Cory Booker Is Confused

Cory Booker is adorable.

Or rather he was, when he was mayor of Newark, NJ and he was bounding about in blizzards as he delivered diapers and food to snowed-in constituents and shoveled their driveways.

Now he’s bottom feeding at 2.2 percent in the latest national polls of Democratic presidential hopefuls (he doesn’t even seem to register in Iowa and New Hampshire) yet he merrily Tweets as if he really believes he is going to be the next president.

He’s absolutely brimming with self-delusion and phony optimism.

As president.

Sure. Whatever you say, Spartacus.

It appears Booker has qualified - barely - for the next debate, which requires at least 2 percent in the national polls. He seems to be banking on gun control to catapult him onto the leader board.

He has a law degree - from Yale - yet doesn’t seem to know the difference between a constitutional right and a privilege.

This is a slogan, not critical thinking.

What does driving a car have to do with owning a gun?

Surely Booker realizes that driving is a privilege. It’s granted by states once an applicant demonstrates driving skills and familiarity with traffic laws. It can be rescinded for any number of reasons: bad eyesight, DUI, traffic violations, seizures and various criminal convictions.

The right to own a firearm is protected by the Second Amendment. Yet when Booker released his plan to reduce gun violence he seemed to forget that. The courts allow some restrictions on gun ownership - and lots of states have stringent regulations - but Booker’s plan takes it to a new level.

According to The New York Times, this is what his plan would require:

“The most notable piece of Mr. Booker’s platform is a gun-licensing program. The campaign says the process for obtaining a license would be similar to applying for or renewing a passport: A person hoping to buy a gun would submit fingerprints, sit for an interview, and demonstrate completion of a certified gun-safety course, then undergo a comprehensive background check.”

.

Yes, I know, Booker fans have been cheering this plan. But this habit of equating gun ownership with governmental doodads like drivers’ licenses and passports is disingenuous. They’re not the same.

What other constitutional rights require federal licenses and sit-downs with government apparatchiks?

Publishing opinions on websites? Nope.

Making speeches? Nope.

Worshipping God? Nope.

How about abortion? Anyone think women seeking an abortion should first have to obtain a license?

I didn’t think so.

At 2.2 percent in the polls, Booker has to do something to draw attention to himself.

Conflating rights and privileges seems an odd way to do it. Especially for someone with an Ivy League law degree.