Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, (D-HI) walked back her threat to participate in the Democratic Party’s primary debate in Ohio, but stands by her contention that the fix is in for a nominee.
Gabbard, who passed thresholds to qualify for the Tuesday debate, called the qualifications “arbitrary” and indicated that DNC leaders “are trying to hijack the entire election process.” Due to this injustice, she initially threatened to boycott the event.
“In order to bring attention to this serious threat to our democracy, and ensure your voice is heard, I am giving serious consideration to boycotting the next debate on October 15th,” Gabbard tweeted.
The complaint from Rep. Gabbard about her concerns about the DNC “rigging” the primary election sounds eerily similar to the objections heard in 2016, when the DNC was also accused of favoring Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders.
“The 2016 Democratic Primary election was rigged by the DNC and their partners in the corporate media against Bernie Sanders,” Gabbard said. “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.”
Rep. Gabbard continued to voice her disapproval about the situation saying, “They are attempting to replace the roles of voters in the early states, using polling and other arbitrary methods which are not transparent or democratic, and holding so-called debates which are not debates at all but rather commercialized reality television meant to entertain, not inform or enlighten. In short, the DNC and corporate media are trying to hijack the entire election process.”
The decision to boycott the debate was not one to be taken lightly. While Gabbard would have missed out on the opportunity to reach millions of voters that watch the televised event if she did boycott the debate, it certainly would have garnered a great deal of attention to her campaign.
The Democrat from Hawaii did not meet all of the necessary criteria to qualify for September’s DNC debate in Houston. She will be participating in tonight’s debate in Ohio.
