Biden challenger Dean Phillips says Dems quashing primary process is 'just as dangerous as the insurrection'
Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips blasted his party's efforts to circumvent the primaries, saying it's "just as dangerous as the insurrection."
Phillips, who is challenging President Biden for the nomination, appeared Friday on "The Breakfast Club" and sounded off on how Democrats claim to be "fighting for democracy" in their battle against former President Trump while suppressing the election process within their own party.
"How can Democrats say we're fighting for democracy, we're fighting to make voting easier, and then yet removing me from the ballot in Florida and North Carolina? How can you say you are for free speech and protecting freedom and democracy and not even consent to doing one debate? How can you say this?" Phillips exclaimed.
"Right now, they're saying this to the voters in New Hampshire, that their vote doesn't count, that this is a meaningless primary. And it's true, by the way, Democratic voters in Florida, North Carolina and New Hampshire- their votes don't count because in two states, there isn't going to be a Democratic primary and the other state, there is and their votes aren't gonna matter. And this is the United States of America."
He continued, "I was in the House chamber on January 6. I know what an insurrection is like. I know who inspired it and who promoted it. And now frankly, Democrats are doing something to democracy that I think is just as dangerous as the insurrection because at the end of the day, one was to prevent the counting of ballots- and right now the Democratic Party is literally trying to prevent names from being added to ballots and people from even voting on those ballots. So that's the truth and they don't want to hear it. They don't want me to say it, but guys, man, someone's got to listen."
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"Breakfast Club" co-host Charlamagne Tha God brought up Biden's comments asserting there were "probably 50" Democrats who could also beat Trump in the 2024 election, posing the question why none of them have jumped in the race.
"Because nobody, nobody wants to go through what I'm going through right now, which is the most vicious, atrocious, aggressive attacks you can possibly imagine," Phillips responded. "I mean, two months ago, I was a darling in the Democratic Party, and now I'm the devil. And I knew that… I knew what I was getting into."
He added, "But you asked the question, why don't others do it? Well most people don't want to be subjected to it, most people want to protect their image and their future and their, you know, their career. And that's why you have all these sheep in Washington, falling in line, constantly saying the same thing based on the talking points because they don't want to do anything to hurt the next chance to be reelected. So when I did this, I knew my career in Congress was done. And it is."
"And when I called other candidates whose names are much better known than me, they all said, basically, they said no, because they knew what they would be subjected to. And I just wish more people had the courage to stand up right now and I'm disappointed," he added.
Phillips previously told Bill Maher that among the high-profile Democrats he approached in an attempt to corral them into the Democratic primary was Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who he said would make "an outstanding president."
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Polls continue to show that Democrats overwhelmingly would rather have another candidate on top of the ticket than Biden yet the only other primary challenger he is facing besides Phillips is spiritual guru and former 2020 candidate Marianne Williamson. There are, however, multiple independent and third-party candidates running including Cornel West, Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party as well as Robert Kennedy Jr., who previously ran as a Democrat but switched to independent after facing similar challenges as Phillips.
Meanwhile, Republicans have an open primary despite Trump being widely perceived as the de facto incumbent. Unlike the DNC, the RNC has officiated several primary debates and the party apparatus has not circumvented any primary races at the state level.
Remaining in the race against Trump heading into next week's Iowa caucuses are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.