Paid-for Democrats don’t deserve support

Burgeoning war with Iran compels me to contest the Daily Herald’s ballot choices. Grassroots candidates are the obvious choice for a divided nation stymied by corporate interests. Incumbent Democrats’ dalliance with mediocrity will cost us our democracy.

Follow the money. Our representatives' spines could obviously only be so weak from struggling to bear the weighty corporate donations lining their pockets. Have you ever felt $28 million? Raja has.

When every new day is bookended by fresh raw tragedy, we must question who benefits from this chaos. Political beliefs aside, affordable goods, housing, childcare, and healthcare are farther out of reach. Yet the violence, both foreign and domestic, heightens. As the grounds of our economic security erode, the confusing political waters rise. A man barely treading water has little energy to protest, much less fight against those drowning him.

Our government’s contempt is no better illustrated than the incident where Sen. Sheehy wantonly crushed the arm of former Marine and anti-war protester Brian McGinniss while trying to remove him from the hearing for the Committee of Armed Services. McGinnis is right, America no longer has the moral or financial capital to engage in foreign conflict. The pound of flesh routinely demanded by the American elite does little to satiate the blood lust of Washington’s war machine.

You choose between groceries and medication, Raja Krishnamoorthi chooses between donors in weapons manufacturing. You take an extra shift, he takes an extra thousand from Oracle, which coincidentally purchased TikTok after Raja authored legislation. Serving on the Intelligence Committee didn’t stop Palantir and Accenture donations, both now with unfettered surveillance contracts in DHS and ICE. He along with Melissa Bean, Laura Fine, Donna Miller and others received thousands from AIPAC, who are surely eager to set the market rate for American lives. Vote. Organize. Reform.

Renee Stanko

Arlington Heights