Black Lives Matter ripped the Democratic Party Tuesday for “installing” Vice President Kamala Harris as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee without a public vote.
This follows President Joe Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he would be exiting the presidential race and endorsing Harris to lead the Democratic ticket against Republican nominee Donald Trump in November.
After a miserable debate performance last month, Biden’s decision came amid mounting pressure to step aside, which amplified concerns about the 81-year-old’s ability to defeat Trump and serve a second term.
According to The Associated Press, Harris had secured enough Democratic delegates by Monday evening to become the party’s nominee.
Read: Florida Sen. Scott Rips Border Czar VP Kamala Harris “America Is A More Dangerous Place”
In response to these developments, Black Lives Matter criticized the Democratic Party for bypassing voter input and called on the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to organize a virtual snap primary before the party’s convention in August.
“A 24-hour process of talking to party bosses is not democratic, nor is it a process Democrats should be proud of. We do not live in a dictatorship,” said BLM in a statement.
“Delegates are not oligarchs. Installing Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee and an unknown vice president without any public voting process would make the modern Democratic Party a party of hypocrites,” said BLM.
“We call on the @DNC to create a process that allows for public participation in the nomination process, not just a nomination by party delegates,” said Black Lives Matter on X.
Shalomyah Bowers, a Black Lives Matter leader, said: “This is not an attack on Kamala Harris or Black women, and right now we aren’t questioning Kamala’s qualifications or capabilities. This is about the nominating process. Those of us who care about the principles of democracy cannot be serious about installing Kamala Harris and an unknown vice president as the Democratic nominee without any semblance of a people-powered process. Not delegates and party elites, but actually asking communities across the country if they believe this should be the democratic ticket. Anything less is unserious in the quest for democracy. Democracies are stronger when political parties operate with primary systems that allow for genuine participation.”
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