Tulsi Gabbard threatens to boycott next week's 'so-called' debate
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) just made it back into the Democratic presidential debates, but now, she's threatening to not show up.
Gabbard in a video released Thursday said she's "seriously considering" boycotting the Democratic primary debate scheduled for Oct. 15, which she qualified for after not making the stage in September's debate. She claims the Democratic National Committee and the media "are rigging the election" using "polling and other arbitrary methods" that are "not transparent and not democratic."
Gabbard had previously taken issue with the criteria by which the DNC determines which candidates will qualify for the debates. For the October debate, candidates needed to reach two percent support in four qualifying polls and have at least 130,000 unique donors. In a recent interview with The Hill, the Hawaii Democrat argued there has been "a lack of transparency in that whole process about which polls are selected." A DNC spokesperson pointed out to The Hill that the criteria for the October debate was laid out in May.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In the video, Gabbard also criticizes the "so-called" debates in general as "really not debates at all" but rather "commercialized reality television meant to entertain rather than to inform or enlighten," concluding by keeping viewers on the hook and teasing a final decision within "the next few days." Considering the debate is only five days away, the announcement may end up being quite last minute.
Either way, this could potentially be Gabbard's last chance for such a stunt, as with the DNC having recently increased the polling threshold to three percent, she has yet to qualify for the fifth debate set for Nov. 20. Brendan Morrow
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
8 genre-defining Black country, folk and blues musicians
The Week Recommends Keeping the legacy alive, even when the industry tries to keep them down
By Scott Hocker, The Week US
-
Will young people refuse to vote in the 2024 presidential election?
Today's Big Question The kids are not alright
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
What reclassifying cannabis could change
The Explainer The Biden administration's move to change marijuana from a Schedule I narcotic to Schedule III could reshape the pot landscape even if it doesn't mean full federal legalization
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published