After a year of barely cracking 1% support in national polls, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard ended her presidential campaign. That the Hawaii congresswoman finally conceded that two delegates from American Samoa were not enough to clinch the Democratic nomination was not surprising. That she decided to issue a glowing endorsement of presumptive nominee Joe Biden in the process of her withdrawal absolutely was.
As a matter of pure ideology, Gabbard’s endorsement constitutes an enormous practical concession that Biden is the de facto nominee. Whereas Biden is one of the most pro-war Democrats in the country, Gabbard’s pacifism cuts so deep that she nearly covers for dictators. But more than anything, her endorsement is a slap in the face to Bernie Sanders — a cold, hard reality check that his presidential dreams are dead.
