WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Vivek Ramaswamy, top Indian American aide to President-elect Donald Trump, expressed his support for the mass deportation plan of illegal immigrants and said that the legal immigration system in the country is “broken”.
He said that those who broke the law while entering the United States have no right to stay here and they need to go.
“Do we have a broken legal immigration system? Yes, we do. But I think the first step is going to be to restore the rule of law, to do it in a very pragmatic way,” entrepreneur turned politician told media in an interview.
“Those who have entered in the last couple of years, they haven’t established roots in the country. Those who have committed a crime, should be out of this country. That is by the millions. That alone would be the largest mass deportation. Combine that with ending government aid for all illegals. You see self-deportations,” he said.
Ramaswamy appeared on multiple Sunday talk shows, the first after the stunning win of Donald Trump in the November 5 presidential elections. He told media that he is having some “high impact” discussions on his future role in the administration, Congress of the party.
From being a rival of Trump during the Republican primaries, Ramaswamy has emerged as a staunch supporter and confidant of Trump.
“I think he cares about uniting the country. I think that is Donald Trump’s number one focus. I do think we have to get back to a place after this election after that decisive victory, which I do think was a gift to the country, get back to a place where ordinary Americans who might have voted differently amongst their family members or their colleagues or their neighbors, to be able to get together at the dinner table and say, we’re still Americans at the end of this, that’s very much Donald Trump’s headspace,” he said.
“He’s also learned a lot from that first term, and I think he’s going into this second term even to take to new heights some of the things he wasn’t able to accomplish in the first term, which I think is going to be a good thing,” Ramaswamy said.
The Republican Party, he said, is now a multi-ethnic working-class coalition. “You saw black voters, Hispanic voters, young voters. That was a big one. A much younger composition of the Republican primary base came together on basic principles that really weren’t as beholden to older Republican orthodoxies, but principles like free speech, anti-censorship, meritocracy, and staying out of World War III. These are some of the common threads that bring together what is a pretty diverse and broad tent coalition to restore those basic constitutional principles,” he said.
“Here’s a big one. And Donald Trump talked for a long time about the deep state. But this idea of restoring self-governance is big in this new coalition. The idea that the people we elect to run the government, they haven’t been the ones actually running the government for a very long time,” Ramaswamy said.
“Donald Trump is going to be the president of the United States in the real sense of that word. Capital P president where he is actually making the decisions with the democratic will of the people behind him, not the unelected bureaucratic class underneath him,” the Indian American said.
“That’s something that unites a common thread of even former Democrats to independents, to libertarians, to, of course, traditional Republicans as well. I think that that’s a common thread that unites us,” he said.
Trump, he said, is focused on what makes people’s lives better. “And actually, my message to Democrats out there, even those who didn’t vote for Donald Trump, is to give them a chance to actually make your life better. A lot of people across the country, even those who have bought into some false narratives about Donald Trump, are going to be pleasantly surprised to find more money in their paychecks, prices coming down in the country, and a secure border. Those are things most Americans actually care about,” Ramaswamy said.
(Source: PTI)
Tag: Vivek Ramaswamy
-
Indian American Ramaswamy backs Trump’s mass deportation plans
-
Presidential election: What are Indian American voters’ priorities
The US presidential election is hotting up, and all bets are off on who will be the next resident of White House in 2025. But what is it that the Indian American community is looking for.
A robust economy, safety and security of citizens, fixing the southern border crisis, and thriving relations with India are some of the demands put forth by the nearly four-million-strong Indian-American community as the US rolls up its sleeves for Ballot 2024.
Surprising many political voters, the community emerged as the most coveted bloc in the 2020 election with a record 71 per cent rate of voting among Asian Americans and ensuring President Joe Biden’s victory.
At least 10 Indian-Americans, mostly Democrats, won local and state-level elections held in several parts of the country last year, reflecting the growing political prowess of the ethnic community.
