In the run up to the 2019–2020 DNC primaries, the Democratic Party saw a number of powerhouse female hopefuls and representatives including brand names like Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and Amy Klobuchar. But there was one woman who stood in stark contrast to the rest. One woman who declined a bid for reelection to her congressional seat in the House of Representatives to give due diligence to an unlikely quest to become the DNC’s presidential candidate. Spoiler alert, she didn’t receive the nomination.
Her name is Tulsi Gabbard (Democrat-Hawaii 2nd District). Gabbard, the first (part) Samoan American representative to congress, became a trending figure on social media and a sort of folk legend when she dismantled the current Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris during the DNC presidential debate in July 2019.
Gabbard called out Harris for her hypocritical virtue signaling in regards to the matters of minority advocacy, marijuana legalization and court/legal sentencing reform. Harris who had gone to war against Joe Biden‘s past on bussing, was forced to answer for her past when questioned by Gabbard on her own record as California’s attorney general (2010–2014). A record which included Harris’s mission against bad parenting, resulting in jail sentences of parents’ of truant children and her arguments to curtail the release of nonviolent offenders in the prison system, leading to their continued service in the prison industrial complex.
Taking another step back on her resume, Gabbard further pointed out that as district attorney of San Francisco (2003–2007), Harris played a primary role in the conviction of just under 2,000 individuals on the charge of marijuana usage. All of which highlighted Harris’s contribution to court rulings that directly affected the lives of thousands of black/brown and poor Americans who have historically faced such charges in larger percentiles than other socio-economic groups. Gabbard’s prosecution of Harris became a contributing factor to Harris’s plummeting ratings immediately following the July 2019 debates, and her subsequent withdrawal from the presidential race.
The Hawaiian congresswoman’s cult following grew larger still with her appearance on the world renown podcast, the Joe Rogan Experience. She was one of a handful of DNC hopefuls, including the likes of Bernie Sanders and Andrew Yang, who came on the show to have a long form discussion surrounding their background, visions, and platforms. Both in her debates and interviews, Gabbard has shown an anti-war hawk foreign policy approach as part of her platform, specifically denouncing what she terms regime change wars (interfering and engaging in foreign countries to advance U.S. objectives- the likes of Cold War Imperialism).
It’s in these interviews and her seemingly genuine/transparent social media presence that we learn about Tulsi Gabbard’s background as a once prized darling of the Democratic Party. Gabbard started early in the political arena by becoming the youngest representative in the history of the Hawaii State Legislature at the age of twenty-one. Her election would also secure her the title of youngest woman elected to any U.S. state legislator. Simultaneously, Gabbard was a member of the Army National Guard of Hawaii, which she enlisted for following the 9/11 attacks. Later she would go on to serve two military tours in the Middle East, the first of which she volunteered herself for in 2004. She claims her time on the field and experiencing the cost of war has given her a perspective on the military and U.S. foreign affairs, which has in turn influenced her foreign policy platform. She continued her storied career to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013, where she is concluding her term today.
Gabbard has built a career on personal transparency, which she herself has demanded of her colleagues on both sides of the aisle. She carries core values and characteristics that are not commonly found in the political ranks. During her run for presidential candidacy, newly elected (this week) congressman Kai Kahele challenged Gabbard that her campaign was taking away from the needs of her district and constituents back home in Hawaii. She gracefully received such criticism and announced her intention not to run for another term in congress in order to do what was best for her district and to give her full effort at the task of running for president. She was by no means anywhere near a victory when she made this announcement. Furthermore, Gabbard has consistently shown a willingness to compromise within reasonable means, and at the very least have discussions with foreign leaders and leaders of the Republican Party. Her stance against bipartisanship has been quite consistent both in word and deed. Finally, she has also been forth coming of past mistakes and changes in her/her family’s perspectives when it comes to social issues. This level of reflectiveness, awareness, and willingness to admit wrong has been a breath of fresh air for many in the public.
As an 80’s baby (current age thirty-nine), Gabbard was at one time the only millennial representative present in congress. Her age in addition to her maturity, poise, service-first orientation, military record, and sociological identity (minority+woman+Hindi), made her a rising star amidst the Democratic ranks. So where did she go wrong? Why has she now been shunned as a bastard child of the party?
On an episode of the the Campaign HQ podcast, Hillary Clinton once referred to Gabbard as an asset (or agent) of Russia, who was groomed to oppose the the Democratic Party and to ensure President Trump’s reelection. Take note that Gabbard, who continues to serve in the U.S. military to this day, has repeatedly called out Clinton and President Obama’s foreign policies in the past, primarily denouncing the use of tax payer dollars to implement big stick diplomacy in the form of wars and regime change missions. Furthermore, she has criticized leading Democrats on their failure to correctly identify the realities, motivations, and alignments of terror organizations (ISIS) in relation to the countries at play in the Middle Eastern theater. She has effectively become the annoying goodie-two-shoes (mostly) little sister calling out her older Democratic siblings on their bullsh*t. And what happens to annoying, ruler stickler young siblings? They don’t get invited to play. This reality manifested when Gabbard was excluded from and denied a speaking slot at the DNC following Joe Biden’s candidate confirmation.
As noted by @KeinanAlejo on Twitter: “[Tulsi Gabbard] was 1 of 7 [Democratic] candidates that earned delegates during the Presidential primary. It has been a tradition that spanned decades for any candidate who earned a delegate to be offered a speaking slot at the convention.”
So needless to say, Joe Biden’s selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate has many voters scratching their head. Not that most voters are aware of the existence of Gabbard, but it is especially puzzling because there was a more fitting, arguably more effective, choice in Tulsi Gabbard who has been effective in drawing the attention of Republican voters. Gabbard, a professional civil servant since her youth who boasts in nothing but the aloha spirit. A spirit of love, affection, peace, compassion and mercy (as defined by Wikipedia). I know, I know… this piece just turned from an informational article to an opinion column, but I cannot help but see how the Democrats let this potential powerhouse candidate get away. A liberal minority woman of South Asian, Polynesian, and European descent with a varied universalistic Hindu-Christian background who happens to be a lifelong military servicewoman. Someone who’s platform is anti-war, pro-civil liberties, and moderation between the left and the right for the sake of united vision and service. Someone who will listen as long as she speaks.
Perhaps she’s just another politician. Perhaps it’s all an act. Perhaps Hillary was correct and she’s been bought out to create a third party disruption to the U.S. political system. Well… if so she’s done quite a phenomenal acting job and deserves an Oscar.
