Black Lives Matter urges the Democratic Party to conduct a virtual primary to decide the nominee after Joe Biden steps aside for Kamala Harris, criticizing the DNC’s undemocratic actions.
Although many Democrats are happy to have tossed Joe Biden aside despite his primary victory, there are still a few stragglers in the party who are not ready to accept Kamala Harris being anointed as the next nominee. The social justice activist group Black Lives Matter (BLM) urged the Democratic Party on Tuesday to conduct a virtual primary to decide the party’s nominee before the Democratic National Convention.
The group released a statement slamming the Democrats for their undemocratic move to simply slide Joe Biden out and slide Kamala Harris in. Black Lives Matter demands that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) immediately host an informal, virtual snap primary across the country prior to the DNC convention in August. They call for the Rules Committee to create a process that allows for public participation in the nomination process, not just a nomination by party delegates. The current political landscape is unprecedented, with President Biden stepping aside in a manner never seen before. This moment calls for decisive action to protect the integrity of our democracy and the voices of Black voters.
While Joe Biden wasn’t their preferred candidate, BLM says it cannot ignore the troubling actions of the Democratic Party:
- The DNC refused to host debates during the primary, even though a vast majority of Democratic voters wanted them. This would have likely allowed America to see the decline of Joe Biden in 2023.
- The DNC changed the primary schedule and created rules that made it almost impossible for non-Biden candidates to appear on the ballot, effectively clearing the field of any challengers to the incumbent president.
- Following the primary where millions of Black voters weighed in, after one poor debate performance, the DNC Party elites and billionaire donors bullied Joe Biden out of the race.
Now, Democratic Party elites and billionaire donors are attempting to manipulate Black voters by anointing Kamala Harris and an unknown vice president as the new Democratic ticket without a primary vote by the public. This blatant disregard for democratic principles is unacceptable. While the potential outcome of a Harris presidency may be historic, the process to achieve it must align with true democratic values. We have no idea where Kamala Harris stands on the issues now that she has assumed Joe Biden’s place, and we have no idea of the record of her potential vice president because we don’t even know who it is yet.
After receiving Biden’s endorsement, Vice President Harris began scooping up delegate pledges from all over the country, ending the contest to replace the president before it really even started. CNN reported that “a wave of endorsements from state delegations Monday evening pushed her over the threshold needed to secure the Democratic nomination.
She’s been backed by well more than the 1,976 pledged delegates needed to win the nomination on the first ballot, according to CNN’s delegate estimate — a moment that arrived on the first full day of her campaign.”
