The November Democratic presidential debate was largely an amiable affair, with candidates more likely to make jokes than directly attack their primary rivals. That is, with one major exception. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who has made no secret of her criticism of the Democratic National Committee over the course of her presidential campaign, was asked point-blank about her view of the Democratic Party Wednesday night. And she didn’t hold back in her response, declaring onstage that the Democratic Party, in her view, “is unfortunately not the party that is of, by, and for the people.” “It is a party that has been and continues to be represented by the foreign policy establishment in Washington,” Gabbard continued, decrying the party’s connection to “greedy corporate interests” and the need for a president who will “[rebuild] our Democratic party.” But the tense moment did not end there, as Sen. Kamala Harris was asked if she wanted to respond. “Oh sure,” she quipped.
Harris did not mince words in her response to Gabbard, who has been criticized for being a favored candidate among the MAGA crowd even as she supports progressive policies like Medicare for All. “I think that it’s unfortunate that we have someone on this stage who is attempting to be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States, who during the Obama administration spent four years full-time on Fox News criticizing President Obama … [and] has spent full time criticizing people on this stage,” Harris said. “When Donald Trump was elected, not even sworn in, [she] buddied up to Steve Bannon to get a meeting with Donald Trump at Trump Tower.” (Gabbard had a November 2016 meeting with Trump, and one transition team official told ABC News at the time that the congresswoman was under “serious consideration” for a position in Trump’s cabinet.) Gabbard responded with a harsh comeback of her own, accusing Harris of “unfortunately continuing to traffic in lies and smears and innuendos …. which only makes me guess that she will, as president, only continue the status quo.”
The explosive exchange came as both candidates seek to break out of their current low-polling status in the Democratic race. According to RealClearPolitics, Gabbard is averaging just two percent in the polls, and Harris at just four percent and facing a reportedly floundering campaign. By going after Gabbard—who had already attacked Harris in past debates—the California senator may gain the viral moment needed to raise above of the debate noise, while reminding voters of the toughness the former prosecutor is relying on to convince voters she’s the one to take on Trump. “We have a criminal living in the White House,” Harris emphasized earlier in the debate. “There is no question that in 2020 the biggest issue before us … is justice is on the ballot.”
But Harris wasn’t the only target of Gabbard’s ire Wednesday, as the Hawaiian congresswoman also focused her attention on one of the field’s more high-polling candidates. As a line of debate opened up into newfound Iowa front-runner Mayor Pete Buttigieg‘s lack of experience, Gabbard went in on her fellow military veteran, pointing out that their shared combat record “does not qualify us to serve as Commander-in-Chief.” Gabbard referenced Buttigieg’s willingness to send U.S. troops to Mexico as a sign of his “inexperience in national security and foreign policy,” accusing Buttigieg of making a “careless” statement that he wants to send troops to “fight the cartels.”
Her comments inspired Buttigieg to become the second candidate to get into a heated argument with Gabbard Wednesday, as the mayor commented that her comments were “outlandish, even by the standards of today’s politics.” Buttigieg criticized Gabbard for her meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying he has “enough judgement that I would not have sat down with a murderous dictator like that.” “What you’ve just pointed out is that you would lack the courage to meet with both adversaries and friends,” Gabbard responded. “I take the example of those leaders who have come before us. Leaders like JFK, who met with Khrushchev. Like Roosevelt, who met with Stalin.”
“Like Donald Trump, who met with Kim [Jong Un],” Buttigieg cut in.
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