I wasn't planning this month's Democratic Debate because I enjoy doing sane things like watching the ALCS. But in light of the fact that Tulsi Gabbard will be on the debate stage, I might at least keep an eye on things.
Notably absent from last month's Democratic Debate in Houston was Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard who did not qualify for the debate because she did not meet the polling threshold.
In July's debate in Detroit, Gabbard eviscerated Kamala Harris' record as California Attorney General resulting in a drop in the polls from which she has not recovered.
So who will Gabbard target in Westerville, Ohio?
My bet is on Elizabeth Warren who has surged into frontrunner status. At least one Democratic strategist agrees telling Politico, "If I were preparing for this debate with one of the other candidates, especially if I was Elizabeth Warren, I would be very wary of Tulsi Gabbard now being back on the stage.”
As with Harris, Gabbard has been telegraphing her punches towards Warren criticizing her readiness to be President. The question is whether Warren will be prepared for Gabbard unlike Harris who seemed to be completely caught off guard. Will Warren make the mistake of underestimating Gabbard? Or will Warren counterpunch by bringing up Gabbard's claim the Mueller Report found that Trump had engaged in "no collusion" or her being an apologist for Bashar Assad once claiming he is not an enemy of the United States? If Warren counterpunches it will be interesting to see if Gabbard can take punishment as well as dish it out.
Of course, Harris has a long memory of her own. No doubt Harris will be eager to seek a measure of revenge against Gabbard and that could potentially nullify any effects of any attack she launches against Warren. The downside for Harris is that going after a candidate in the single digits will make her look small and undermine her argument that she is a "top-tier candidate". But Harris might have arrived at the conclusion that she has no chance of winning the nomination and has nothing left to lose. It will be interesting to see how Gabbard handles Harris when she goes on offense.
Or perhaps another lower tier candidate will go after Gabbard. Perhaps someone like Julian Castro who has shown himself to be something of an attack dog during the debates. If Castro does this and neutralizes Gabbard it could be the sort of thing which Warren rewards with a vice-presidential nomination.
Speaking of being vice-presidential nominees, perhaps Gabbard is aiming for the same with Biden. Even when she has been critical of Biden as with his vote in favor of the Iraq War, she has been gentle in her criticism. Should Gabbard deal a body blow against Warren during the debate it would most certainly benefit Biden.
Yet Bernie Sanders could also benefit. Although I have questioned the wisdom of his participation in this month's debate only days removed from heart surgery, his presence will be a feel good story. And if Gabbard does damage Warren and Bernie exceeds expectations in the debate then a lot of her supporters could gravitate towards the ideologically similar Senator from Vermont. Let us also remember that Gabbard supported Bernie's presidential bid in 2016 even quitting the DNC to do so. So he will undoubtedly be spared her wrath.
Should Gabbard go after Warren on what will she focus? Methinks Gabbard would focus on what has always been Warren's greatest weakness - her claims of Native American ancestry. For all her attention to detail, when it comes to explaining her vacillation between identifying as white and Native American and back to white, Warren doesn't seem to have a plan for that. Gabbard could make Warren pay the price for it.
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