DNC Vice-Chair Tulsi Gabbard Resigns Post To Support Bernie Sanders
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) announced on Sunday her decision to resign from her post in the DNC in order to endorse and support the Democratic presidential nomination effort of Vermont senator Bernie Sanders running against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
U.S. Representative Gabbard’s endorsement of Bernie Sanders and announcement of her resignation from the DNC was the culmination of tensions within the DNC, according to Reuters.
Gabbard, one of the five vice chairs of the DNC, had clashed with other committee members over what she and many Sanders supporters consider a debate schedule ahead of the primaries that favors Clinton. Gabbard argued that limiting the number of debates favors Clinton because she is already very well known compared with Sanders who is struggling with the challenges of relatively low name recognition.
Many Sanders supporters believe that Clinton’s higher name recognition, rather than any aspect of her campaign platform, is the reason why she polls better among minorities.
With her announcement, Gabbard becomes the fourth member of Congress to declare support for Sanders over Clinton.
Gabbard made her announcement Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
She explained that her decision was informed by her conviction that Sanders has the ability to manage U.S. foreign policy prudently and the sound judgment to make judicious use of the country’s military power if he is elected president.
“As a veteran and as a soldier I’ve seen first-hand the true cost of war,” the 34-year-old Iraqi war veteran said. “I served in a medical unit during my first deployment, where every single day I saw first-hand the very high human cost of that war.”
She continued, “I think it’s most important for us to recognize the necessity to have a commander in chief who has foresight, exercises good judgment, looks at the consequences of the actions they’re looking to take, before they take those actions, so we don’t continue to find ourselves in these failures that have resulted in chaos in the Middle East and so much loss of life.”
The comments by Gabbard were clearly intended to address criticism from the media and opponents that Sanders lacks vital experience in foreign policy compared with Clinton, a former Secretary of State.
As a veteran of the Iraq War, Rep. @TulsiGabbard understands the cost of war. I am honored to have her endorsement.https://t.co/0e1BQ48eyb
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 28, 2016
In an email announcing her resignation to her colleagues in the DNC, Gabbard said she took the decision to quit “after much thought and consideration.”
“There is a clear contrast between our two candidates with regard to my strong belief that we must end the interventionist, regime-change policies that have cost us so much,” Gabbard wrote in the letter. “This is not just another ‘issue.’ This is the issue, and it’s deeply personal to me.
Gabbard’s resignation comes after Clinton defeated Sanders by a wide margin at Saturday’s South Carolina primary. Cinton won 74 percent of votes compared with Sander’s 26 percent.
But speaking in Minnesota where he is preparing for Super Tuesday primaries, Sanders vowed not to relent in his effort to win the party’s nomination and promised to perform better in the Super Tuesday primaries.
“In politics on a given night sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Tonight we lost. I congratulate Secretary Clinton on her very strong victory,” he said.
But during his appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, he admitted that he “got decimated. ”
“It was pathetic, from our perspective,” he added. “But by the way, the glimmer of positive news for our group was we won the 29 and younger.”
Latest polls indicate that Clinton is leading Sanders ahead of Super Tuesday’s voting contests. And according to the Associated Press, Sanders is trailing Clinton significantly in the delegate count, with 85 against Clinton’s 544 delegates, which include more than 400 of 712 superdelegates.
Reuters reports that DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schulz has accepted Gabbard’s resignation.
Praising Gabbard for her service, she said, “Congresswoman Gabbard is a role model who embodies the American ideal that anyone can dream big and make a difference.”
“She is also a colleague in Congress and a friend, and I look forward to continuing to work alongside her when our Party unites behind whoever emerges as our nominee,” she added.
[Photo By Jacquelyn Martin/AP]
