In a dramatic escalation of partisan hostilities, Ohio and Alabama's Republican parties are considering excluding President Joe Biden from the 2024 ballot, pointing to the scheduling of the Democratic National Committee's nominating convention and retaliating against Democratic attempts to do the same with former President Donald Trump.
The Washington Examiner reported that the Republican parties of Ohio and Alabama have issued threats to keep President Joe Biden off the ballot for the 2024 presidential election. This decision, rooted in the late scheduling of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) nominating convention, breaks decades of bipartisan tradition that allowed exemptions for such timing mishaps.
The heart of the issue lies in the timing of the DNC's nominating convention, scheduled after several states' deadline to submit official candidates for the presidential election.
Historically, an unspoken agreement between both major parties facilitated an exemption in such cases, ensuring that no candidate would be penalized for internal party scheduling. But Democrats have changed the game and the old rules no longer apply after the dirty tricks they have pulled.
Elaine Karmarck, a member of the DNC, has publicly expressed her astonishment and concern over this development. "This has not been something anybody has ever dealt with," Karmarck stated, emphasizing the novel and unprecedented nature of the situation. Her comments reflect a broader unease within the Democratic Party and among political observers about the erosion of longstanding norms in U.S. electoral politics.
This GOP strategy in Ohio and Alabama can be seen as a direct retaliation against earlier Democratic efforts to exclude former President Donald Trump from various state ballots. In a series of controversial moves, Democrats, leveraging judicial and legislative avenues, attempted to bar Trump from running in future elections based on allegations of his involvement in insurrectionary activities.
Just a month ago, the Supreme Court intervened to prevent Democrats from keeping Trump off the ballot in several states, underscoring the judiciary's role in these escalating partisan conflicts. Furthermore, in Colorado and Maine, state courts and officials ruled that Trump should be barred from the ballot, despite the lack of a Congressional determination regarding his actions.
The situation in Illinois further highlights the contentious nature of these ballot access disputes. A partisan Democratic judge overruled the State Board of Elections' decision, seeking to ban Trump from appearing on the ballot. Similarly, legislative efforts in New York and actions by California's lieutenant governor aimed to preclude Trump's candidacy, signaling a national pattern of politicized attempts to influence ballot access.
The Republican party's current stance on Biden's potential exclusion from the 2024 ballot is framed as a logical consequence of the Democrats' earlier actions, which bypassed established norms for political gain. Critics argue that this tit-for-tat approach to governance only serves to deepen partisan divides and undermine the democratic process.
Historically, Democrats have been accused of altering Senate norms by eliminating the judicial filibuster, a move that Republicans later mirrored for Supreme Court nominations. Such actions have contributed to a tit-for-tat environment in Washington, with both parties altering long-standing practices to achieve short-term victories.
In 2022, a notable instance of retaliatory politics occurred when House Democrats removed several Republicans from their committee assignments over partisan disputes. This act was met with a similar response from Republicans when they regained control, illustrating the cyclical nature of retribution that currently characterizes U.S. politics.
In conclusion, the ongoing saga of Republicans threatening to exclude President Joe Biden from the 2024 ballot in Ohio and Alabama marks a new chapter in the escalating cycle of partisan power grabs and retaliations. The scheduling of the DNC's nominating convention has become a flashpoint in this struggle, breaking historical precedents of bipartisan exemptions. Elaine Karmarck's commentary underscores the unprecedented nature of these developments, while the Supreme Court's intervention and state-level legal battles highlight the deepening partisan divide. This situation raises serious concerns about the future of electoral integrity and democracy in the United States, with both parties seemingly willing to breach established norms for political advantage.