WASHINGTON — Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard says the mainstream media is giving her the cold shoulder.
On Tuesday, Gabbard’s campaign blasted out a fundraising request to her supporters that attacked the press for simultaneously smearing her name and ignoring her bid for the White House.
Gabbard has barely registered in the polls, and is hovering around 1 percent.
The fundraising email says the media attacks Gabbard because she is “taking on the chickenhawks in both parties, the corporate media and the military industrial complex who drive us into war for their own power and profit.”
It’s a familiar complaint from the Hawaii congresswoman.
Gabbard likes to rally her base by going after the very media that anointed her as the Democratic Party’s rising star in the first place. That sparkle has clearly diminished.
Specifically, Gabbard’s campaign has tried to make the media a foil in her 2020 presidential campaign by arguing that it ignores her message of peace while propping up political warmongers who support endless regime change wars.
For example, when NBC News reported that the Russian propaganda machine appeared to be backing Gabbard’s candidacy, she lashed out at the “media giants ruled by corporate interests who are in the pocket of the establishment war machine.”
And while Gabbard’s latest fundraising email doesn’t appear tied to a specific news article it does say she’s worried about being bumped from the summer debate stage despite the fact her campaign says she’s already qualified under Democratic National Committee rules.
“We know this country is hungry for Tulsi’s message and her kick-ass, balls-to-the-wall, take-no-prisoners approach to speaking truth to power — no matter the cost to her politically,” the email says.
“So if the media won’t cover her fairly, we’ll take our campaign directly to the people.”
The congresswoman’s claims of being ignored fall flat, however, especially when considering she’s a frequent guest on national news shows, and — according to tallies compiled by CQ’s Newsmaker — has participated in more than 100 interviews since being elected to Congress 2012.
Her relationship with the local Hawaii press is another matter. Gabbard has a reputation for ducking interviews with journalists in her home state. She’s also come under fire for refusing to debate her political opponents.
GET IN-DEPTH
REPORTING ON HAWAII’S BIGGEST ISSUES
It's our job to make sense of it all.
The decisions shaping Hawaiʻi are happening right now, which is why it’s so important that everyone has access to the facts behind them.
By giving to our spring campaign TODAY, your gift will help support our vital work, including today’s legislative reporting and upcoming elections coverage.
About the Author
-
Nick Grube is a reporter for Civil Beat. You can reach him by email at nick@civilbeat.org or follow him on Twitter at @nickgrube. You can also reach him by phone at 808-377-0246.