Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) made clear from the start of her 2020 presidential campaign back in January that she would march to the beat of her own drum, and would not hesitate to take on the Democratic establishment when she felt it was necessary.
She’s pushed back against the corrosive nature of identity politics, said that – unlike her debate opponents – she does support third trimester abortion restrictions, and during the second debate she blasted the criminal justice reform record of Sen. Kamala Harris (CA), who was California’s attorney general before she was elected to the U.S. Senate.
The three minute segment escalated the political freefall Harris was already in, and her campaign has not recovered since.
Here’s a flashback of that moment for those of you who, like me, never get tired of watching it:
Gabbard failed to qualify for the third Democratic debate in September, but did qualify for the debate scheduled to take place on Tuesday in Ohio. After stating last week she was considering boycotting the fourth Democratic debate in protest of what she called the DNC’s “rigging the election …. in early voting states”, Gabbard announced Monday she would take part in it after all:
“I just want to let you know that I will be attending the debate,” Gabbard said in an email to supporters ahead of the Tuesday debate in Westerville, Ohio.
She also announced her decision on Twitter:
I will be attending the debate.
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) October 14, 2019
After it was reported she had qualified for the debate, speculation ran high as to who her next target would be.
Would it be top tier candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA) over her pregnancy discrimination story, which has fallen apart under scrutiny?
Remember: Gabbard has already raised questions about what Warren’s “leadership and decision-making” capabilities might be like as Commander in Chief of the armed forces.
Will it be Joe Biden, who Gabbard has recently criticized over the Ukraine issue?
Could it be Beto O’Rourke? He’s been on the receiving end of a lot of Democratic criticism over the last month.
Or will the Kamala vs. Tulsi exchange from July be revived for a second time around Tuesday? Their campaigns were waging proxy battles on social media two weeks ahead of this week’s debate.
Regardless of which Democratic candidate she goes after, I think it’s safe to say that most of us are looking forward to some blue on blue infighting Tuesday night.
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— Based in North Carolina, Sister Toldjah is a former liberal and a 15+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on media bias, social issues, and the culture wars. Read her Red State archives here. Connect with her on Twitter. –
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