There is a deep crisis in the US political system, which under Biden has certainly prioritized war and provocation instead of overcoming major economic issues. Writes Ahmed Adel
Former legislator Tulsi Gabbard said, when announcing that she is no longer a member of the United States Democratic Party, that her former political party is controlled by an “elitist cabal of warmongers” who are hostile to the American people.
“I can no longer remain in today’s Democratic Party that is now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue & stoke anti-white racism, actively work to undermine our God-given freedoms, are hostile to people of faith & spirituality, demonize the police & protect criminals at the expense of law-abiding Americans, believe in open borders, weaponize the national security state to go after political opponents, and above all, dragging us ever closer to nuclear war,” Gabbard said on Twitter on October 11.
Facing the elections that will renew the US legislative power in November 2022, Gabbard is not the only politician who has criticised her country’s current political leadership. Since the war in Ukraine began in February, several US lawmakers have criticised President Joe Biden for the military support given to Kiev, particularly at a time when the US faces various challenges on different issues, such as the economy and energy.
According to Defense Department figures, the US government has provided more than $16.8 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since the start of the confrontation. For this reason, many have criticised Biden’s foreign policy, such as Madison Cawthorn, who on March 16 urged that the US should not get entangled in another war, and Thomas Massie, who accused Congress of spending more money in Ukraine in half-a-year than the entire budget for US highways and bridges in a whole year.
Congressman Greg Steube, who is part of the foreign affairs committee of the House of Representatives, questioned the shipment of weapons to Ukraine due to a lack of clarity. For his part, Mike Waltz said it would be irresponsible to spend $40 billion on military equipment and not know how it’s being used or where it is.
The US has a plethora of domestic issues, and the moment that foreign policy is used to try and distract from internal problems is the moment an administration loses all credibility. Biden is aware that the American voter often goes to the polls with economic problems as a major factor in who they will vote for. Considering the Democrats foreign policy position, they attempt to project Biden’s leadership as one of strength, but also one with sensitivities to the economic situation, even though decision-making has not been sufficient to control the increase in prices and inflation.
Biden seeks to strengthen himself before his constituents with the figuration of a hard foreign policy focused on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, in addition to Washington’s prolonged dispute with the Chinese. This is an attempt to portray Biden as a strong leader, but of course there are some dissenting voices within the ruling Democratic Party who criticise this position and want the president to concentrate mostly on domestic issues.
The policy positions of Congress often changes at election time. It will not be a matter of whether they support Ukraine or not, they will continue to do so, but Congress must also express the concerns of the voters, meaning that foreign affairs is less important compared to domestic issues. This is especially the case since the US faces fluctuations in the energy market due to the sanctions imposed by the West against Russia for its military operation in Ukraine.
Gabbard represented Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District from 2013 to 2021 as a Democrat, and in 2020 she offered herself as the party’s presidential nominee. In a video, Gabbard explained that the party she has now exited stands for the “powerful elite” and not the people, adding: “If you can no longer stomach the direction that the so called woke Democratic Party ideologues are taking our country. I invite you to join me.”
Her announcement also coincided with the launch of her YouTube podcast series called “The Tulsi Gabbard Show.” In the first upload, titled “Why I’m leaving the Democratic Party,” she details her entrance into the Democratic party as a young person, “inspired by Democrats who stood up against the war in Vietnam” and those who stood up for plantation workers in Hawaii. However, she also details her fear that “President Biden and Democratic Party elites have pushed us to the precipice of nuclear war, risking starting World War III and destroying the world as we know it.”
Although Gabbard did not announce her next steps in her political career, she has long spoken out against the two-party system that dominates American politics, leaving some to speculate that she may become an independent or join a third political party. However, her exit from the “Regime”, as she terms it, signals that there is a deep crisis in the US political system, which under Biden has certainly prioritised war and provocation instead of overcoming major economic issues, especially after JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon admitted on October 10 that the US will be in “some kind of recession [in] six to nine months from now.”
