In a surprising announcement on Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee Tulsi Gabbard resigned in order to officially endorse Bernie Sanders in the race for the Democratic nomination.
Representative Tulsi Gabbard, who has led a life filled with tremendous achievement both before and during her terms in the House, is on the rise in the Democratic party and was one of five vice chairs for the DNC. She told the New York Times that, “When I signed up to be vice chair of the D.N.C., no one told me I would be relinquishing my freedom of speech and checking it at the door.” Her frustration with the DNC and Debbie Wasserman Schultz has escalated in the past few months, beginning with her public dissatisfaction with the Democratic debate schedule, which caused her to be disinvited to the Las Vegas debate.
The Hawaii Congresswoman had a very public resignation, in which Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Chair of the DNC, offered sentiments and said that, “Congresswoman Gabbard is a role model who embodies the American ideal that anyone can dream big and make a difference.” As some might recall, Schultz has been accused several times of favoring Hillary Clinton and using her position in the DNC to thwart Bernie Sanders’ efforts. Since this has been a large dispute within the Democratic party, Gabbard’s resignation and endorsement seem to be a very clear separation from the majority of the party’s opinions on who should be the nominee.
Gabbard claims that her reason for resigning in order to endorse the Vermont Senator is that, “This is about the very high stakes that exist in this election. I couldn’t stand on the sidelines any longer.” The stakes certainly are very high, with a split in the Democratic party and the circus act that the Republican candidates are putting on. Her resignation also came just after Sanders’ huge loss in South Carolina, where Sanders lost by a whopping 47.5 points. Sanders could use endorsements and higher voter turnout right now more than ever.
Another huge motive for Gabbard to endorse Sanders stems from her time in the military, where she was deployed twice in the Middle East. She states that although Clinton may have more experience with international policy and war, “We need a commander-in-chief who will exercise good judgment and foresight, and stop getting us into these interventionist, regime-change wars, as we’ve seen in Iraq, as we’ve seen in Libya, and as we’re seeing now occurring in Syria,” adding that, “The contrast is very clear between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders on these issues.” Gabbard may be referring to Clinton’s vote in favor of the Iraq War or her support for arming rebels in the Syrian Civil War.
What do you think of Tulsi Gabbard endorsing Bernie Sanders? Do you think that the question of which candidate should win the nomination is a matter of experience vs. judgment? Comment your thoughts below and share this article!
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