NJ-07: Absent Congressman Calls Allies, but Stops Short of Public Appearance

[RandySF]

Republican officials in New Jersey said their phones suddenly began buzzing late last week with a familiar number as Mr. Kean began to re-engage with political leaders after being absent for nearly 12 weeks with an undisclosed medical condition during a high-stakes re-election campaign.

Carlos Santos said his phone rang at 4:52 p.m. on Thursday. Joe LaBarbera was in his car when his cell lit up five minutes later.

“I asked him if he needed anything,” Mr. LaBarbera, Sussex County’s Republican chairman, recalled saying.

“‘Just your prayers,’” he said Mr. Kean answered.



https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/25/nyregion/tom-kean-new-jersey-missing.html

[SSJVegeta]

1. Sounds dire. Legitimately hope he overcomes whatever health issue hes going through

[bucolic_frolic]

4. Yes I hope he recovers too

but the lack of transparency says it is something that might end his re-election campaign, and they sure don't want to go through a special election at this point. So the doubts about what is really happening are rooted in the real world, and should be addressed.

[SSJVegeta]

5. Yeah theres the whole corruption and moral aspect of things. But a persons wellbeing always takes precedence.

Once he is well then he can lose hos seat if he doesnt resign. Which if things have been so serious he couldnt make a public appearance in months, implies he should probably look out for his health first and retire.

[Renew Deal]

2. How do they know it was him and not a deepfake?

[bucolic_frolic]

3. I've seen this movie before

The Invisible Man (1933) | The Terror of Claude Rains' Invisible Man

If fear of the unknown is the oldest and strongest kind of fear, 1933's The Invisible Man pushed all the right buttons and boundaries. Claude Rains reins supreme as a cinematic specter of old Hollywood—watch him wreak havoc in his original outing as the Invisible Man!

Claude Rains delivers a remarkable performance in The Invisible Man as a mysterious doctor who discovers a serum that makes him invisible. Covered by bandages and dark glasses, he arrives at a small English village and attempts to hide his amazing discovery. He soon learns, however, that the same drug which renders him invisible slowly drives him to commit acts of unspeakable terror. Based on H.G. Wells' classic novel and featuring groundbreaking special effects, The Invisible Man remains a masterpiece not only of the genre, but of all time.

© 1933 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Cast: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan, Dudley Digges, Una O'Connor, Henry Travers, Forrester Harvey
Produced By: Carl Laemmle Jr.
Directed By: James Whale

_______________
First saw this movie on TV in the late 60s. My mom kept trying to convince me it was terrifying, but it was so laughable. Quite the cinematic techniques of the day, making his nose, head, hands disappear. Couldn't get over Una O'Connor's hilariously overdone screaming!

[dalton99a]

6. Does he have leprosy or elephantiasis?