries, I have no idea how to vote in the R primary in NYC. Lhota or Catsimatidis? I haven’t been following the race at all. Are either of them significantly libertarian or conservative? Or are they both the usual RINO type that we get around here, like Giuliani and Bloomberg, and not worth going to the polls for?

    (If I were registered as a D, I know I’d be voting for Thompson, as the least odious of the bunch, at least of those with a hope of winning. Salgado has no chance, so I’m not counting him. But since I’m registered as a R, it’s irrelevant.)

    Milhouse (3d0df0)

  26. they’ll leave your spinners
    but they’ll take your tires away
    you best take teh bus

    Colonel Haiku (fec36a)

  27. Bust a write-in for your man Sharpton, Milhouse.

    Colonel Haiku (fec36a)

  28. Lhota, Catsimidis is a weasel, as for the Democratic primary, throw some darts.

    narciso (3fec35)

  29. Wasn’t Arianna’s Huntington a gay politician, too?

    nk (875f57)

  30. Good Lord! Huffington is not a parody of Huntington, it’s real?

    nk (875f57)

  31. Yes, he’s a Humble Oil (Exxon heir) who made their money in Venezuela and Indonesia, and had Pat Brown as their lobbyist.

    narciso (3fec35)

  32. Not liking to see Mayors Giuliani and Bloomberg put into the same sentence or put in the same category of pols. They’re both flawed humans (who of us is not) but Nanny’s not fit to tie Rudi’s shoes in my opinion.

    elissa (fdb36e)

  33. We’ve made tremendous strides in homosexual issues since 2000. Good thing too.

    marc (e27868)

  34. As far as a politician goes, I think honesty is more important than sexuality.

    MD in Philly (from a different computer and location) (226c84)

  35. I prefer that they change their minds from wrong to right.

    marc (e27868)

  36. Raise your hand if his sexuality is in your top 10 things you would care about for a US Senator.

    Personally, I’d vote for a homosexual conservative — who truly was of the right and not an Andrew-Sullivan-type “conservative” — over a hetero/straight liberal. However, the number of rightist gays is so infinitesimal, even more so if they’re running for a political office, that Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster might be likelier candidates appearing on a ballot.

    Incidentally, popular lexicon really needs to start using the word “bisexual” more frequently than “gay,” since bisexuality apparently is a more common trait among humans than strictly homosexual behavior. For example, what’s apparently true of the guy now in the White House. So if Booker had any sense, he’d say something like, “hey, voters of New Jersey, I’m similar to your and our beloved and fellow liberal/Democrat President Barack Obama. Nothing wrong swinging both ways, since it’s hip and cool in today’s world!”

    Mark (fd91da)

  37. living with the First Wookie would be enough to turn any self-respecting bi-guy straight ghey…

    not that our SCOAMF has any self-respect.

    redc1c4 (abd49e)

  38. Comment by Milhouse (3d0df0) — 8/29/2013 @ 5:33 pm

    Speaking of upcoming primaries, I have no idea how to vote in the R primary in NYC. Lhota or Catsimatidis?

    Lhota. There’s no comparison. Although the third candidate, George McDonald, didn’t sound so bad either.

    http://www.ny1.com/content/news/185295/mcdonald–catsimatidis-spar-repeatedly-in-gop-debate

    I saw and heard part of a debate last night on WCBS. You could visibly see how Catsimatidis was in over his head. And he’s lying in his commercials. Not to mention being personally close to Bill Clinton, lending him his private jet.

    Lhota was gotten into the race by people who worried about what would happen after Bloomberg, although he says he already had decided last August but was trying to figure out how to make an announcement.

    Lhota was budget director and deputy mayor under Giuliani. He was out of public office for about ten years but last year (2012) served part of a year as Chairman of the MTA.

    I remember he sdasid about the Inspector general oof the Police department, that wouldn;’t be a roblem (if he was mayor) because he’d be his inspector general.

    I haven’t been following the race at all. Are either of them significantly libertarian or conservative?

    I’m not sure how they fall into this category.

