Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson (sometimes) Senator Cory Booker
Apr 15, 2026
Senator Cory Booker, U.S. Senator from New Jersey and former two-term Newark mayor, discusses virtues and civic revival. He talks about art and optimism, disciplined virtue as strategy, truth and redemption in public life, community-building through small acts, restorative approaches over punishment, and turning ridicule into opportunity.
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Virtue As Practical Strategy
- Virtue Is A Strategy Not A Luxury.
- Cory Booker frames disciplined practice of virtues as the practical strategy through which a nation survives, writing Stand as a devotional answer to citizens asking "What can I do?".
Supermarket Confrontation That Sparked Action
- Constituent Confrontation Triggered A 25‑Hour Senate Stand.
- A Newark supermarket encounter where a lifelong voter asked "Where's the guy that challenged the machine?" spurred Booker to act more congruently, leading to his lengthy Senate floor demonstrations.
Confront Incongruence With Compassion
- Challenge With Love Not Shame.
- Booker advises confronting people about incongruencies with compassion rather than public shaming, sharing that love coupled with truth pulls people back from extreme beliefs.
