Tulsi Gabbard’s pathetic non-vote over impeachment increased her unfavorability rating by 7% in just a week in a Morning Consult survey. This means she has now surpassed conservative Mike Bloomberg as the most disliked Democratic primary candidate with a disapproval rating of 30%. Congratulations, Tulsi. At least you are winning somewhere.
Doing this poorly in a presidential campaign means she has no excuse for blatantly ignoring her constituents. Since October, Gabbard has missed a whopping 85% of the votes while running her quixotic campaign. This has not sat well with former Hawaii governor, Neil Ambercrombie, who has called on Tulsi to resign immediately so that a special election can be held:
The people of the second district are being adversely affected by her presidential campaign.
And so if she offers the opportunity then for a special election, I think then she's showing respect for the people of the second district and respect for the people of Hawaii.
I won’t hold my breath for that.
No matter what the campaign category—polling, money, favorability rating—Tulsi’s campaign is flailing. Turns out that being a Democrat-bashing, homophobic, Russian asset is NOT a net positive for a Democratic primary. Of course, this was never her goal. You don’t win Democrats over by going on Fox News every night to mimic GOP talking points. So what is she up to?
Well, Wall Street donors have courted her behind closed doors, and recently, Tulsi even hinted at having a second Democrat run against Trump if she is not the nominee. She won’t admit it, but it’s clear to most insiders that she is being pushed, and is strongly considering, a run as a third-party candidate with the expressed purpose of helping Donald Trump win his re-election. I’m all but certain she will have a nice job at Fox News waiting for her when she finishes.
At least, that was the plan. I am hoping that Hillary Clinton derailed that train by calling Tulsi out on it. Tulsi lashed out furiously but didn’t deny it. If Tulsi does run against the Democratic nominee, she will prove Hillary right yet again.
In case you forgot how awful she is, I’ll end with a little game. See if you scored better than I did. Are the following actions/quotes from a rightwing extremist or Tulsi?
Each question is worth one point. If you get it right, give yourself a point. If you get it wrong, no points. No cheating… or do… I really don’t care.
- Score 1-2: Pathetic Loser. You’re a Bannon.
- Score 3-4: Submissive Loser. You’re Trump.
- Score 5-6: Propped-up dictator. You’re an Assad!
- Score 7-8: Boss-level dictator. You’re Putin! Yay! Reward yourself by making Trump do something for you.
It is simple, yes?
Okay, here we go….
1. Rightwing extremist or Tulsi?
Greatly disturbed by homeless people. Supported legislation to allow city workers to confiscate their personal belongings stored on public property.
2. Rightwing extremist or Tulsi?
This person was an adviser to Trump on Syria policy, and was considered for a critical cabinet position within the Trump administration. This person acknowledged Assad used chemical weapons against his own men, women and children multiple times, but stated the brutal dictator was not an enemy of the United States.
3. Rightwing extremist or Tulsi?
Continuously referred to opponents as “homosexual extremists” or homosexual extremist supporters”. This person ardently fought gay couples having the same rights and privileges as married couples.
4. Rightwing extremist or Tulsi?
This person despises refugees. Fought for the GOP’s SAFE Act to add ridiculous requirements to the already onerous refugee vetting process. This was done as an effort to stop Syrian refugees.
5. Rightwing extremist or Tulsi?
This person has earned praise and endorsements from noted white supremacists such as Steve Bannon, Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump and even David Duke.
6. Rightwing extremist or Tulsi?
This person is ardently anti-Islam.
7. Rightwing extremist or Tulsi?
This person hobnobs with the most extreme of the rightwing.
8. Rightwing extremist or Tulsi?
This person appeared on Alex Jones’ InfoWars to push insane conspiracy theories and bash Hillary Clinton.
Most people can’t tell the difference. And that’s the point. Here are the answers:
1. TULSI. As a presidential candidate, she said she wants to use the money to invest in helping the homeless instead of wasting it on regime-change. In reality, she has spent her career attacking them. As a city elected official, in 2011, Tulsi launched a brutal, unconstitutional attack that would have allowed city workers to confiscate personal belongings stored on public property.
This bill was also designed to target the Occupy Wall Street protesters.
2. TULSI. Like Trump, Tulsi is prone to flattery by strongman dictators. After having lunch with a mass murderer, Tulsi declared that Bashir Al -Assad is not an enemy of the U.S. She agreed with al-Assad that the U.S-backed rebels were “terrorists” Tulsi gushed that everywhere she went, people loved Assad. Yeah, he arranged the tour, genius. She worked with Steve Bannon to meet with Trump, but a senior Trump aide admitted she was being considered for a variety of roles because she shared Trump’s view on guns, refugees, and Islam.
3. TULSI. She worked for two anti-gay groups, and one of them strongly promoted harmful conversion therapy. She even opposed anti-bullying legislation to protect gay students, because she felt that it would promote that homosexuality is “normal and natural.” It’s important to note that Tulsi’s views on both abortion or homosexuality, according to her, have not changed—just her view on having the government enforce it.
4. TULSI. She introduced a resolution requiring the U.S. to prioritize religious and ethnic minorities, primarily Christians, for granting refugee status.
5. TULSI. The rightwing has praised her far more than their fellow GOP Congressmen. In response, Tulsi hits our Democratic leadership every chance she gets but is clearly uncomfortable saying anything negative about Trump Co.
6. TULSI. She continues to blame Islam as the cause of terrorism, yet refuses to acknowledge that American reckless foreign policy had any role in American sentiment in the Middle East.
7. TULSI. She doesn’t just hang out at Fox News. She can be seen hobnobbing with the likes of Dick Cheney, Bill Kristol, Mike Pence, Rupert Murdoch, the DeVoses, and plenty of other major conservative figures. She attended the most rightwing of rightwing events, the American Enterprise Institute’s (AEI’s) annual closed-to-the-press retreat.
8. MATT GAETZ. Thought I’d throw in my own spoiler. Gabbard has never been on InfoWars, but she absolutely does like to bash Hillary Clinton.
Please let this be the last time I ever have to write about Tulsi again.