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The Madness Of Newark's King James
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| Contributor | User 13 |
| Last Edited | User 13 Jan 29, 2004 05:31pm |
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| Category | Commentary |
| News Date | Monday, April 29, 2002 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Those holding political power in America today are so used to going unchallenged -- the turnover rate for incumbents is only a smidge higher than for Popes -- that when it actually happens, they go nuts.
Witness the campaign craziness going on in Newark, N.J., where the race for mayor has become a case study in the nationwide clash pitting reformers vs. the establishment, the afflicted vs. the comfortable, the politics of ideas vs. the politics of dirty tricks, and a new generation of leaders vs. the members of an elite old guard who have outstayed their welcome and refuse to either think anew or make room for those who do.
In elected office for thirty-two years, and feeling the heat of a surprisingly tight race, four-term mayor Sharpe James has leveled a variety of lunatic charges against his opponent, city councilman Cory Booker, accusing him of taking money from the KKK and the Taliban, collaborating with Jews to take over Newark, being a "faggot white boy" and (cover your ears, children) a Republican. What makes this mouth-foaming vitriol especially nutty is that Booker is an African-American, a Democrat, and a Stanford and Yale Law School educated Rhodes Scholar, who, in case you're wondering, is straight and hasn't received a dime from David Duke or Mullah Omar.
Mayor James is acting as if he's King James and Booker is a traitor to the throne, questioning his divine right to rule. But far from the self-serving apostate portrayed by James, Booker is, in fact, a true reformer of the kind sorely lacking in our national politics -- driven by the needs of those left behind, struggling with failing schools, a chronic lack of health insurance, and a dearth of affordable housing.
"The tragic thing about Newark," says Booker, "is that while we sit in one of the richest states in the nation, we're one of the 10 poorest cities." This tale of two cities is being played out across America, as ossified politicians push their flash-over-substance agenda.
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