By Democrats continue to be worried about Joe Biden’s weaknesses in 2024, and they’re doing everything they can to mask them, even if it means undermining democracy. At the begining of the year, the Democratic National Committee agreed to a new presidential primary calendar for 2024, which designates South Carolina as the first nominating state.
The decision was made, officials claimed, to promote diversity and inclusivity by shifting away from the traditional order that had New Hampshire and Iowa as the initial states, but most political commentators noted that it also just so happened to promote the state that launched Biden in 2020 while pushing back states he did poorly in.
In Florida, the party has gone even further. Earlier in the week, Democrats in the Sunshine State announced they would not allow any challengers to President Biden on the ballot.
The Washington Post writes:
The decision is the latest setback for Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and Marianne Williamson, both of whom trail Biden in public polling and fundraising.
Under Florida rules, the state’s party votes on who will appear on primary ballots. Florida’s Democratic Party said in a statement Friday that the executive committee voted unanimously late last month to name Biden, and only Biden, to its list of candidates.
If a presidential primary has a single candidate, state election law says that the uncontested race will not appear on the state’s primary ballot.
“Americans would expect the absence of democracy in Tehran, not Tallahassee,” Phillips said in a statement. “Our mission as Democrats is to defeat authoritarians, not become them.”
Williamson said in a statement that the move in Florida is meant to help Biden win the nomination “without any opposition.” Both candidates’ statements said their campaigns are considering legal options to gain access to Florida’s ballot.
Rigging the primary for the octogenarian, deeply unpopular president didn’t just receive the ire of candidates directly impacted. Independents also expressed disgust at Florida Democrats for undermining American democratic principles.
“No Labels, a political organization working on having a third-party presidential candidate by mid-March next year, also reacted, posting on X regarding the news of Phillips being off the ballot,” reported The Hill
“The group, which is still assessing whether to move forward with the uni-party ticket and how to select it, characterized the development as “undemocratic and unAmerican,” calling out the DNC for “rigging the primary system.”
‘It is undemocratic and unAmerican for the Florida Democratic Party to cancel its Democratic primary and keep Democrat Dean Phillips off the ballot,’ NoLabels wrote on X. ‘The DNC party establishment is rigging the primary system to eliminate competition — and this is why a No Labels Unity ticket could be the only way to give American voters the choice they want.’”
The Phillips campaign announced they are reviewing potential legal challenges to the party’s shady tactics. CNN noted that it is considering a case with the DNC.
“After all that has been done to erode confidence in the democratic process since 2020, does our Party really want the legitimacy of our nominee to be put in question by this corrupt, rigged process?” Jeff Weaver, a senior advisor to the Phillips campaign, said in a statement.
Weaver delivered two letters to Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried on November 7, he claimed.
“Our campaign looks forward to earning the votes of Florida families,” Phillips wrote in the letter. “I expect to spend extensive time in your great state, listening and learning from voters in every community.”
Marianne Williamson told the news channel that she will “seek every legal recourse.”
The presidential primary in Florida, at least for Republicans, will be held on March 19, 2024.
[Read More: Democrats Go Off The Edge For 2024]