    Or are they both the usual RINO type that we get around here, like Giuliani and Bloomberg, and not worth going to the polls for? </I.

    Do you want somebody who will continue to appeal the stop and frisk decision, or who will sign a consent decree? Do you want someone who will offer too much to the municipal worker's unions (all the contracts have expired, some for four years, Bloomberg has given no raises and now they want retroactive pay, but we had a recssion) do you want someone who will undo most of the efefcts of school reform (which aren't all that great, or not.

    And do you want someone who undersdtands what's going on in city government and who won't do things that make no sense? That's Lhota.

    (If I were registered as a D, I know I’d be voting for Thompson, as the least odious of the bunch, at least of those with a hope of winning. Salgado has no chance, so I’m not counting him.

    I really don’t know anything about salgado. What’s good about him? Now they are talking about de Blasio posisbly avoiding a runoff (a poll had him at 36%) Quinn is second and would lose a runoff. Thompson is third, but might win a runoff, but it is hard for him to get up there. I tend to favir Sal Albanese. You know anything bad about him? The way I see it, any vote for anybody is a vote for a runoff.

    DeBlasio’s been running commercials. You would think from the commercials one of the biig problems in New York is people being stopped by police.

    DeBlasio is so stupid that when a woman he was dating told him she was a lesbian and showed him a magazine article she’d written 12 years before, he said never mind. He married her and they ahve two children.

    Sammy Finkelman (6c9102)

  39. …which you could interpret to mean he wasn’t stupid. Except that it probably wasn’t insight, but stupidity. Sometimes a person is too stupid to knwo something is impossible, and it happens.

    Sammy Finkelman (6c9102)

  40. Hey, welcome to our new guest blogger!

    JVW (23867e)

  41. What would Cory Booker see in this TBone dude? He’s funny, but kinda pasty…

    http://youtu.be/vBfcwfde93A

    Colonel Haiku (fec36a)

  42. Witness T. Bone, his fictitious drug dealer friend exposed over at National Review by Eliana Johnson.

    It’s OK to stereotype people, either as minorities in need of rehab and help getting a job, or as whites who are bloodthirsty hillbillies.

    The only thing that isn’t OK is opposing Dear Leader.

    Dustin (303dca)

  43. Ahh…Democrats they sure have their principles don’t they?

    Harrison (975823)

  44. Bust a write-in for your man Sharpton, Milhouse.

    So now Sharpton is my man?! What on earth could possibly justify such an accusation? Where are you getting this? It’s not funny, it’s a serious insult and I demand an apology. Why do you insist on turning rational discussions into personal attacks?

    Milhouse (3d0df0)

  45. Elissa, you’re dead on. Giuliani was a leader. Bloomy is an opportunist.

    NJRob (110eb4)

  46. *Vote for me – don’t vote for me
    Talk to me – don’t talk to me
    Dance with me – don’t dance with me, no
    Beep-beep
    Beep-beep
    Oh, bop, do do do do do do do do
    Fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion

    *partial cribbing from the Thin White Duke

    Colonel Haiku (8500f3)

  47. The is off-topic but touches on gay rights. A New Mexico state court judge recently ruled that refusing to recognize gay marriage is sexual discrimination, and it appears that at least two NM counties are going to begin issuing marriage licenses to gays this week. The case involved A dying woman’s request that her lesbian partner’s name be recorded on her death certificate. Even the ACLU was stunned at the court’s riling.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  48. Ruling, not riling.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  49. Oh good, somebody set off the psycho — again.

    Icy (c91e24)

  50. Cory, is you is or is you isn’t T-Bone’s baby?

    Icy (c91e24)

  51. I join JVW in welcoming Charles C. Johnson as a guest blogger. What a great addition.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  52. Agreed!

