There are only fifteen months left in the late Frank Lautenberg’s term, so Cory Booker has to hit the ground running if he wants to look productive when he campaigns for his own six-year Senate term. While he’s yet to be sworn in, on Tuesday Booker told The Wall Street Journal that he’s already looking for ways to revamp the nation’s drug laws, such as eliminating mandatory minimum-sentencing laws for nonviolent offenders. And he’s reaching across the aisle to a somewhat unlikely partner: Rand Paul, who campaigned for his Republican opponent. “I want to work with him,” said Booker. “I take everybody in the Senate as sincere people who want to make a difference.”
While some might want to start placing bets on how long it will take Congress to crush that naïve optimism, for now Booker’s effort is working. “Senator Paul would be pleased to work with any member who believes that mandatory minimum sentencing is unnecessary,” Paul’s spokeswoman said. “He looks forward to Senator Booker’s assistance on this important issue.” Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by Paul’s quick change of heart, as he wanted to “kiss and make up” with Chris Christie just a day after calling him the “king of bacon.”
