'You are a vegan' moderator Jorge Ramos said to Sen. Cory Booker during the Democratic debate. 'Should people follow your diet?'. Booker looked surprised by it, but quickly recovered and gave his answer: NO.
SIGAL SAMUEL: ‘“You are a vegan since 2014, and that’s obviously a personal choice,” moderator Jorge Ramos said to Sen. Cory Booker during the Democratic debate. “Should people follow your diet?” It was a question that seemed to come out of nowhere. Booker looked surprised by it, which makes sense — when’s the last time you remember veganism getting airtime in a presidential debate? But he quickly recovered and gave his answer: No.
Then, very briefly, he talked about the factory farming system that supplies most of the meat we eat, a system that subjects animals to such cruel conditions that there are laws to keep the mistreatment hidden from public view. In the US, a small number of corporations controls most of our meat production and squeezes out small farms.
“One of the reasons that I have a bill to put a moratorium on this kind of corporate consolidation is because this factory farming is destroying and hurting our environment, and you see independent family farmers being pushed out of business because of the kind of incentives we are giving that don’t line up with our values,” Booker said. “That’s what I’m calling for.” And that was it. “But I want to switch,” he continued, and turned the discussion to US war veterans, making the inarguable point that they deserve better care…
A 2015 Gallup poll found that 62 percent of Americans said animals deserve some legal protections. Another 32 percent — nearly one-third — expressed an even stronger pro-animal stance, saying they believe animals should get the same rights as people. In 2008, only 25 percent voiced that view. It seems more and more Americans are coming to see animals as part of our moral circle, the boundary we draw around those we consider worthy of ethical consideration. Castro, aware of that trend, is leveraging it to the advantage of animals — and his candidacy. Booker should’ve done the same. After all, he has a strong record on animal welfare issues’. SOURCE…
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