Inside of me are two wolves.
One very much hopes that New Jersey Congresswoman (D-11) Mikie Sherrill wins the upcoming New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial primary, that the rancid attacks on her as a covert conservative are total bullshit, and that while I have maybe one or two known policy disagreements with her, we are aligned on making my state more affordable and expanding the housing supply, which is my highest priority. I hope that the disgusting bro culture on Reddit, which attacks her over being covert conservative and a collaborator, weeps the next day that their keyboard movement was in vain. I find some of the comments about the Congresswoman to be genuinely rooted in misogyny, a hatred for Sherrill that I don’t see a similar breed of for Gottheimer and Sweeney (both of whom bro-culture dislikes for other reasons). Unlike the Senate Race last year, in which the First Lady attempted to win the seat through the undemocratic line and nepotistic connections (and I’m tired of pretending that is not what happened), Sherrill has entirely earned her place in this race and is deserving of being the front runner. If she wins on the 10th, it will be because she made the best case to New Jerseyans, not because of an archaic endorsement process and ballot design.
The other very much hopes that Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop wins the upcoming New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial primary so I can see all those who have fumed with unbridled rage for a man who dared “not know his place” be humbled by the realization that we are entering a new era of politics in this beautiful state. Because the Mayor is a complete egomaniac, not the kind of raging narcissist that I would describe Trump as, but a man with enough self-confidence to look at the entire NJ Political Machine after Andy Kim ran a perfect campaign and defeated them and say to himself, “Yeah I can do that too.” And he just might! Admittedly, I scoffed when he initially announced a primary challenger to one of my County Commissioner incumbents, Melonie Marano (Fulop’s candidate has since retracted their candidacy). Marano, who is quite popular and does not covet higher office, wishes only to serve in the current position and improve the lives of people in Somerset, and so resources should not be wasted on attempting to primary her in a recently turned blue county. Despite all of this, I can’t help but be impressed by Fulop. There was no greater feeling of victory for the pro-democracy movement when the First Lady dropped out last year, followed by Judge Quarashi’s preliminary injunction against the county line a week later. Perhaps I am chasing the ecstasy of the shock and awe injected into the establishment’s veins.
Yet I voted for Ras Baraka, for I will feed neither of these wolves because neither of these feelings is rooted in the altruism I think Baraka can bring to New Jersey.
Should my state decide to throw meat to either one of these impulses, I will carry that passion into November, where we will break the cycle of Democrats being limited to two terms at a time before we are straddled with a useless Republican Governor.
I can’t promise weekly articles will return, but I damn sure will try to write monthly.
Stay safe out there, Trump is a fucking sociopath.
P.S. If this short piece pisses you off then I think you should go outside and touch grass.