LaTosha Brown and Cliff Albright, co-founders of Black Voters Matter (BVM), along with April England-Albright, the national legal director of BVM, have denounced calls for President Joe Biden to step down.
In a statement released on Friday, the trio urged Democrats to refrain from urging the 81-year-old president to withdraw from his reelection campaign. They emphasized the historic progress made by Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for Black voters during their administration, such as promoting entrepreneurship, increasing access to homeownership and expanding access to quality affordable healthcare.
“To the majority of Black Voters, the Biden-Harris ticket has delivered on enough of those promises to stand with this ticket today. In spite of this, the recent nervous cry for Biden to step aside—led largely by white congresspeople, pundits, and donors—threatens to mute and overlook the voices of Black Voters” the trio penned.
“Such a step by the Democratic Party would not only impact the enthusiasm of Black Voters in this year’s general election, but it would impact Black turnout for decades to come while deepening the widespread belief that the Democratic Party takes our voters for granted.”
President’s Biden cognitive state has come into question.
Questions about Biden’s cognitive state have arisen repeatedly during his campaign trail. Videos from various rallies depict him stuttering, walking slowly, and slurring his speech, culminating in scrutiny during his late June debate against Donald Trump. Despite these concerns, Biden has consistently asserted that he remains mentally sharp.
Texas Democrat, Marc Veasey, was the first party member to call for Biden to drop out of the 2024 election, citing the politician’s “age and fitness” as a concern. The 33rd Congressional Leader and four other Democrats reportedly sent a letter to Biden urging him to step down so another Democrat could run against Trump. They recommended Vice President Harris take his place.
Speaking to NewsOne, Brown criticized the focus on Biden’s debate performance and other opposition tactics, arguing that such scrutiny is detrimental to democracy and the American public.
“Dissent that seeks to dismantle the Biden/Harris ticket solely on a debate performance, unreliable polls (which are actually moving in favor of President Biden) and/or quiet but racist paranoia over the vice president potentially stepping into the presidency, is not productive dissent and should cease immediately,” she said.
Standing firmly in her support for Biden, Brown signed a petition along with several other prominent Black women political figures emphasizing the importance of the 81-year-old president remaining steadfast in his reelection efforts.
“We, the undersigned black women leaders and allies, are writing to share our deep concern and dismay at the lack of unity being displayed by some of our elected democrats and Democratic Party leadership, who are not standing firmly and resolutely for the reelection of President Joseph Biden and his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris,” the petition shared exclusively with NewsOne read, citing Biden’s massive support from Black voters ahead of November’s election.
“During the primary election process held across the country earlier this year, 14 million Americans cast ballots for President Biden and Vice President Harris,” the letter added. “They are the duly elected democratic party nominees for the 2024 Presidential election. We reject all efforts to disregard this fact or to circumvent the will of millions of voters who participated in a democratic process.”
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