In a 2004 video, Vivek Ramaswamy queries why he should support the Democrat with the “least political experience.”The 2024 presidential candidate finds himself in that situation 20 years later.Ramaswamy acknowledged the irony of the circumstance, but asserted that Al Sharpton, a progressive, was correct when he remarked that some people “conflate title with political experience.
“MORE READING After Ramaswamy’s campaign typed her birth name incorrectly in an attack labelling her a “liar,” Nikki Haley accuses him of using “childish name-calling.”By U.S. political reporter Katelyn Caralle of Dailymail.com Updated: 14:23, August 29, 2023 EDT
Vivek Ramaswamy, then 18 years old, may be seen in a 2003 video on social web questioning why he should support the Democratic candidate with the “least political experience” in the Democratic primary.It occurs at the same time that Ramaswamy, 38, is subjected to the same critiques from his Republican primary rivals, who say he is a political outsider who needs more experience before he can assume the office of President.The millennial presidential contender acknowledged the irony that the “tables have turned” and that he is now running in that same “amateur” position, even though he now gives himself a “pat on the back” for the question posed nearly two decades earlier to then Democratic primary candidate Al Sharpton.Ramaswamy faced criticism from all sides during the first Republican presidential primary debate last week as his seven on-stage rivals cited his lack of political experience as the main weakness of his candidacy.
Bret Baier, the host of Fox News, questioned him on why people should vote for a “blank slate” candidate like him, one who acknowledged to having participated in just two presidential elections before deciding to run for office.
Let me begin by answering the query that is on everyone’s mind at home right now: Who the hell is this thin guy with a strange last name, and what the hell is he doing in the midst of this discussion stage? said Ramaswamy. I’ll tell you right now that I’m not a politician. You are correct in that. I’m a business owner.Despite having a “funny last name” and being a political outsider, Ramaswamy garnered enough support in the polls to be placed alongside Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is now running second behind front-runner Donald Trump, on the debate stage.
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this week, former Vice President Mike Pence posed the question to the audience: “Do you want a president who needs ‘on-the-job training’?” His spokesman told reporters after the debate that Ramaswamy still has his ‘training wheels.’Later in the argument, Pence remarked of Ramaswamy, “We don’t need to bring in a rookie.” We don’t need to hire novices, we can do this ourselves.Pence was Ramaswamy’s harshest critic of the evening, but former governor of New Jersey Chris Christie also joined in.Christie referred to the well-known AI chat bot by saying, “I have had enough of a guy standing up here tonight that sounds like ChatGPT.”
Barack Obama was the last participant in a debate to ask, “What is a skinny guy with an odd last name doing up here?” while standing in the center of the stage.Then he said, “And I’m afraid we’re dealing with the same kind of amateur standing on the stage tonight.”
At the debate, Ramaswamy emphasized his youth while simultaneously praising his experience building “multi-million dollar companies,” arguing that his opponents’ political experience had done nothing but hinder them from making genuine progress.On October 27, 2003, Ramaswamy addressed Reverend Al Shaprton in an MSNBC town hall, asking: “Reverend, Hello. I’m Vivek, and I have a question for you. Senator [John] Kerry was on the show last week, and Senator [John] Edwards was on the show last week and the week before that. And I want to know why, out of all the Democratic candidates running, I should choose the one with the least amount of political experience.Ramaswamy was a Harvard University undergraduate who attended the town hall that was broadcast on television and was hosted by Chris Matthews, who was hosting Hardball on MSNBC at the time.Sharpton snapped back, drawing laughter from the student audience, “Well, you shouldn’t, because I have the most political experience.”The Civil Rights leader warned, “Don’t confuse people with jobs with political experience,” adding, “We confuse title-holders with political experience.” Ramaswamy joined in the audience’s laughter and could be seen on the video nodding in agreement with Sharpton’s response.
Ramaswamy released the video and a statement to the social media platform now known as X on Monday night. “I’ll give the 18-year-old version of myself a pat-on-the-back for eliciting the most sensible words ever to come from that man’s mouth,” he wrote. ’20 years later, it’s interesting how the tables have turned,’ he continued with a laughing emoji.
As contenders agreed that this is one of current President Joe Biden’s biggest failures to date, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, who was also on stage Wednesday, used attack lines against Ramaswamy for lacking experience in dealing with international affairs.
Haley accused Ramaswamy of seeking to forsake U.S. allies by cutting off aid to Ukraine, saying, “You have no experience in foreign policy, and it shows.”Pence had doubts about Ramaswamy’s ability to manage the heavy task of president without background in many different policy fields.People who won’t even discuss topics like Social Security and Medicare are present on this platform. The former vice president Pence replied, “I mean, Vivek, you previously stated a president can’t do everything. I have some bad news to share with you, Vivek. I have been in a hallway and the West Wing. In the US, a president is required to address every crisis that affects the country.He said, “Joe Biden has weakened this country at home and abroad.” On-the-job training is not appropriate at this time.
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