For the first time in the history of the country, two Indian-American candidates — Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy — locked horns on the Republican presidential debate stage, giving a tough fight to former president and GOP frontrunner Donald Trump. Yet, as aptly put by a Carnegie Endowment study, despite the rising political profile of Indian Americans, their political attitudes are woefully under-studied.
“Many Indian-Americans support fundraisers and personal affiliations to advance their concerns, yet, when the contestants get elected and take office, most promises fall on the sidelines, especially issues affecting the Indian American community,” Nilima Madan, Vice President of The Association of Indians In America, told IANS.
President Joe Biden’s major fundraisers included Indian-Americans, who helped raise at least $100,000 for his campaign in 2020.
Topping the list of 800 major donors were community leaders like Swadesh Chatterjee, Ramesh Kapoor, Shekar N. Narasimhan, R. Rangaswami, Ajay Jain Bhutoria, Frank Islam, Neil Makhija and Bela Bajaria.
“What hits an American citizen is primarily the economy, their pride and disappointment, and how their life will be run by Republicans or Democrats,” Madan said.
Comprising nearly 1 per cent of all registered voters in the US and representing 16 per cent of Asian-American voters, Indian-Americans are considered to be key players in battleground states like Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Nevada.
“In general, Indian-American voters, while supporting candidates for various positions, don’t articulate their concerns, they don’t candidly put their demands for the consideration of political representatives,” Ashok Vyas, a program director with New Jersey-based ITV Gold channel, told IANS. “But for some time, general Indian-American voters are taking a lot of interest in Indian affairs and there is increased sensitivity towards Bharat,” he said, adding that the electorate wants a fair portrayal of Indian culture and dharma for students.
In addition to wanting a “stronger government”, the immediate concern of Indian-American voters, according to Vyas, is stability, safety, and law and order.
While the economy and healthcare are largely seen to influence the vote choice of Indian Americans, this time the community also wants the US to develop robust relations with India.
Parveen Chopra, founder of New York-based spirituality website, ALotusInTheMud.com, was at a fundraiser in Hicksville where prominent Indian-Americans mentioned better India-US relations and safety as their top concerns, in addition to “hordes of migrants poring through the southern border”.
The crisis at the southern border has become a sore point in the 2024 US Presidential elections with a spike in the number of migrants entering the country through its Mexico border in recent years.
The US Customs and Border Protection released more than 2.3 million migrants into the country at the southern border under the Biden administration, allowing in the vast majority of migrant families and some adult groups, according to a recent Department of Homeland Security report.
An NYT report mentioned that there are now around 11 million undocumented immigrants inside the US — three times the number that lived here in 1990 — straining the resources of cities like Denver, New York, and Chicago.
“One Democrat who even ran unsuccessfully for a county legislative seat said he is ready to vote Donald Trump this time, unhappy with open borders and migrant tent cities under Joe Biden,” Chopra, former editor of New York-based daily, The South Asian Times, told IANS.
Vyas said that the chances of Trump returning as president cannot be ruled out.
“Donald Trump talked about building a wall and putting America first. These ideas are making him a popular choice. Will we have Trump as President again? This can’t be ruled out,” he said.
While Indian Americans have largely sided with the Democrats, Madan told IANS that it is more about choosing a “reliable American administration”. “Democrats or Republicans, no one votes for four years of unpredictability but chooses a reliable American administration.”
While there was an initial wave of excitement among the community with the entry of Ramaswamy and Haley in the presidential race, Madan said that an individual’s race or ethnicity itself is not a defining factor.
“Every election becomes another chance to participate and hope for a favorable outcome amid political polarizations. Although their diverse attitudes and attributes are dividing Indian American voters for the 2024 US Presidential elections, an individual’s race or ethnicity itself is not a defining factor,” Madan told IANS.
Haley, who continues to be in the Republican presidential race, launched her campaign by calling herself a daughter of immigrants but has not garnered much support from the community.
“About Nikki Haley, Indians don’t consider her a viable candidate — her being of Indian origin is not much in their equation,” Chopra told IANS on being asked about the former South Carolina governor’s chances against Trump.
