Communicating like Cory Booker
10 days ago, Senator Cory Booker gave 25-hour marathon speech—the longest in the Senate’s history.
I just finished watching.
I’ve never talked for 25 hours straight. I doubt you have, either.
But while Booker’s feat seems superhuman, there are practical lessons for anyone who has to speak in front of an audience.
First, play to your strengths.
Booker is a former football player. He’s 55 years old (which makes him very young for a Senator). The man has stamina. You need stamina to make a speech like this.
Maybe you don’t have Booker’s physical ability. I sure don’t. But you have some special sauce—a strength you can play to—that others don’t. Maybe you can cross your eyes at will. Do great impressions. Sing. Tap dance. Speak multiple languages.
You don’t have to spend your whole presentation showcasing your special talent, but if you never lean into it, you’re depriving your audience of a memorable moment that’ll help you stand out.
Second, plan out your message and allies.
Let me summarize Cory’s 25-hour address in 25 points. He:
Sets the stage with a powerful invocation of American progress and civil rights heroes like John Lewis.
Names the dread many Americans feel: rising inequality, threats to Social Security, and creeping oligarchy.
Paints a picture of America’s moral and historical legacy.
Reads letters from voters, letting their words illustrate the stakes.
Warns against Medicaid cuts, stressing their real-world harm.
Cites statistics and studies to anchor his argument in evidence.
Yields to Chuck Schumer for questions, creating space for dialogue.
Commends courageous Republicans, emphasizing bipartisanship.
Describes a moment with John McCain, who challenged him to rise above party lines and become a statesman.
Critiques Trump’s NIH budget freezes, especially their impact on healthcare and research.
Defends Social Security, pushing back against misinformation about being a Ponzi scheme.
Defends education and science, warning against anti-intellectualism. He draws a stark comparison: America is copying the worst of China’s past, while China is adopting the best of ours.
Denounces unjust immigration practices, including deportations to dangerous regions like El Salvadorian prisons.
Goes after the Department of Justice, citing mass firings that weaken agencies like the FAA and election security.
Warns of the “politics of fear”, invoking Dr. King and the treatment of veterans.
Acknowledges his colleagues’ support, highlighting moments of unity.
Addresses global threats, including Putin and our obligations to democracy abroad.
Reads letters and stories, structuring much of the speech around real human experience.
Returns to Musk and outsize tech influence, framing it as a democracy issue.
Explains how USAID cuts hurt American farmers, not just foreign nations.
Discusses veterans’ care, emphasizing moral responsibility.
Quotes poetry, from James Baldwin to Billy Rose—evoking both grief and hope.
Zooms out to warn that democracies often rot from within before collapsing from without.
Returns to John Lewis, a moral anchor throughout.
Closes with a challenge: “This isn’t about left or right. It’s about right and wrong. Let’s get in good trouble.”
I just saved you 24 hours and 50 minutes.
Similarly, Booker isn’t giving you one 25-hour address. He’s providing hundreds of anecdotes and arguments. Most of them are calibrated to be clipped into TikTok reels for maximum impact.
And when Booker felt a little weary, his Democratic colleagues stepped up to shoulder the burden. Some spoke for minutes at a time before asking him softball questions so he could catch his breath.
YouTubers buy views. Sitcoms have laugh tracks. Stage performers have friendly audience members. Senators have supporters.
What are you doing to set the stage for your success when you speak?
Third, build on your momentum.
It’s no secret that American Democrats are struggling right now.
After losing every swing state in 2024, former VP Kamala Harris is persona non grata for many independents.
VP nominee Tim Walz was muzzled by the Harris campaign and has to rehabilitate his national image.
There’s a bench of politicians—AOC, Andy Beshear, Josh Shapiro, Gretchen Whitmer, Pete Buttigieg, Wes Moore, Gavin Newsom—but no clear frontrunner beyond Harris, who has the most name recognition.
Booker’s remarkable feat took him from a failed 2020 also-ran to a possible leader in 2028. Just check out this website. It says he doesn’t have anything to do with it, but then tells you to email info@corybooker.org. Curious.
There’s the lesson: find communication channels your rivals are afraid of, and strike where they aren’t.
I started paying attention to Booker after watching Street Fight, an Oscar-nominated documentary about his battle to become mayor of Newark. I was disappointed that he couldn’t manage his message enough in 2020.
But the United States tends to swing between extremes. After years of geriatrics leading the nation, Booker’s approach might be just what the country wants.
Also, it’s neat that a Rhodes Scholar and Yale Law graduate black American was the one to break the filibuster record previously set by an avowed racist and segregationist. Get dunked on.
