Today is primary election day in New Jersey, and because this state has not elected a Republican to fill a US Senate seat in practically my lifetime, most of the media attention fell on the “county line” issue, the propriety of a governor’s wife running, and Congressman Andy Kim. As it should have. The GOP contest generated few headlines but no small number of mailers. The race simply did not attract a high quality candidate with any name recognition. Monmouth reported that in March, the “favorables” and “unfavorables” for all the candidates was in the single digits while the “who the hell is that” column was 80% or higher. Republican primary voters could be forgiven for low turnout today. My veterans-in-politics sniffer got tickled by one candidate, however.

Albert Harshaw, who wasn’t even included on the Monmouth poll list, caught my eye as a US Navy veteran running in the race. His campaign website, like most of them, has a few tabs. “Issues,” “Donate,” and the usuals are all there. But there is also one for “Military Awards,” which I’ve screenshotted for fear that the website will disappear tomorrow. (In case it stays up, here’s the link.)

I’ve seen quite a few military vets run for office, but I don’t recall ever seeing a raw ribbon dump so explicit. Oh, and no disclaimer, either!

Saw in Military.com (via @StevenBeynon) that some but not all of the National Guard units in some but not all of the formerly confederate states failed to ditch Confederate-era battle streamers. These are not the stars and bars but rather commemorations of participation in specific campaigns or battles.

South Carolina units are among those who have failed to toe this federal line, and that seems very on brand for them. A total of 107 appear to be missing. If you see them, call the US Army Center of Military History or your congressman or somebody.

As of late summer 2023, the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has collected journalistic profile after journalistic profile, most of them justifiably unflattering given the man believes the CIA was involved in his uncle’s assassination along with the more recent and routine anti-vax rhetoric (though his anti-vax bona fides go back before the coronavirus pandemic). It’s not a huge surprise to see that his poll numbers drop from their original lows.

But RFKJr is not the only Kennedy around. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy got some ink in the Times today with a jaunty piece by Damien Cave. Cave traveled with Kennedy to the remote Pacific islands where John Kennedy’s ordeal took place after the sinking of his PT-109 during World War II in 1943. Apparently you too can visit, but the remote location means you’ll probably need to do more planning than open up your airline booking app.

_{Illustration from JFK library}

Caroline Kennedy’s visit included her swimming a leg of JFK’s various swims after the sinking to ferry men and get help. If for the visuals alone, it’s worth a read for anyone interested in that chapter of WWII and/or anyone wanting a lift after experiencing understandable Kennedy fatigue from her cousin.

The media coverage of this morning’s shooting repeated an unhealthy but seemingly unavoidable pattern: breathless descriptions of mobile phone video, police tape, and repetition of scant facts. I was reminded of a thoughtful conversation on On The Media with Indira Lakshmanan regarding how the media can do a better job. She discussed how ISIS profited from the way the TV journalism especially covered the Manchester bombing. Her prescriptions are not precisely relevant for the lone gunman style terrorism seen today, but worth repeating.

With hyperpartisanship the new norm on Capitol Hill before Donald Trump became president, finding issues on which Republicans and Democrats can agree is difficult. Today, away the drama and sparks flying in the Senate Intelligence Committee with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Congress passed (with 368 yeas in the House) the “Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act,” tightening up rules that will make it easier to terminate the small number of “bad apples,” to use sponsor’s Jon Testor’s words, working in the VA. Voting against veterans is a tough vote in the legislature, as veterans’ issues are one of those small number of valence topics in American politics–issues on which there is large consensus. This particular bill scratched just the right combination of itches: firing bad bureaucrats helps some on the right, while strengthening the VA is something most legislators can consider a win. Bereft of legislative victories elsewhere on his agenda, President Trump is almost certainly going to sign this bill soon. (NPR story)