Vyas said that “at this point, she doesn’t seem to be holding any ground against former president Trump”.
According to a Monmouth University-Washington Post poll released this week, Haley is trailing Trump by 26 points in her home state of South Carolina. With the former president winning the two primary contests held so far, the 2024 presidential campaign appears to be inexorably heading towards a Trump-Biden rematch, with most voters wishing there were better candidates in the race.
Close to 74 per cent of Indian-American voters are thought to have backed Biden in 2020, according to a 2022 survey by AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) data, compared to just 15 per cent supporting Trump.
Political experts believe that in 2024, much of those 74 per cent of the votes — comprising businessmen, corporate or tech professionals — are more likely to swing to the right as they favor lower tax rates.
The Affirmative Action at Harvard, anti-caste legislation in California, the Khalistan menace, growing attacks on Hindu temples, and fallout of the Israel-Hamas conflict on college campuses do not paint a pretty picture for the Hindus and other minorities. Says Madan, “How all turns out is fluid until all know who is next, yet hopes for the best prevail”.
(Source: IANS) -
Narrowing field: On 2024 U.S. presidential election’s Republican primaries race
Trump’s ad hoc policymaking has many takers among Republicans
The 2024 U.S. presidential election’s Republican primaries race has already narrowed to two candidates, frontrunner and former President Donald Trump and former Governor of South Carolina, Indian-origin Nikki Haley. The latest twist in the election cycle saga, which kicked off last week with the Iowa caucuses, saw Florida Governor Ron DeSantis step off the contest after he admitted that he could not see a path to victory. Both he and Vivek Ramaswamy, a pharmaceuticals entrepreneur who exited the race earlier, have endorsed Mr. Trump, who leads by double digits, 50% to Ms. Haley’s 39% among likely Republican voters, in New Hampshire, the next Republican primary venue. In Iowa, he garnered 20 delegates to Ms. Haley’s eight, a wide margin, even if he has a long road ahead to acquire the 1,215 delegates necessary to capture the nomination. While there are no presidential debates on the cards at this time because Mr. Trump has refused to join them, the tenor of the remarks by the two candidates against their rival appeared to be getting sharper. Ms. Haley questioned Mr. Trump’s mental fitness to hold high office after he seemed to confuse her with former House of Representatives Speaker and Democrat Nancy Pelosi, in the context of the January 6, 2021 riots. Mr. Trump has mocked her first name Nimrata and, in an echo of the birther movement remarks he made against former President Barack Obama, implicitly questioned whether she was a natural-born U.S. citizen.
Unlike previous U.S. elections, such as in 2016, where there were no fewer than 10 candidates in the fray during the presidential debates, this time a considerable skew in voter preferences towards Mr. Trump is evident, leading to a lopsided primaries season. Ms. Haley is only likely to remain in the race for as long as she is able to raise sufficient funds to keep her campaign going, and donors are notoriously quick to pull out when they see a dead end for a candidate, regardless of their political leanings. The wholesale rush towards the aura of Trumpism, now apparently an ever-growing force despite Mr. Trump facing serious criminal indictments and other legal challenges, has in fact fractured mainstream Republicanism as a bulwark of the U.S. conservative movement. Voters now appear to prefer Mr. Trump’s chaotic ad hocism in policymaking, his aggressive views on immigration and minorities of all hues, and his relentless eschewing of political propriety even when dealing with institutional issues. Unless there is an impulse for new leadership within the Grand Old Party to challenge the Trump “paradigm”, the sheer lack of alternative voices with populist appeal will lead to Trumpism deepening its hold on U.S. institutions, governance and socio-economic outcomes.
