Political observers believe that a civil rights icon is going to get clobbered in four weeks by a servant of the military-industrial complex and the billionaire oligarchs who own virtually everything in America because voters in New Jersey are too lazy to Google the candidates.
The Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in New Jersey is not a competition over policy platforms or the clash of ideologies but it is about the influence of corporate interests, as the smartest and strongest voices get drowned out in mainstream media narratives.
At the forefront of this contest is the candidacy of warmongering Congressman Andy Kim, who has garnered attention for his political maneuvers but not for his connections to corporate interests and the military-industrial complex.
A recent feature, dubbed “Prequel,” which aired as a half-hour political commercial disguised as a news interview, showcased Kim in a flattering light despite his often-repeated lies about accepting corporate PAC money as part of his $7 million fundraising haul.
However, the producer, New Jersey Globe publisher David Wildstein, has a controversial past as a Republican operative involved in the infamous George Washington Bridge shutdown scandal.
Wildstein, the Republican dirty trickster who masterminded the shutdown of the George Washington Bridge in 2013 as political retaliation against a Democratic Mayor who refused to endorse GOP Governor Chris Christie’s re-election campaign, produced the deceptive election commercial.
Kim, a hawkish neoliberal who amassed a significant war chest from many of the same big-money donors who supported Senator Bob Menendez, is overshadowing contenders Lawrence ‘Larry’ Hamm and Patricia Campos-Medina. About 377 contributors who gave Menendez more than $1 million in donations of $1000 or more also gave Kim over $1 million in $1000 or larger contributions.
Hamm, the chairman of the People’s Organization for Progress, brings a long history of grassroots activism and anti-establishment politics to the table.
Despite his previous statewide run and significant support from progressives, Hamm struggles to gain traction in a political landscape often dominated by well-funded campaigns and corporate-backed interests.
Meanwhile, Campos-Medina, who put $200,000 of her own money into her campaign coffers, speaks about the importance of holding corporate entities accountable even has her candidacy divides the progressive wing that backs policies working-class Americans need.
Her campaign also faces challenges, including limited media coverage and resources compared to Kim.
The diversity of voices in this campaign reflects the broader spectrum of ideologies within the Democratic Party, from establishment figures to progressive activists, but the media we consume through television, newspapers, radio, and online sources reveal that the currency of our culture is bankrupt.
The clash over foreign policy, particularly regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict, reveals divergent positions held by each candidate but only one of the three has the opportunity to connect with voters unless people actively seek out information.
While Kim emphasizes the importance of global security and stability, Hamm has a more critical view of US military adventurism, calling for accountability and an end to providing weapons to Israel such as those used to kill more than 13,000 children since the October 7 Hamas attack that killed more than 1,200 people.
Since then, the United States has supplied tens of thousands of bombs and missiles to its ally even as huge swaths of Gaza have been turned to rubble and the death toll among Palestinians ballooned to more than 34,000, most of them women and children.
As the candidates vie for the Democratic nomination, they navigate a political landscape shaped by corporate contributions, media bias, and the legacy of establishment politics.
While Kim maintains his frontrunner status with significant financial backing and media exposure, challengers like Larry Hamm and Patricia Campos-Medina continue to fight for visibility and recognition, amplifying voices often marginalized in mainstream political discourse.
The lack of debates before the primary election will deny voters the opportunity to assess each candidate’s platform, values, and commitment to representing the diverse interests of New Jersey residents. It is not uncommon for genuine Democrats to be shrouded in darkness as they compete with big-money Democrats who failed to advance progressive policies and rely on dirty money to finance their campaigns.
Some say corporation-owned news outlets conspire to deprive the public of information about candidates who would better represent them, or even work to distract and deceive voters so that ambitious, money-hungry politicians rarely lose to genuine champions of the people.
The day that the US Senate Ethics Committee “severely” admonished Menendez (April 26, 2018) CBS News falsely reported: “The filing deadline in New Jersey has passed, so Democrats have no choice but to stick with Menendez in the 2018 race.”
On CNN, Chuck Todd said essentially the same thing on that same day. Forty days later, Lisa McCormick got 159,998 votes, or four of ten ballots cast in the Democratic primary although she did not spend more than $5000 on her grassroots campaign.
Menendez and his wife went on the collect hundreds of thousands of dollars, a new car and numerous gold bars as bribes in exchange for betraying America to Eqypt and Qatar.
Menendez, as the chairman or the ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, “possessed substantial influence over foreign military sales and foreign military financing to Egypt,” according to his indictment. Menendez also allegedly gave sensitive information about staff members at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo to his wife, who shared it with a conspirator who forwarded it to an Egyptian government official.
Hamm stands alone as the only contender in the race for Senate who plans to vote for uncommitted delegates in protest of President Joe Biden’s actions in the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Hamm is also the only New Jersey Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate who supported McCormick’s 2018 primary challenge to the corrupt incumbent, Menendez.
Kim was Menendez’s CD3 running mate and Campos-Medina donated $2500 to the incumbent’s campaign while the lawmaker and his wife were actively spying for Egypt.
Ultimately, the primary election will reaffirm that money has more to do with determining the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate than the people’s desire to shape the future of the nation in an increasingly polarized political landscape.
When academics and media pundits wonder why Black lives don’t matter, someone is going to need to explain that it is because Black Americans don’t vote for candidates who champion their interests even on the rare occasions when they have someone like Larry Hamm on the ballot.
“God helps those who help themselves” is a motto that is often used to inspire people to take action and demonstrate self-initiative, rather than praying for divine intervention.
We are all going to need help if another hawkish corporate tool gets into the US Senate because voters in New Jersey are not only too lazy to Google the candidates but too stupid to vote against the Democrats paraded around by the infamous Bridgegate Republican dirty trickster David Wildstein.