US Senator Cory Booker Talks Top Issues in NJ and the Nation

During this special half-hour interview, Steve Adubato and United States Senator Cory Booker (D) – NJ discuss the top issues facing New Jersey and the nation, including: federal and state taxes, immigration, legalizing marijuana, the impact of the Trump Administration, the opioid crisis and the Gateway Tunnel.

6/30/18 #220

 

 

 

 

Excerpt:

"Hi, Steve Adubato here. Coming to you from the Agnes Varis NJTV Studio in beautiful Brick City, Newark, New Jersey. It is my honor to introduce a gentleman who knows this city very well. The former Mayor, the United States Senator from the great state of New Jersey, Cory Booker. Good to see you Senator. Great to see you man. Great to see you. We go way back. It's one of these times that I'm sure... you have this with so many people. You've known them for 20-30-40 years. Worked with them. Yeah. Well not 40 with you! [laughter] Because when you ran for the Central Ward... Yeah. ...council seat, you were in your 20s, if I'm not mistaken? I was in my 20s. 19... I guess I moved to the city around 1996, your dad was one of the first people I met with... Yeah. ...who saw things in me I didn't see in myself. By the way, quote, for those of you who are following us every... my dad was just a little bit involved in politics. Go ahead. [laughter] Yeah! That's my version. Go ahead. Your dad was New Jersey's, perhaps, last Italian machine boss. And I don't mean that in any negative way, because you and I were talking off camera... talk about a guy who has affected generations in this city, built educational institutions, honoring seniors through incredible facilities and programming. I mean, he's left a mark on this city in a way that few people have in the last century. Thank you Senator. Let me ask you this. You have been influenced...? We'll talk about politics, and we'll talk about immigration, tax policy, a whole range of issues... the opioid crisis... can I ask you this? Your view of leadership, and the way you lead in the United States Senate, and the way you may lead this country one day, comes from where? Look, Newark. I always say that, you know, when you govern here, it sears away all partisanship. You just have challenges. You've gotta fix things, and you've gotta fix them quick. And I always say, I got my B.A. from Stanford, but my PhD on the streets of Newark. Because this city adopted me, taught me, some of my greatest life heroes - American heroes - are Newark residents. And I just learned, you have to create uncommon coalitions to create uncommon results. And so I went down to Washington with a mayor's mentality, having... look, I... Chris Christie, that I could write a dissertation on our disagreements, but he was the mayor, governor of the state, and I was the mayor of the largest city, we..."