(The Hindu) -
Colorado Supreme Court bars former president Donald Trump from running for President over 2021 Capitol riots
Court ordered exclusion of his name from the state’s Republican presidential primary ballot.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): In a stunning verdict, the Colorado Supreme Court has barred Donald Trump from running for President next year in the state citing his role in the unprecedented attack on the US Capitol in 2021 and ordered exclusion of his name from the state’s Republican presidential primary ballot. The disqualification of the 77-year-old former President on Tuesday, December 19, was based on the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which says officials who take an oath to support the US Constitution are banned from future office if they “engaged in insurrection.” The 4-3 ruling by the seven-member Colorado Supreme Court does not apply outside the state. Indian-American presidential candidates Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy on Wednesday, December 20, opposed the Supreme Court decision Haley said “the last thing we want” is judges deciding who can and cannot be on the presidential ballot
Ramaswamy vowed to withdraw from Colorado Republican party primary ballot until Trump eligibility is restored
Trump is currently the front-runner in the Republican Party’s nomination process for the race for the White House in 2024. Trump’s campaign has vowed to appeal against the “flawed” ruling by the Supreme Court of Colorado in the US Supreme Court.The Colorado Supreme Court upheld a trial judge’s decision that Trump engaged in the January 6, 2021, insurrection and also overturned her conclusion that the ban does not apply to the presidency.
The landmark decision from the divided top state court marks the first time a court has found Trump ineligible to return to the White House due to his conduct surrounding the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, CBS News reported.
Never before has a court determined that a presidential candidate is disqualified under the Civil War-era provision clause, it said.
(Source: PTI) -
Vivek Ramaswamy Called “Most Obnoxious Blowhard” For Mocking Nikki Haley
WASHINGTON D.C. (TIP): Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie has slammed his Republican presidential rival Vivek Ramaswamy as the “most obnoxious blowhard in America” after the biotech entrepreneur mocked fellow Indian-American Nikki Haley’s intelligence. Christie, 61, made the stunning remarks during the fourth Republican presidential debate in Arizona. Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis were the two other candidates on the debate stage. Christie’s remarks came after Ramaswamy criticized Haley and claimed that the former governor could not name three provinces in eastern Ukraine where she would send US troops.
“She has no idea what the hell the names of those provinces are, but she wants to send our sons and daughters in our trimmings and our military equipment to go fight it,” said Ramaswamy, 38.
“Look at the blank expression,” he added. “She doesn’t know the names of the provinces.” Before Haley, 51, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, could respond to Ramaswamy’s remarks, Christie took aim at him and said: “This is the fourth debate that you would’ve been voted in the first 20 minutes as the most obnoxious blowhard in America, so shut the hell up.” “We’re now 25 minutes into this debate and he has insulted Nikki Haley’s basic intelligence. Not her positions, her basic intelligence: She doesn’t know regions and she wouldn’t be able to find something on a map that his three-year-old could find,” he said. “If you want to disagree on issues, that’s fine, and Nikki and I disagree on some issues,” he said.
“I’ve known her for 12 years, which is longer than he’s even started to vote in the Republican primary, and while we disagree about some issues and disagree about who should be president of the United States, what we don’t disagree on is this is a smart, accomplished woman and you should stop insulting her,” he said.
Christie said that Ramaswamy lacked experience and claimed that while he was serving as the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey, the Indian-American businessman was “learning about the provinces in Ukraine sitting with his smarta** mouth at Harvard.”
“All he knows how to do is insult good people who have committed their lives to public service and not say anything that moves the ball down the field for the United States,” Christie said.
-
Vivek Ramaswamy says he will pardon all peaceful January 6 protesters
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has vowed that he will pardon all peaceful January 6 protesters if he gets elected as the next US president in 2024.
The 38-year-old Indian American entrepreneur has gained traction after he denounced the US Justice Department for its “political persecution” of non-violent protesters at the Republican primary presidential debate last month.
America now has a two-tiered justice system: Antifa and BLM rioters roam free while peaceful January 6 protesters are imprisoned without bail. Biden’s Department of Injustice’ has executed over 1,000 arrests for nonviolent offenses related to January 6, casting a dark shadow over Lady Justice and the foundational principles of our legal system, he said in a statement.
