Street Fight

Cory Booker, you might be my new hero. Booker is the subject of this tintillating documentary that follows his campaign for Mayor in 2002 in Newark, New Jersey against a guy who has been in office for over 15 years and done nothing for a city with a high murder rate and increasing number of crumbling projects and out of work people. It's called 'street fight', because thats what the incumbent James Sharpe turned it into. Sharpe, who is a fast talking bastard of a politician makes all kinds of horrible claims against Booker, who tires to run a clean campaign. Among the most ridiculous are that he (Sharpe) is blacker than Booker, that Booker is secretly a Jew, and that Booker is probably a terrorist.

It's not that that frustrates you though, its all the sneaky stuff that happens to his campaign. Signs get torn down by police 'on official business', businesses get fined for no reason when they support him, his office is broken into, and even the documentarian starts to fear for his well-being. And mind you, this is a DOCUMENTARY, as in, true facts. Most of the claims that Sharpe makes are shown coming out of his own mouth.

Its really a shock-umentary, about how horrific politics are, but also how amazing some people are. I think the film resonates more now, after Obama's campaign. I definitely saw some Obama like hope campaign feelings watching it.

Best part though (SPOILERS!!!) is that even though he didn't win the election THAT YEAR, he won the next one as Sharpe retired. And since then, Booker has done FRIGGIN INCREDIBLE STUFF for the city, just like he said he would! Check out his "25 accomplishments in 25 months" brochure http://www.corybooker.com/docs/25Accomplishments.pdf. He is seriously a good guy. And though they don't always come out on top at the beginning, they do on the end. Cory Booker you bald genius, what more can you do?