Tuesday on ABC’s “The View” co-host and network legal analyst Sunny Hostin confronted former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) about his endorsement of former Vice President Joe Biden after his criticisms of Biden’s record on race issues.
Hostin said, “Some people see this as quite the about-face considering how much you clashed with him over criminal justice reform, racial issues when you were on the debate stage. You’ve also famously shared your concerns about his ability to carry the ball all the way across the end line without fumbling. I think you said once, ‘there’s a saying in my community, you’re dipping into the Kool-Aid, and you don’t even know the flavor.’ So what changed for you?”
Booker replied, “Nothing changed. I said at the very beginning of this that I’m going to support — if I don’t win, I’m going to support the candidate who can best beat Donald Trump, and I’m doing exactly that. When you’re in a primary, you’re running because you think you’re the best person, so of course, you’re going to have critiques. The reality is Joe, and I actually bonded during the primaries.”
He continued, “We had some exchanges, but they were always done with a sense of dignity, not trying to tear down the character of the other person. And we both said that is the way our politics should be. You’re quoting a joke when I talked about being all up in the Kool-Aid. That was a criticism, but it was done with humor and with grace, and so this is something we need right now. We have this cancel culture that’s going on where we tear each other down, where we judge each other by our lowest points in our histories as opposed to trying to elevate everybody to a higher point in history for us all collectively.”
Booker added, “I said on the stump yesterday that I believe patriotism is love of country, but you can’t love your country unless you love your fellow countrymen and women. It doesn’t mean we have to agree or like each other, but we have to understand that we need each other. That we are each other’s hope for a brighter future. Joe embodies those ideals the best in this race right now. He ain’t perfect, but I think he’s the guy that’s going to help us create a more perfect union.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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