To unify this country, I commit as president to pardon all Americans who were targets of politicized federal prosecutions and those denied due process. This includes all peaceful, nonviolent January 6 protesters who were denied their constitutional due process rights,” he said on Wednesday.
The January 6 riot saw more than 2,000 people enter the US Capitol as lawmakers certified the results of the 2020 election, in which President Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump.
The mob stormed the Capitol following a speech from Trump, who was speaking at a rally not far from the Capitol grounds. In his speech, Trump claimed election fraud and called on then-Vice-President Mike Pence to overturn the results.
The riot led to the biggest police investigation in US history with hundreds of people accused of criminal offences.
Ramaswamy said he will end the weaponization of police power in America and noted that every Republican candidate must be clear on hard issues. He said on Sunday that while he expects to become the party’s nominee for the November 2024 US elections, he will vote for Trump if the former president secures the nomination.
He also expressed his intention to pardon Trump, who currently faces an array of legal challenges, should he be elected as President of the United States.
If Donald Trump’s the nominee — yes, I will support him, and if I’m the president, yes, I will pardon him because that will help reunite the country. But it’s not the most important thing I’m going to do as the next president. It is the table stakes for moving this country forward, Ramaswamy told ABC news.
Following his impressive performance in the inaugural Republican primary presidential debate last month, Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur-turned-politician, has experienced a surge in popularity, competing alongside fellow Indian American rival Nikki Haley, the former Governor of South Carolina.
Meanwhile, several media outlets reported that Ramaswamy escaped unhurt when a sign reading Truth fell on him during a campaign event in New Hampshire over the weekend.
An opinion poll shared by the Trump Campaign showed that Ramaswamy (with 15 per cent) is now a distant second after former president Trump (68 per cent). Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is now at 13 per cent and at the third position.
(Source: PTI)
-
You would make America less safe: Haley tells Vivek Ramaswamy at Republican Party’s first presidential primary debate
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Indian-American US presidential aspirants Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy clashed during the Republican Party’s maiden presidential primary debate over foreign policy issues, with the former South Carolina Governor criticizing her rival and entrepreneur for lacking foreign policy experience and supporting Russia. Haley, 51, and Ramaswamy, 38, have been clashing over foreign policy issues over the past few days on social media. During the debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, Haley accused Ramaswamy of supporting America’s foreign adversaries and abandoning its friends after he said he would not support Ukraine in the war against Russia. Form Standing next to him, Haley, the former US Ambassador to the UN, slammed her fellow Indian-American that he is taking the side of a “murderer” Russian president and said that the US would be unsafe under his presidency.
“He wants to hand Ukraine to Russia, he wants to let China eat Taiwan, he wants to go and stop funding Israel,” Haley said. “You don’t do that to friends. What you do instead is you have the backs of your friends.” While Haley was speaking, Ramaswamy kept on saying false, false. Ramaswamy accused her of “pushing this lie” about him.
With former president Donald Trump skipping the first 2024 Republican presidential primary debate, eight of his primary rivals brawled for second-place status, US media reported.
In the last two presidential elections, Indian-Americans have thrown their hats into the ring for the White House. The first one was Bobby Jindal in 2016 and Vice President Kamala Harris in 2022.
But this is the first time in American presidential history that two Indian-Americans were standing on the same primary presidential debate stage. “You are choosing a murderer over a pro-American country … You would make America less safe. You have no foreign policy experience, and it shows,” Haley told Ramaswamy. The next debate will be on September 22.
Ramaswamy said he would not support giving more aid to war-torn Ukraine.
“I would not, and this is disastrous. We should use those same military resources to prevent the invasion of our own southern border here in the United States. …Ukraine is not a priority for the United States of America,” Ramaswamy said as he differed on foreign policy issues with Haley and other presidential aspirants.
“I reject the consensus that ‘winning’ in Ukraine is a vital US interest. Nearly the entire GOP (Republican) field rails against (Joe) Biden, but cut through the grandstanding & it turns out they’re solidly with him on the most important foreign policy issue of our time. America First 2.0,” he said. “The US military has one purpose above all, it’s to defend America’s home turf. Yet, the defense establishment recoils at this idea,” he added.
