I guess you're assuming Booker is a dumbass who couldn't pass a Civics course. I read it in context and it's pretty clear that he's talking about the day to day the broader impact of the Senate which continues to evolve every day. He's also talking about the contrast between being a man of the people as a mayor and the wheelin' and dealin' of the Senate.
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Booker, who for months weighed a gubernatorial bid against his friend Christie, has said he almost had to sell himself on the idea of being senator. In an interview in 2012, at the height of speculation about his future, Booker suggested to Winfrey that he didn’t fully understand yet what it was a member of the U.S. Senate did, or could do, with the power of the office.
“I’ve been asking the question to a lot of people, ‘Well, what does a United States senator do?’ And people look at me almost like that’s an annoying question,” said Booker, who often names former mayors like Gov. Martin O’Malley, over senators, as his role models in politics. “You’ve got to live a mission-driven life.”
Chris Magarro, Booker’s best friend since both men were 9 years old in school together, said the new senator would find his greatest frustration from the Senate in the rules that might limit what he can do in the office. “It will be a big adjustment for him,” Magarro said. “When recess happens, he’ll have to go on recess. That’s not like the 24-hour, seven-day-a-week job of mayor.”
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