Damage to our democracy

By U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer
R-Missouri

Washington, D.C. – Just 100 days before the 2024 Presidential election, the Democrats have stripped nearly 14 million voters of their right to choose their candidate. You might ask, how is Biden dropping out of the race a bad thing? Just recently, millions of us watched the Republican National Convention on TV, where former President Donald Trump was unanimously selected as our party nominee. While our ideologies differ, our processes have always been similar – until now.

In years past, the Democrats would have held a fair and open selection process for their candidate. This year, however, seeing Biden's waning support and inability to rally the party, they pushed him aside, thrusting Kamala Harris into the spotlight – down-balloting the ticket. Kamala might not be the party’s favorite, but she’s seen as a more viable option than Biden.

This isn’t the first-time history has seen such manipulations. During the 14-month period between the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963, and the inauguration of Hubert H. Humphrey as vice president on Jan. 20, 1965, the U.S. was without a Vice President. 

At the time, the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 dictated that if there was neither a President nor Vice President, the Speaker of the House would step in. However, there was no provision for appointing a new Vice President in the event of a vacancy until the 25th Amendment was ratified on Feb. 10, 1967. 

Fast forward to the 1968 presidential campaign: Vice President Hubert Humphrey sought the Democratic nomination after President Lyndon B. Johnson ended his bid following an unexpectedly strong challenge from anti-Vietnam War candidate, Senator Eugene McCarthy. As the incumbent Vice President and Democratic nominee, Humphrey’s selection left voters with little choice. Sound familiar?

Vice President Kamala Harris is equally responsible for the crippling inflation our country is experiencing as President Biden is. She’s notorious for her soft-on-crime stance and advocacy for extreme open-border policies as the Border Czar. If you think things are bad now, just wait for the potential damage Kamala could cause. 

This is nothing more than an elaborate ploy by the Democrats to sway the election in their favor. For a party that prides itself on diversity and choice, the Democrats have offered neither to their voters in this situation. By down balloting the ticket and limiting voter choice, they undermine the very democratic principles they claim to uphold. This move not only disenfranchises millions but also sets a dangerous precedent for our electoral process.

In these critical times, we must remain vigilant and united against such tactics; our democracy depends on it. 

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