By Blake Wolf, OAN Staff
Wednesday, July 24, 2024 10:53 AM
Black Lives Matter said in a statement on Tuesday it was pressuring the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to hold an impromptu virtual primary. The group said fielding a Kamala Harris-led candidate without a formal voting process would make the Democratic Party “the party of hypocrites.”
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The calls for a Democratic primary come after President Joe Biden announced he was withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.
“We do not live in a dictatorship. Delegates are not oligarchy. Any attempt to circumvent or ignore the will of the voters in our primary system must be condemned, no matter how historic the candidate. Now that the sitting president is no longer a candidate, we call for an informal and de facto primary,” BLM said.
The snowballing movement leading to Biden’s departure, driven by Democratic elites and party donors, began after the president’s disastrous performance in the June 27 debate between him and former President Donald Trump.NumberBiden made multiple defiant attempts to stay in the race but finally announced he was stepping down on Sunday.
With Biden’s endorsement and the number of Democratic delegates needed to become the nominee, Harris has emerged as an additional possible candidate in November, despite not winning a primary.
While left-wing groups still recognized the historic nature of Kamala’s slate because she is half black and half Indian, they questioned the legitimacy of Harris’ slate without any input from Democratic voters in the official voting process.
“To be clear, this is a process the Democratic Party will follow to protect the legitimacy of a future Democratic president in light of this unprecedented situation. Appointing Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee and an unknown vice president without a public voting process would make the modern Democratic Party a party of hypocrites and undermine their credibility on issues related to democracy,” the group declared.
The political and social group also expressed concern and skepticism about announcing Harris’ nomination without a voting process, arguing that:
“Label it immediately[ed]… as [an] “Any progress made by President Harris on affirmative action and DEI will be built on shaky foundations. If Kamala Harris is to be the nominee, she must be through a process that upholds democratic principles and public participation,” BLM added.
Meanwhile, BLM leader Shalomiah Bowers has continued to shed further light on the issues the group has with the way the Democratic Party is operating since Biden first announced his withdrawal.
“This is not an attack on Kamala Harris or Black women, and I am not doubting Kamala’s qualifications or abilities at this point. This is about the nomination process. Those of us who value democratic principles cannot be serious about placing Kamala Harris and an unknown VP as the Democratic nominee without some semblance of a people-powered process — asking not delegates or party elites, but actually communities across the country if they think this should be the Democratic nominee. Anything less is not serious about pursuing democracy. Democracy is stronger when political parties operate with a primary system that allows for true participation,” Bowers said.
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