Awkward: Cory Booker Once Gave A Speech At Betsy DeVos' Organization

Christine Rousselle | February 08, 2017 12:50 PM

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker (D) was no fan of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, and spoke out quite vocally against her confirmation.

.@CoryBooker on #NoOnDeVos: “We need someone who will defend the civil rights of our students” Watch: https://t.co/LSwad13JHr pic.twitter.com/xOGaRx3XC7
— Sen. Cory Booker (@SenBookerOffice) February 7, 2017

Of course, the Booker of 2017 is quite different than the Booker of 2012, who was actually quite an eloquent advocate for school choice. Speaking at the American Federation for Children, the group chaired by DeVos at the time, Booker spoke passionately and earnestly about the importance of school choice to get kids out of bad schools in New Jersey cities. He cited his own personal experience benefiting from school choice as for why he was so invested.

I cannot ever stand up and stand against a parent having options, because I benefited from my parents having options. And when people tell me they’re against school choice, whether it’s the Opportunity Scholarship Act or charter schools, I look at them and say: “As soon as you’re telling me you’re willing to send your kid to a failing school in my city [Newark, N.J.], or in Camden or Trenton, then I’ll be with you.” . . . I’m going to be out there fighting for my president, but he does not send his kids to Washington, D.C., public schools. I got a governor in the statehouse, he does not send his kids to Trenton public schools. I could go all the way down to city council people in Newark, that do not send their kids—so what have we created? A system that if you’re connected, elected, have wealth and privilege, you get freedom in this country? And now you want to deny that to my community? No. I am going to fight for the freedom and the liberty and the choice and the options of my people, in the same way you will defend that right for yourself.