Select date

March 2024
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

‘Why are you voting for Putin?’ Tulsi Gabbard supporters harassed at Iowa caucuses

4-2-2020 < RT 19 330 words
 

A Tulsi Gabbard supporter was physically attacked with a Sharpie marker and called a Russian terrorist after voicing support for the candidate at an Iowa caucus, one of several reports of Gabbard supporters being “abused.”


Caucusing for the Hawaii congresswoman can be hazardous to one’s health, if reports from Monday’s botched vote in Iowa are any indication. Journalist Dack Rouleau accidentally triggered a supporter of billionaire candidate Tom Steyer into a full-on Jekyll-and-Hyde transformation culminating in physical attack when he casually mentioned that he would be voting for Gabbard.



Why are you voting for Putin? He’s not a big democracy guy,” the man, who Rouleau claims worked for Iowa state government in some capacity and gave a speech on Steyer's behalf, sneered, channeling former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with his declaration that Gabbard was “Putin’s prostitute.” And Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange, whom the candidate has said she would pardon if elected? “He’s one of Putin’s buddies too.” When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a sickle…


The pair initially parted ways before coming to blows - until the Steyer supporter returned to confront Rouleau armed with a Sharpie, pointing at a tattoo of German text on the journalist’s arm. “You came here from Russia! You have Russian tattoos!” he shouted triumphantly. As Rouleau vainly attempted to explain the difference between Roman and Cyrillic alphabets, his adversary threatened to “give [him] another Russian tattoo” and, Rouleau said, “dragged” the marker on his hands.


While the lonely Gabbard voters of the Windsor Heights 3 precinct ended up joining the faction supporting Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, theirs was not the only caucus where Gabbard supporters reported hostility, and at least one claimed to have walked out rather than put up with the abuse.



Print