Ramaswamy alleged that Haley was backing Ukraine at the behest of large defense contractors. “I wish you well in your future career on the boards of Lockheed (Martin) and Raytheon,” he said.
Following the debate, The Wall Street Journal wrote that Vivek Ramaswamy is not a nobody anymore.
“The other candidates have taken notice of Ramaswamy, and they don’t seem to like him very much. The 38-year-old outsider who started the race polling at 0 per cent has moved up in polls for his unconventional ideas. Several of the candidates took a shot at him,” the daily wrote. “Attacks included everything from his lack of political experience, the way he answered questions and his foreign policy views.
Ramaswamy responded by slinging insults right back. It remains to be seen if his combative, unconventional style was effective, but he certainly took advantage of the spotlight. He was the most-searched candidate at the end of the debate,” the journal said.
-
Indian American Republican presidential aspirants Haley, Ramaswamy on track to qualify for first Republican debate
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP) : Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, the two Indian American Republican aspirants in 2024 presidential race, are on track to qualify for the first Republican primary debate on Aug 23 in Milwaukee, according to media reports.
Haley and Ramaswamy would be facing off with former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, South Carolina senator Tim Scott and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie during the debate in Milwaukee − the largest city in the key battleground state of Wisconsin.
Several other candidates including former Vice Present Mike Pence, Will Hurd, Doug Burgum, Asa Hutchinson, Ryan Binkley, Francis Suarez and Larry Elder are still working on qualifying, according to the reports.
The Republican National Committee set forth requirements in June that candidates must meet on status, polling, fundraising and pledging to take part in the debate.
Candidates must poll at least 1% in three national polls or 1% in two national polls and 1% from an early state poll from two “carve out” states recognized by the committee.
Candidates must also have a minimum of 40,000 unique donors’ part of their presidential campaign committee – with at least 200 unique donors per state – and sign a pledge agreeing to support the eventual party nominee.
According to the reports Haley, the first Indian American to serve in a presidential cabinet under Trump as US ambassador to UN is on track to meet the requirements for the debate.
The news reported she’s raised over $7.3 million through her campaign and affiliated committees between April and June.
The survey from Morning Consult shows she has registered 3% of support among Republican voters, which is on par with two of her rivals. She’s also maintained scoring above 1% in other polls.
Haley indicated on Twitter she plans on supporting the eventual nominee for the Republican party.
“Absolutely irresponsible that Trump, DeSantis, and others won’t commit 100% to supporting the Republican nominee,” Haley tweeted. “There’s no room for personal vendettas in this battle to save our country.”
Biotechnology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has also fulfilled the debate criteria, according to his spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin cited by media reports.
McLaughlin told the media that Ramaswamy has 65,000 donors. As part of his fundraising strategy, Ramaswamy has laid out incentives for supporters such as offering to give them a 10% cut of the total money he raises for his presidential bid, according to Axios. The survey from Morning Consult shows Ramaswamy has received 8% support from GOP voters, surpassing former Vice President Mike Pence and trailing behind DeSantis. He’s also starting to receive double-digit figures in some polls.
Trump, the Republican frontrunner, has 56% of support from potential Republican voters, and he’s placed first in other national and state polls, according to a survey from Morning Consult.
His campaign said that he has also raised more than $35 million during the second quarter of the year – about twice the amount raised during the first quarter.
DeSantis, who’s trailing behind Trump in the Republican primary polls, has raised more than $20 million during the first six weeks of his candidacy and has about 50,000 donors as of late June. -
Indian American Republican Vivek Ramaswamy wants to raise the voting age to 25
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Indian American Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy wants to raise the voting age for most Americans to 25, unless they do at least six months of military service or pass a civic test given to immigrants.
