Well, rumor has it that good old Cory Booker just might have the upcoming New Jersey Democrat primary for the U.S. Senate, pretty much locked up as he moves forward in his endeavor to become the next senator from that state. But there is one thing that could yet put in jeopardy his quest for higher office. And that would be what's been described as the rather explosive increase in Newark's crime rate during his tenure as mayor. But strangely enough, there has been little mention of it in the campaign.
But according to the annual Uniform Crime Report issued annually by the New Jersey State Police, the total number of crimes committed in Newark, a city of only 277,000, rose from 12,364 in 2009 to 13,199 in 2010 to 14,512 in 2011, more than a 17 percent increase in those years. Broken down by category, the report found that violent crime rose from 2,679 in 2009 to 2,974 in 2010 and to 3,360 in 2011, and that's a 25 percent hike. For most folks, I think that would be considered as a pretty significant spike!
The report also made note of the fact that murders in Newark went from 80 in 2009 to 91 in 2010 to 95 in 2011, nearly a 19 percent increase during that timeframe. The sharper increase is found in robberies in Newark: 1,373 in 2009; 1,655 in 2010; and 2,038 in 2011, and that's a 48 percent rise. But the problems associated with the rising crime rate in Newark do go beyond the borders of the city, at least according to the sheriff of a rural county to the west of Newark that has also seen a spike in crime.
Sussex County Sheriff Mike Strada commented in a recent interview on the rise in burglaries in his county of 24 municipalities and 148,000 residents, saying that anyone can burglarize a home in Sussex County "and then go into a pawnshop in Newark, get money for the stolen goods, and go out and buy heroin." Strada said that about 80 percent of the inmates in county jails are there for heroin-related crimes. Imagine that, another big city, in another liberal state that has a rampant drug problem. Big surprise there.
But despite the rising crime rate in Newark, Cory seems to be comfortably ahead in his bid for the Senate seat of the late Frank Lautenberg, who finally moved on to wherever it is that all corrupt Democrats go once we're finally rid of them, after passing away this past June. For the Aug. 13 primary, Booker had a 37 percentage point lead in July's Monmouth Poll over his closest rival, Rep. Frank Pallone. Also in the race are Democrat Rep. Rush Holt and New Jersey Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver.
Holt launched his first television campaign ad on Monday against Booker in which he proceeded to attack the Newark mayor for not being a true "progressive." Holt said in the ad, "We need to pass a carbon tax to stop climate change, break up the Wall Street banks, and stop the government spying on innocent Americans. Cory Booker doesn’t support any of these ideas." And again he chose not to raise the issue of the rising crime rate in Newark. This guy, Holt, sounds like a real leftwing nut!
Look, I don't really know how much of a "progressive" Cory is, or isn't, and I don't really care. It's bad enough that he's another Democrat, which is something we need less of, not more. Especially if our country is to have absolutely any hope of being able to survive even until 2016. And why should it come as being a surprise that we have yet another city, run by yet another Democrat, plagued with an escalating crime problem. After all, Democrats and high crime rates go together like peanut butter and jelly.
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