Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) endorsed Bernie Sanders today
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and DNC Vice Chair appeared on Meet The Press this morning with Chuck Todd. She announced that she is endorsing Bernie Sanders for President of the United States.
Rep. Gabbard said that she is resigning her position on the DNC. She has been at oddsfor some time with DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz over the number of Democratic Primary debates.
Rep. Gabbard’s endorsement says much as she is an Iraq War veteran and understands the importance of having someone in office that will only send Americans into war as a last resort.
Here is the text:
Chuck Todd: Tulsi Gabbard, Congresswoman from Hawaii, Democratic National Committee Vice Chair, has been at odds with her boss, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz for months over the Democratic presidential debate schedule. Congresswoman you’re here because you have an announcement to make regarding your position at the DNC. Tell us.
Representative Tulsi Gabbard: Well first of all, I am resigning from the DNC so that I can support Bernie Sanders for president, and I’d like to tell you why. As a veteran and as a soldier I’ve seen firsthand the true cost of war. I served in a medical unit during my first deployment where every single day I saw firsthand the very high human cost of that war. I see it in my friends who now a decade after we’ve come home are still struggling to get out of a black hole. I think it’s most important for us as we look at our choices as to who our next commander-in-chief will be is to recognize the necessity to have a commander-in-chief who has foresight, who exercises good judgment, who looks beyond the consequences. Who looks at the consequences of the actions they are willing to take before they take those actions so that 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.
Chuck Todd: But you know it was just a month ago, and this is what sort of got us curious. A month ago, you said you think the next commander-in-chief needs to have a “military mindset.” You said this during an interview on Fox News. Does Senator Sanders have a military mindset?
Representative Tulsi Gabbard: From what I’ve seen and from talking with him and from his record he does. And what that military mindset means is you go through an analysis process as you’re looking at potential courses of action that you’re gonna take and how and when we use our military power, and just as importantly when we don’t use that military power. That military mindset says you have foresight. You look at what are the results? What are the consequences of these actions? How will other actors in the area react to those actions? What will we then do? And you look and continue down the line so you know exactly what you’re potentially getting yourself into before you make that decision that ends up costing us lives and treasure.