Letter to the Editor | Gabbard remains best choice for Democrats

Letter+to+the+Editor+%7C+Gabbard+remains+best+choice+for+Democrats

By Jeffrey Diamond

There are many reasons to vote for Tulsi Gabbard as the 2020 Democratic nominee for president of the United States. Unlike the three current top contenders for the position — Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders she is not elderly (she is 38) but still has plenty of experience as a Congresswoman representing a district in Hawaii. She has held other government positions in Hawaii as well. She is a military veteran, having been deployed twice, and her experiences with war inform her policy positions.

As the “peace candidate,” she is perhaps the only Democrat to center her campaign on foreign policy issues, in particular ending the regime-change wars that the U.S. has been waging for decades, especially in the Middle East. For Gabbard, the primary use of the U.S. military at this time should be to fight terrorism that poses a direct threat to our country. Gabbard views regime-change wars as almost inevitably counterproductive, both for the interest of the U.S. citizens and the citizens of the countries with whom we go to war. The primary interests served by these wars, according to Gabbard, are those of the U.S. military-industrial complex, not those of the people.

Gabbard also has strong stances on domestic issues. Ending counterproductive wars will free up hundreds of billions of tax-payer dollars for numerous programs including a version of “Medicare for All” with a private option and could help resolve the student debt crisis.

She is genuinely caring and has true integrity as a leader.

Everything advantageous about Gabbard cannot be described in a brief letter of this sort, but for those who are interested in learning more, she has done many long-form interviews that can be found on YouTube, such as two separate appearances on the Joe Rogan Experience.

Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!

  • Catch the latest on University of Illinois news, sports, and more. Delivered every weekday.
  • Stay up to date on all things Illini sports. Delivered every Monday.
Thank you for subscribing!

Check out her campaign website for more details.

Jeff is a student in the school of Information Sciences.

[email protected]