We covered the fact that a 2020 presidential Democratic candidate has called for the silencing of President Donald J. Trump by removing him from Twitter, thus effectively blocking him from communicating with American citizens and his most ardent supporters. We questioned what sort of person would actually make stopping free speech a cornerstone of their campaign. Well, we got our answer. It looks like the only person loony enough to do that is one whose press secretary considers "free speech" to be a Fox News talking point.
On Wednesday, 2020 Democratic candidate and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard was asked whether she agreed with Sen. Kamala Harris of California after the bottom-tier candidate sent a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey requesting that President Trump's Twitter account be removed from the platform. Rep. Gabbard did not agree.
Here is what she had to say:
"No. I think freedom of speech is something that is an important, foundational, right in our democracy."
Asked if she agrees with @KamalaHarris that President @realDonaldTrump's Twitter account should be suspended, @TulsiGabbard says, "No. I think freedom of speech is something that is an important, foundational, right in our democracy." pic.twitter.com/6o1DYNVRFK
— Julia Jester (@JulesJester) October 2, 2019
To rebut this claim, Harris's press secretary Ian Sams lamented that this same criticism was said on Fox News all day:
"This was the exact talking point @FoxNews personalities were promulgating on air all day yesterday."
This was the exact talking point @FoxNews personalities were promulgating on air all day yesterday. https://t.co/aB1MDhpxqH
— Ian Sams (@IanSams) October 2, 2019
My guess is that Sams will create a lot of Trump supporters if "free speech" becomes a right-wing talking point. As Ned Ryun quipped, "Oh that pesky 1st Amendment is so irritating to little Lefties."
Oh that pesky 1st Amendment is so irritating to little Lefties. https://t.co/bMsHZ3yEWh
— Ned Ryun (@nedryun) October 2, 2019