Gabbard may skip Democratic debate

HONOLULU — Long-shot Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard says she may skip next week’s debate in Ohio.

“The DNC and corporate media are trying to hijack the entire election process,” she said in a prepared statement Thursday.

The congresswoman who represents rural Oahu and the Neighbor Islands complained in a Twitter message on Thursday about the Democratic National Committee’s use of polling to determine debate participants, and said the debates are “meant to entertain, not inform or enlighten.”

Gabbard failed to qualify for the September Democratic primary debate. She just barely met the minimum qualifications for the Oct. 15 contest after getting 2% support in a New Hampshire poll.

To appear on the stage in November, the Democratic National Committee is requiring that candidates receive 3% or more support in at least four polls or receive 5% or more support in two single-state polls in the early voting states of Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire or South Carolina.

Thursday, Gabbard said she needed to share something with her supporters.

“There are so many of you whom I’ve met in Iowa and New Hampshire who have expressed to me how frustrated you are that the DNC and corporate media are essentially trying to usurp your role as voters in choosing who our Democratic nominee will be,” she said. “I share your concerns, and I’m sure that all our supporters throughout the country do as well.”

She said the 2016 Democratic Primary election was rigged by the DNC and their partners in the corporate media against Bernie Sanders.

“In this 2020 election, the DNC and corporate media are rigging the election again, but this time against the American people in the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada,” Gabbard said.

“They are attempting to replace the roles of voters in the early states, using polling and other arbitrary methods which are not transparent or democratic, and holding so-called debates which are not debates at all but rather commercialized reality television meant to entertain, not inform or enlighten,” she said.

In short, Gabbard said, the DNC and corporate media are trying to hijack the entire election process.

“In order to bring attention to this serious threat to our democracy and ensure your voice is heard, I am giving serious consideration to boycotting the next debate on October 15. I will announce my decision within the next few days,” she said.