Black Lives Matter Criticizes DNC for ‘Anointing’ of Harris, Calls for Primary

Black Lives Matter (BLM) issued a statement calling for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to hold a “virtual snap primary” and criticized the “anointing” of Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential candidate, citing concerns about where she stands on certain issues.

In a statement on Tuesday, the group admitted that while President Joe Biden had not been their “preferred candidate,” they could not “ignore the troubling actions of the Democratic Party,” and called for the DNC to hold a primary throughout the United States before the Democratic National Convention took place in August.

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As of Tuesday, Harris was reported to have had obtained enough delegates in order to secure her nomination as the party’s presidential candidate.

BLM added that they did “not live in a dictatorship” and that “delegates are not oligarchs.”

“We do not live in a dictatorship,” the group wrote. “Delegates are not oligarchs. Any attempt to evade or override the will of voters in our primary system-must be condemned. We demand an informal, virtual snap primary now that the incumbent president is no longer in the running.”

The statement from the group came after President Joe Biden revealed on Sunday that he was not seeking another term as president, and endorsed Harris to be the party’s presidential nominee.

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“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,” BLM wrote in the statement. “We 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.”

BLM described the current political situation within the Democratic Party as being “unprecedented” after Biden had withdrawn from the presidential race and decided not to seek reelection.

“This moment calls for decisive action to protect the integrity of our democracy and the voices of Black voters,” the group added. “While Joe Biden wasn’t our preferred candidate, we cannot ignore the troubling actions of the Democratic Party.”

BLM referenced the party’s “troubling actions” as consisting of how the DNC had “refused to host debates during the primary” which voters wanted, adding that debates would have “allowed America to see the decline of Joe Biden in 2023.”

The group also referenced how the DNC had “changed the primary schedule and created rules” that made it impossible for other candidates to “appear on the ballot,” and how after Biden’s “poor debate performance” at the June 27 presidential debate, “the DNC Party elites and billionaire donors bullied Joe Biden out of the race.”

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After Biden’s exit from the presidential race, several Democrats such as Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), former President Bill Clinton, and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) have issued endorsements for Harris.

BLM added that the party’s “elites and billionaire donors” were trying to “manipulate Black voters by anointing” Harris:

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.

“This is not an attack on Kamala Harris or Black women, and right now we aren’t questioning Kamala’s qualifications or capabilities,” Shalomyah Bowers, a BLM leader told Reuters. “This is about the nominating process.”