    Colonel Haiku (8500f3)

  53. Cory Booker resembling Neil Young,
    “Got mashed potato, ain’t got no T-bone.”

    Icy (c91e24)

  54. Comment by Mark (fd91da) — 8/29/2013 @ 6:45 pm
    — Funniest comment in this thread.

    Icy (c91e24)

  55. I gave Charles a login ages ago. Not sure he plans to use it that much but I hope he does.

    Patterico (de2a13)

  56. “There’s no such thing as ‘bisexual.’ You either suck a dick or you don’t.” -Andrew Dice Clay

    CrustyB (69f730)

  57. UPDATE x2 BY PATTERICO: Foo Bar points out in comments that Booker described himself as a “straight male” as recently as July 22. Without more, this seems like a non-issue to me.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  58. If it quacks like a duck….

    jason (275040)

  59. I thought the issue was that Booker may be playing coy with his sexuality in order to pander to a broad spectrum of liberal voters.

    Icy (c91e24)

  60. I just kind of love Corey Booker. He followed me on Twitter, for no reason I can think of. I suspect he’s gay, but that doesn’t influence my feelings for him.

    MayBee (7ea1b2)

  61. Where U been, MayBee?

    elissa (fdb36e)

  62. I wish Cory Booker would deny his liberal orientation.

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  63. Hi Elissa! I have been running around a lot lately. Finally settling down for a few months, at least.

    MayBee (7ea1b2)

  64. Booker is like a fluffer for Liberace, but I am not judging his personal choices or anything.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  65. 57. Comment by Patterico (9c670f) — 8/30/2013 @ 7:40 am

    Foo Bar points out in comments that Booker described himself as a “straight male” as recently as July 22. Without more, this seems like a non-issue to me.

    And the full quote from Booker to the Washington Post was:

    People who think I’m gay, some part of me thinks it’s wonderful, because I want to challenge people on their homophobia. I love seeing on Twitter when someone says I’m gay, and I say: ‘So what does it matter if I am? So be it. I hope you are not voting for me because you are making the presumption that I’m straight.

    As quoted in this New York Times article:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/30/nyregion/rival-speaks-of-bookers-sexuality-leading-to-charge-of-homophobia.html?_r=0

    I think Lonegan loses a few percentage points with this.

    Sammy Finkelman (67ff63)

  66. Here’ an update on the T Bone “story” and how the reporter now admits he kinda got snookered.

    When we talked over (a lot of) coffee in New Jersey last week, I asked Booker about T-Bone. He asserts that the T-Bone story is indeed true. But he also somehow seems to create some wiggle room, appearing to couch his defense in a critique of the cynicism of the press.
    The exchange is ultimately more relevant for the glimpse it offers of Booker’s impressive rhetorical mechanics, how they move him from a question about an allegedly fictitious – or composite – drug dealer on a Newark street corner, to an indictment of the press, to a mention of Eva Longoria, to a positive argument about his own authenticity to, somehow, a point about the importance of not letting “terrorists and those who seek us harm to change our fundamental values like the right to privacy.”
    That my next question after the exchange stuck with the privacy issues and the National Security Agency, and not T-Bone, is perhaps a testament to the effectiveness of Booker’s rhetorical talents. The full transcript of the T-Bone portion of the interview is below.

    It’s worth a read to see how manipulative Cory is and how his mind works. As one of the commenters adds after having read Booker’s quotes, “Thats one impressive load of bullcr@p”.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/08/30/cory-booker-explains-t-bone-and-the-cynical-press-and-eva-longoria-and-terrorists/?wprss=rss_politics&clsrd

    elissa (1a5407)

  67. Who cares if he’s gay?

    Is he good for the country? That’s why you should judge him on.

    He didn’t say he was gay. He didn’t answer the question, and he left the possibility open. If he isn’t gay, he might have left the possibility open in order to entice socially liberal voters who support his “It doesn’t matter if I’m gay” viewpoint.

    As for his initial denial, it might have been because he wasn’t gay or alternatively (if he was gay) because he didn’t want to start a minicontroversy. There’s probably at least 1 person who might vote against him because of a controversy over him being gay. You mention black voters, and you said Booker has a “bigoted” view, but it’s not bigoted to say that black voters are less supportive than other ethnic groups on gay marriage. A higher percentage of blacks vote against gay marriage than whites when it is on a referendum.

    Mitch (c62df5)


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