Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard has qualified for the October debate after failing to make the cut for September’s, but it appears that she might not be attending. According to a Twitter video from the Hawaii Representative, she is considering a boycott of the debate due to her belief that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and corporate media are “rigging the election again.”
Gabbard highlighted her belief that the 2016 Democratic primary election was rigged by the DNC and the corporate media to prevent Bernie Sanders from winning.
“In this 2020 election, the DNC and corporate media are rigging the election again, but this time against the American people in the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada.”
According to Gabbard, the DNC is trying to “replace the roles of voters” in the aforementioned states by using “polling and other arbitrary methods” that she claims lack transparency and are not democratic. She suggests that the DNC’s debates are also part of their plan to undermine U.S. democracy and are designed as “commercialized reality television” meant for entertainment as opposed to informing or enlightening voters.
“In short, the DNC and corporate media are trying to hijack the entire election process,” she said.
I am seriously considering boycotting October 15 debate to bring attention to DNC/corporate media’s effort to rig 2020 primary. Not against Bernie this time, but against voters in early states Iowa, New Hampshire, South… –> https://t.co/x5P3GFGbyn pic.twitter.com/UgKCj6DGI0
— Tulsi Gabbard ? (@TulsiGabbard) October 10, 2019
Gabbard’s attack on the DNC is not surprising. She previously attacked the governing body for its lack of transparency in its debate requirements after failing to make the September debate. Although she did hit two percent or more in four polls, they weren’t all approved by the DNC, which was part of the 38-year-old congresswoman’s criticism.
Gabbard has met the donor requirements for the November debate but has yet to meet the polling thresholds. Thus far, only eight candidates have made the November debate: Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Andrew Yang, Cory Cooker, and Tom Steyer.
Before the 2020 primary, Gabbard already had a fractured relationship with the DNC. She used to be a part of the committee but left after what she perceived as bias against Sanders in the 2016 presidential primaries.
“I think of her decision to leave the DNC as very important. She gained nothing by that decision and her decision to back Bernie Sanders. Instead, the DNC has come down on her like a ton of bricks,” reads an LA Progressive report, which continues to claim that the DNC’s methodology is a part of a revenge plan against Gabbard that mirror the tactics used against Sanders in 2016.
