Kamala Harris isn’t handling her debate blow-out very well. Harris’s campaign accused Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) of receiving the backing of Russian bots after Gabbard eviscerated Harris in Wednesday night’s debate. And Harris herself answered for her dismal debate performance by accusing Gabbard of being a “sympathizer” to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
“The Russian propaganda machine that tried to influence the 2016 election is now promoting the presidential aspirations of a controversial Hawaii Democrat,” Harris’s campaign manager Ian Sims tweeted on Thursday.
Reporters writing their stories with eyes on the modern-day assignment desk of Twitter, read this:
“The Russian propaganda machine that tried to influence the 2016 election is now promoting the presidential aspirations of a controversial Hawaii Democrat”https://t.co/2kpKQqW3Ir
— Ian Sams (@IanSams) August 1, 2019
CNN and New York Times contributor Wajahat Ali also pushed the “Russia” angle. “Beware the Russian bots and their promotion of Tulsi Gabbard and sowing racial discord, especially around Kamala Harris,” Ali tweeted.
Harris reels after debate disaster
Harris was declared the winner of the first round of debates last month, but she walked away the biggest loser Wednesday night. She was immediately thrown off balance when pressured to explain her new health care plan, which rival Joe Biden slammed as “double talk” and full of empty promises. But things really fell apart for the former top prosecutor when Gabbard attacked her over her criminal justice record.
“Senator Harris says she’s proud of her record as a prosecutor, and that she’ll be a prosecutor president, but I’m deeply concerned about this record. There are too many examples to cite, but she put over 1,500 people in jail for marijuana violations and laughed about it when she was asked if she ever smoked marijuana,” Gabbard said to applause, referring to Harris’s appearance on the Breakfast Club radio show earlier this year.
Kamala got rekt. Absolutely brutal. pic.twitter.com/iDoEN3I6di
— $iraj Ha$hmi (@SirajAHashmi) August 1, 2019
After the debate, #KamalaHarrisDestroyed began trending, and her campaign did not handle Harris’s embarrassment in a sportsman-like manner. Rather than respond to Gabbard’s criticism, Harris’s campaign manager tweeted an article from NBC claiming that Russia was promoting Gabbard’s campaign, and accused her of being an “apologist” for Assad. But Twitter said that the hashtag was being driven by human users, not bots.
Gabbard struggles among Dems
Gabbard has struggled to gain momentum in the Democratic primary, with no help from the disfavor of the liberal media and Democrat establishment. Liberals have never let Gabbard live down a 2017 diplomatic meeting with Bashar al-Assad to discuss ending the country’s civil war, which Democrats like Harris have used to discredit her candidacy.
Although Gabbard is polling towards the bottom of the primary field, she has stood out in her two debate performances so far. Now, it looks like the establishment knives are coming out for the anti-war Democrat. Gabbard faced down an MSNBC anchor this week who tried to use the pro-Harris smear.
Harris attempts to downplay criticism
Harris didn’t take kindly to getting upstaged by Gabbard, telling Anderson Cooper after the debate that Gabbard was a “sympathizer” to Assad. Clearly upset and discomposed, Harris decided to put down Gabbard as a candidate desperate to attack a “top tier candidate” for recognition, rather than respond to Gabbard’s attack.
“This is going to sound immodest but I’m obviously a top-tier candidate. And so I did expect that I would be on the stage and take hits tonight,” she said. “I think that this coming from someone who has been an apologist for an individual, Assad, who has murdered the people of his country like cockroaches, she who has embraced and been an apologist for him in a way that she refuses to call him a war criminal, I can only take what she says and her opinion so seriously. And so, you know, I’m prepared to move on,” she said.
Among Democrats, Gabbard is a black sheep for her anti-war stance, which places her closer in alignment with Trump’s foreign policy than Russia hawks like Harris. Gabbard has also been criticized for her past opposition to gay marriage. She rattled some Trump supporters Wednesday night when she accused Trump of supporting al-Qaeda, but she is still well-liked by some on the anti-war, Tucker Carlson faction of the American Right.
Gabbard is a true believer. Harris is a phony who can’t handle losing with grace. Which one is showing true leadership?
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