[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 154 (Thursday, October 31, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7705-S7706]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Senator-elect Cory Booker

  Mr. REID. Madam President, in a few minutes we are going to have the 
good fortune of welcoming a fine young man to be the next Senator from 
the State of New Jersey. I trust that serving in the Senate will be 
among the most rewarding experiences of his life, and he has had many 
of them.
  I urge my fellow Senators, Democrats and Republicans, to get to know 
this good man. I feel so elated that he is going to be here. Of course, 
I loved Frank Lautenberg. We served together for all those many years. 
But we are going to find that Cory Booker is going to be a great asset 
to this Nation and to the Senate.
  He has had a tough time the last few months. His parents moved to Las 
Vegas in early August. And as things happen in life, his dad was 
stricken with a very violent stroke. His aunt lives there, his mom's 
sister. She is a retired dentist from California. I was there because 
of the August recess and I had the good fortune of meeting all three of 
them. His dad, of course, was not able to communicate and, sadly, he 
died not too long after that. But this was right before his election 
was completed, and it was very difficult for Senator-elect Booker going 
to Nevada, campaigning with all the national publicity he had in that 
election, but he, during this time of fire, did extremely well. I am 
very proud of him.
  He had a demanding year, no doubt, with all the things he was doing 
and his deciding to run for the Senate. But he traveled to Nevada on 
various occasions, as I indicated, to be with his family and to support 
them. This quality he has was apparent early in life--his love of 
family and dedication to his parents, now especially his mom, who is 
going to be here today. He is not only a devoted son but a brilliant 
scholar and a dedicated public servant.
  Think about this man's academic record: Stanford undergraduate, 
senior class president at Stanford. That fine institution also allowed 
him to study even more there and he earned a master's degree in 
sociology, which has served him well in the work he has done. His 
having this advanced degree in sociology helped him in his work with 
the people of the State of New Jersey and the city of Newark. But with 
him, one Stanford degree wasn't enough; he got two. And then, if that 
weren't enough--and it wasn't--he was chosen to be a Rhodes scholar and 
then got another advanced degree at Oxford.
  If that wasn't enough, he went to Yale Law School. This is quite a 
record. He has been a city councilman and mayor for more than a decade. 
He has lived with his constituents and kept in touch with them like no 
mayor with whom I have ever come in contact. We are so fortunate to 
have him here. He has been with his constituents in the inner city of 
Newark. I commend him for his dedicated service to the people of New 
Jersey and the people of Newark.
  Part of his job was to highlight the difficulties of working poor 
families, and he did that and he did it very well. He has done 
everything he can to highlight to everyone who would listen to him and 
watch him to indicate that many Newark residents are struggling to know 
where their next meal will come from. At a time in the history of this 
country when we have so many people needing so much, where the rich

[[Page S7706]]

are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer and the middle class 
is being squeezed, we are very fortunate to have this good man in the 
Senate. I am confident he will treasure his memories in this historic 
legislative body and serve his Nation and State with distinction.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call 
be rescinded.
  The VICE PRESIDENT. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. REID. Before we have this ceremony, I wish to say one thing about 
Cory Booker. I have talked about his great academic record. But for me, 
a frustrated wannabe athlete, his most impressive qualification, as far 
as I am concerned, is that he was a tight end for one of the great 
Stanford football teams.

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