Ramaswamy’s campaign announced the biotech entrepreneur and “anti-woke” activist’s push for a US Constitutional amendment promoting “civic duty voting,” which he announced in a news release and detailed during a campaign event in Urbandale, Iowa, Thursday.
Suggesting the “absence of national pride is a serious threat to the future of our country” Ramaswamy argued his proposal “can create a sense of shared purpose and responsibility amongst young Americans to become educated citizens.”
On Twitter during his Iowa event, Ramaswamy acknowledged, “I understand not everyone will like this proposal and that it will take persuasion to convince many of its merits, but I’m ready to take that on.”
At age 37, Ramaswamy is the youngest person competing for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in a field that already includes several candidates in their 70s, including former President Donald Trump and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. Fellow Indian American rival, former UN Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, 51, has made the call for a new generation of political leadership central to her campaign, even positing that cognitive testing should be required for older politicians.
As part of his proposal, Ramaswamy argued that his plan would require “no additional government bureaucracy” to administer, saying debate generated by his proposal “will itself catalyze a long overdue conversation in America about what it means to be a citizen and how to foster civic pride in the next generation.”
“There needs to be some civic experience you need to have gone through in order to actually vote,” Ramaswamy told Media earlier. “That experience could be living seven years as an adult and voting at age 25. That experience could be direct service to the country or some first responder service,” or, he added, passing a civics test.
The founding fathers didn’t get it “quite right” when they tied the right to vote to land ownership, Ramaswamy was quoted as saying. Similarly, it was wrong to have denied a vote to women and African Americans, he said.
But there’s something to the notion that “you value a country more — you value anything more, including a country — that you don’t just simply inherit, but that you have a stake in building and creating in some way,” he said. Ramaswamy acknowledged to Media that there had been “vehement objections” from his team. But, he added, “we’re doing it.”
Dismissing the idea that his proposal would discriminate against a certain group of citizens, Ramaswamy said, “My response to that is, the objective is not to stop people from voting. It’s to value voting itself and everybody’s equal and on the same foot at the age of 25 and onward.”
The national voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 with the passage of the 26th Amendment in 1971.
After Republicans’ less than stellar performance in last year’s midterm elections, a handful of conservative commentators called for raising the voting age, though the idea failed to gain significant traction, media noted. -
Indian American Vivek Ramaswamy announces he will run for president
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Vivek Ramaswamy, the multi-millionaire biotech entrepreneur and self-described intellectual godfather of the anti-woke movement, announced on Tuesday, February 21 that he is running for president.
“We are in the middle of a national identity crisis,” he declared in an online video launching his campaign, offering that the current political climate constituted a form of “psychological slavery.”
Speaking straight to the camera, with an American flag draped in the background and a flag pin on his lapel, Ramaswamy framed his campaign as a broad counteroffensive to what he called the “woke left” — describing it as a threat to open speech, the free exchanging of ideas and American exceptionalism itself.
Ramaswamy is the third high-profile candidate to declare for the presidency in 2024. Though he filed forms with the FEC declaring he would be running on the Republican side of the aisle, his announcement video made no mention of the party itself — an indication that he hopes to frame his candidacy as outside the conventional political framework.
He has already done barnstorming in early nominating states, including Iowa, where he was well received even as some of the state’s political bigwigs professed to not having familiarity with the planks on which he was running.
Ramaswamy made his fortune in biotech investing, but he is best known for his appearances on Fox News and for the New York Times bestselling book he has written.
While his chances of securing the nomination are certainly long, Ramaswamy’s entry into the contest was greeted with a traditional flare from opposition Democrats. Shortly after he appeared on Fox News to elaborate on his decision to run, the Democratic National Committee sent out a statement. “As Vivek Ramaswamy uses Tucker Carlson’s show to announce his campaign for president, one thing is clear: The race for the MAGA base is getting messier and more crowded by the day,” it read. “Over the next few months, Republicans are guaranteed to take exceedingly extreme positions on everything from banning abortion to cutting Social Security and Medicare and we look forward to continuing to ensure every American knows just how extreme the MAGA agenda is.”