Tulsi Gabbard’s 2020 Democratic primary campaign always stood little chance of survival.
Her placement in the polls has been chronically low, she has failed to make major televised debates, and her fundraising numbers have been meager at best.
Gabbard has only a few days left to make an impression on voters before the all-important Iowa caucuses, which is why she is taking aim this week at two low-risk, high-return targets: the news media and failed two-time presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. If you have only a little time left to endear yourself to voters, you may as well do it by attacking universally disliked entities.
On Tuesday, for example, the congresswoman went off on Clinton after the former secretary of state claimed “no one” likes Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
“It’s time to grow up. This isn’t high school,” Gabbard said. “We’re talking about real challenges that our country needs to address and the need for real leadership to focus on them, not on what’s going on in Washington and the schoolyard cliques or whatever else it may be.”
Gabbard’s campaign tweeted later, “I like Bernie.”
“This isn’t high school.” In interview with @WMUR9 @TulsiGabbard reacts to @HillaryClinton‘s “nobody likes him” dig vs. @BernieSanders #FITN #nhpolitics #WMUR pic.twitter.com/GY5PiqVxb3
— Adam Sexton (@AdamSextonWMUR) January 21, 2020
The Hawaii representative did not need to get involved. She could have ignored the matter entirely and maintained her focus on policy. But she did not. Rather, Gabbard jumped into this thing headfirst because attacking Clinton is an easy and safe play, especially in Iowa.
Clinton defeated Sanders in the Hawkeye State during the 2016 Democratic primary by the slimmest of margins: 49.8% to 49.6%. Since then, Clinton’s overall approval rating has cratered. Sanders, meanwhile, enjoys a larger (and steady) approval rating.
Considering Clinton only barely defeated the Vermont senator back when her numbers were higher, Gabbard really has nothing to lose by publicly disparaging the woman she has already dubbed the “queen of warmongers.” Indeed, the congresswoman has more to gain than to lose by coming to the aid of a senator who is still overwhelmingly popular with Democratic voters. Going after Clinton is red meat designed to excite voters. Anyway, it is not like there is any love lost between Gabbard and Clinton.
Later this week, at a campaign event in New Hampshire, the 2020 primary candidate went after the news media.
“I knew I wasn’t going to get any favors,” said Gabbard. “Unfortunately, from the very first day that I began running for president, the efforts coming from within the media and their friends to smear my character and make false accusations against me, and so on, began immediately.”
She added, “All we expect and hope for from the media is fairness and the truth … More and more people are, unfortunately — they’re looking for their news elsewhere, questioning if what they’re seeing in the media is true or fair or real.”
Considering online, print, and television news all poll lower than even banks and big business in terms of trusted U.S. institutions, there is very little downside to Gabbard taking potshots at the press. If anything, it may excite some voters in Iowa ahead of the caucuses.
Lastly, there is the defamation lawsuit Gabbard filed Wednesday against Clinton. As I wrote earlier, the lawsuit has little chance of winning in court. It will, however, win Gabbard plenty of buzz and attention. Like her most recent attacks on Clinton and the press, that is likely the entire point.
