Vote For 2012 Bookerista Of The Year

Which black moderates, libertarians, and conservatives this year have most displayed the ideology and ethic of this blog's namesake, Booker T. Washington? Readers nominated 71 individuals and groups. The individuals listed below received the Top 5 highest number of nominations from readers, so they will battle it out for Bookerista Of The Year (which will be announced with the Top 25 list on Friday). Here are the 5 most-nominated folks, listed in alphabetical order. To make it fair, each day a different Top 5 finalist will be featured above the fold. You can vote for your favorite 2012 bookerista at the bottom of this post:

Cory Booker, 43 
Mayor & moderate-liberal Democrat | City of Newark | Newark, New Jersey, USA

2012 claim to fame: working overtime for his constituents

Mayor Booker takes a hands-on approach to his job. This year, he rescued his next-door neighbor from a burning building, he helped a pedestrian on the scene of a car accident, invited his neighbors to stay at his personal home to ride out Hurricane Sandy, and recently went on a one-week food stamp challenge to urge an increase in the benefit program. Mayor Booker is also known for his regular use of social media — especially Twitter, where he has 1.3 million+ followers — to help spread the word about his policies, and for raising money for local charities.

Lindiwe Mazibuko, 32
Moderate-liberal parliamentary leader | Democratic Alliance | Durban, South Africa

2012 claim to fame:chief opposition to the ruling ANC in South Africa's parliament; proponent of South African centrism

The #2 leader within her political party, MP Mazibuko is a big proponent of centrism in her country. When the African National Congress made a misstep, MP Mazibuko was on the case. She led the charge when students in Limpopo Province went without textbooks for months. She led protests demanding quality teachers and teacher accountability, despite being called the South African version of "an Oreo" and almost being run over by a a teachers' union representative in the process. When President Jacob Zuma used US$23 million in taxpayer money to upgrade his personal mansion, she led the charge in Parliament to call for a no-confidence vote on his corruption.

Dambisa Moyo, 43
Moderate-conservative economist | London, England/New York, USA

2012 claim to fame: discussing China's race for global resources

This year, the Zambian-born economist put out her third consecutive best-selling book, Winner Take All: China's Race For Resources & What It Means For The World. The book focused on how China's resource campaign for commodities is among the largest in history. Dr. Moyo posts on Twitter (where she has 76,000+ followers) and Facebook (28,000+ fans). 

Tim Scott, 47
Congressman & conservative Republican | Charleston, South Carolina, USA

2012 claim to fame: one of two black Republicans who serve in the U.S. Congress; currently under consideration for U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Jim DeMint

The quieter one of Congress's two black Republicans, Rep. Scott's main focus is on business and tax issues affecting his district. However, Rep. Scott made strong moves this year to become a kingmaker in his state for the Republican presidential primary. He also maintained his leadership position (representing his Congressional class) within the House Republican Conference, and was named to the powerful House Ways & Means Committee. In the past couple of weeks, he has risen to the top of the short list to be appointed as Sen. DeMint's successor. 

Allen West, 50
Congressman & conservative Republican | Plantation, Florida, USA

2012 claim to fame: one of two black Republicans who serve in the U.S. Congress; being a rhetorical bomb-thrower

The firebrand politico has no shortage of liberal haters. Of course, that only endears him to conservatives. What didn't Rep. West make a controversial comment about this year? He called U.S. President Barack Obama a "rigid Marxist ideologue" and referred to the Congressional Progressive Caucus (very liberal Democrats) as "members of the Community Party". You can count on the brotha speaking his mind. While Rep. West very narrowly lost his re-election campaign last month, he did raise $18 million in the process.