Tulsi Gabbard announces what we already knew: She’s not a Dem

Walter Einenkel

Daily Kos Staff

Tuesday October 11, 2022 · 9:03 AM PDT

2022/10/11 · 09:03

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 23: Former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) speaks at an "Our Bodies, Our Sports" rally to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX at Freedom Plaza on June 23, 2022 in Washington, DC. The rally, organized by multiple athletic women's groups was held to call on U.S. President Joe Biden to put restrictions on transgender females and "advocate to keep women's sports female."(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) — 'Progressive!'

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For a very long time now, former Democratic Congresswoman from Hawaii Tulsi Gabbard has been a problematic figure. Long before she ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2015, Gabbard’s politics and statements belied intensely fascist and some might say sociopathic tendencies to speak out of both sides of her mouth. While she had a solid career initially championing things like universal health care and progressive climate policies, she’s also always been strangely into racist fascists like Narendra Modi.

Since failing to secure much in the way of traction in the Democratic Party back in 2015, Gabbard has searched for purchase in the very lucrative libertarian wing of the right-wing propaganda machine. It wasn’t much more than a lateral shift for Gabbard, who had made her “progressive” bonafides by criticizing President Barack Obama while not really following through with much more than her desire for control and power. She made sure to back this up by proposing right-wing transphobic legislation as she walked out of Congress for the last time in December 2020. She followed that up with more auditions for Fox News airtime, where she lauded “Don’t Say Gay” legislation and claimed it wasn’t extreme enough. Gabbard even got to host Fox News a few weeks ago, keeping Tucker Carlson’s seat warm while he was off doing whatever it is rich-kid homophobes do in their time off.

On Tuesday, Gabbard posted a video where she said, “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 and stoke anti-white racism, [and] actively work to undermine our God-given freedoms.” There was really no reason to watch the rest of the video since it’s Tulsi Gabbard. However, the responses were delightful.

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Gabbard apparently still considered herself a progressive Democratic politician as of Oct. 10, 2022. The more cynical among us might see this as her deeming it necessary to go out and find a way to get an interview with a Sean Hannity or a Tucker Carlson or maybe even a Laura Ingraham. It has been a few weeks since she had any meaningful traction in the right-wing world, and a fascist’s got to eat, amiright?

This aged well: "Why don't progressives like Tulsi Gabbard? We can think of a reason or six" https://t.co/5Wh9b4LU6n pic.twitter.com/i0go346Ff4
— David Nir (@DavidNir) October 11, 2022

Wait, Tulsi Gabbard was a Democrat?
— Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (@malcolmkenyatta) October 11, 2022

That’s what I said!

Tulsi leading with “anti-white racism” portends a normal and healthy 2024
— Adam H. Johnson (@adamjohnsonNYC) October 11, 2022

So true. But it’s not all bread and roses.

First we lose Andrew Yang and now Tulsi Gabbard. How will the Democratic Party survive?
— Kaili Joy Gray (@KailiJoy) October 11, 2022

I need a little more analysis.

Noted Republican Tulsi Gabbard Has Left The Democratic Party
— David Mack (@davidmackau) October 11, 2022

What’s next for Tulsi?

You & Tuberville should do a dog-whistling contest to fund raise for Rs. Thiel & the Kochs can sponsor it. Do it on the Capitol steps where Trumpists beat the brakes off of a buncha cops. DeSantis can fly in migrants to watch. Winner gets Obama's Kenyan birth certificate framed.
— Jeffrey Wright (@jfreewright) October 11, 2022

I wouldn’t be surprised to see that happen actually. Any statisticians in the audience who can crunch the numbers for us?

literally zero Democrats are sad to see you go
— Jeff Tiedrich (@itsJeffTiedrich) October 11, 2022

I’m a visual person, so I’ll need that in a graph.

NEW RESEARCH: Tulsi Gabbard’s in a perpetual state of quantum flux between leaving/having left the Democratic Party. If we can figure out a way to harness this spatial-temporal wave, we could solve the world’s energy needs and take humanity to the stars. pic.twitter.com/yqSTOBSqrS
— James Treakle 🎥 (@JamesTreakle) October 11, 2022

Gimme some memes.

"I also left the Democratic party" pic.twitter.com/9JmfJRNjfL
— lunatic skies (@lunatic_core) October 11, 2022

pic.twitter.com/jnY6n2nEnn
— Brandon Wolf (@bjoewolf) October 11, 2022

pic.twitter.com/2Sgdkf2ntd
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) October 11, 2022

pic.twitter.com/yV4WmiPOaD
— Jordan - Civility Pollster (@SLCLunk) October 11, 2022

pic.twitter.com/fzgQCxx99C
— Jen Henry (@jenresisted) October 11, 2022

Let’s get another one in there.

pic.twitter.com/b0TNEr5l6R
— Sangerdoodle (@sangerdoodle) October 11, 2022

pic.twitter.com/j4EVi0tiY9
— 👻Imani Gandy Corn👻 (@AngryBlackLady) October 11, 2022

And because it made me laugh ...

Same Tulsi energy...https://t.co/s07BcXkvoY
— Pete stands for human rights (@Pete_Geller) October 11, 2022

After an eruption of even more scandals among Republican Senate candidates, FiveThirtyEight’s Nathaniel Rakich returns to The Downballot this week to discuss the effect these sorts of scandals can have on competitive races; whether Democrats stand a chance to keep the House; and the different ways pollsters create likely voter models.

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Tulsi Gabbard announces what we already knew: She’s not a Dem

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