During the Democrat primary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a presidential contender for the party, requested a meeting with President Joe Biden on the debate stage and at town hall events held around the nation.
Kennedy Jr. dissociated himself from Biden in a statement and declared his intention to “reclaim” the Democratic Party “and its traditional values.”
R.F. Kennedy JR tweeted:
“We have radically different views on basic problems like war policy, censorship, corporate influence in the government, civil rights, corruption, and poverty, among others, despite the fact that I have known and admired Joe Biden for a long time. In a fair, polite, and open primary process, I look forward to challenging him in debates and in town halls. In these divisive times, I kindly ask him to join me in a new age of polite discourse.”
“In light of reports that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) will not organize any primary debates during the 2024 presidential election period,” Kennedy Jr. made his comment.
“I am a Democrat from several generations, but I believe that our party has lost its way. Remember when we fought for the rights of the underprivileged and middle class against Wall Street and major corporations? Tweeted Kennedy Jr. Remember the days when we stood for civil rights, peace, and people power? I want to take back my party and its foundational values.”
The Biden administration was also condemned by Kennedy Jr. for being “riddled with war hawks, Neocons, Wall Street individuals, and former corporation lobbyists.”
“The Neocons, Wall Streeters, war hawks, and former lobbyists from corporations are everywhere in the Biden administration. The party elite have evolved into that,” tweeted Kennedy Jr. “But I am aware that the American people as a whole and the rank-and-file do not share their priorities. It is time to give the people back control of our party and our country.”
Kennedy Jr.’s comments received a good response from Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who stated, “You along with other candidates deserve that chance!”
Kennedy Jr. criticized the DNC over the weekend for having a “rigged” primary process, lacking debates, and scheduling South Carolina voting before New Hampshire.
“At this time, the DNC has made it clear that there won’t be a debate, and I believe that’s regrettable.” Kennedy Jr. said in an interview with Joel Pollak, senior editor-at-large for Breitbart News, “I believe what the DNC did to New Hampshire is very awful.”
Kennedy Jr. also said:
“We, the Democratic Party, should be doing all we can to demonstrate that, you know, this is not a crooked, corrupt system when there are so many Americans that have concerns about election integrity. People may run, participate in debates, and have their opinions seen by the general public, which is kind of the opposite of what the DNC is doing.”
Another Democrat running for president in 2024, Marianne Williamson, criticized the DNC for changing its primary schedule and forgoing debates.
“In contrast to the DNC, I support democracy worldwide,” Williamson said on Tuesday. “It should be seen as a process as much as a goal.”
“The DNC has no intentions to hold primary debates. As if there are simply no other candidates… No other ideas on how to win in 2024 or other ideas about how to mend the nation should be discussed,” she tweeted on Sunday. “There are too many intelligent individuals to accept this.”