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Cory Booker set a historic example for other Democrats to follow

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Cory Booker, thank you. Establishment Democrats, be more like Cory.

Starting from around 7 p.m. on Monday and continuing well into Tuesday evening, finally ending just after 8 p.m., the senator from New Jersey reeled off the Trump administration’s countless abuses of power, misdeeds and catastrophic policy decisions during the longest speech in the history of the U.S. Senate. It wasn’t a traditional filibuster in which a senator is stalling major legislation.

Instead, it was a symbolic but powerful act of protest. As Donald Trump has acted like an autocrat during his two months in office, congressional Republicans have loudly approved the president’s actions while congressional Democrats have meekly dissented. Democratic activists have been furious with their party acting as though everything is basically normal — particularly the Senate Democrats’ decision last month to allow the passage of a government funding bill they could have blocked.

Message received, at least by Booker. His willingness to stand on the Senate floor for more than 25 hours, briefly relieved by a few of his colleagues who asked questions that were really designed to give Booker short breaks, was a bold statement that at least one senator understands that Trump is destroying institutions and values that many of us hold dear. It is particularly notable that Booker, one of only 14 African........

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