The Otherizing of Tulsi Gabbard
It’s been going on since Rep. Tulsi Gabbard dared to endorse Bernie Sanders during the DNC primaries, but things are about to ramp up to warp-drive as she formally announces her campaign for the presidency.
Just moments ago, I saw the news pop up that the progressive activism site, Dailykos, has just announced that they are formally endorsing a challenger to her congressional seat in Hawaii. So the supposedly top “progressive” activism site in America is ready to give a young and independent congresswoman the middle finger. Surprise, surprise!
You guessed it. Too much peace.
Daily Kos has long adhered to the motto of electing more and better Democrats. We’re usually focused on the “more,” but today, this endorsement is all about the “better”—and boy, do we ever need that here.
Throughout her six years in Congress, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has repeatedly shown how out-of-step she is with mainstream progressive values…
Among many other things, Gabbard has cozied up to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, even visiting him on a secret trip to Syria two years ago; was one of the first (and only) Democrats;after he won in 2016…cultivated ties with violent Hindu nationalists
Before I document any more of the unhinged bias against Rep. Gabbard, I want to say something to my progressive/liberal friends. Don’t be discouraged. They, the establishment, are scared of her for good reasons. As an Iraq War veteran, she has firsthand experience with the Military Industrial Complex and she speaks with real, hear-felt clarity on this issue. She must be up there on that stage in the first debates. Her voice must be heard. Make it happen.
People are also rightly noting that something similar was done to Ron Paul. Slightly different dynamics in a GOP primary, but yes: a clear precedent https://t.co/ZJsixC06B0
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) January 25, 2019
(Dailykos continues) Fortunately, we have a vastly superior alternative, which is why Daily Kos is pleased to endorse state Sen. Kai Kahele, who announced a bid for Congress on Monday. Kahele is a combat pilot with the Air National Guard who’s flown missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and now flies commercial jets for Hawaiian Airlines. He’s also a solid progressive who supports Medicare for all, a Green New Deal, and the Equality Act, which would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
To start with, if I was a member of Dailykos, I would write my goodbye diary until they decide to rescind their rather sexist endorsement of her primary opponent. What an asshole thing to do!
I’m not trying to “stan” for Tulsi. Honestly, I’m really not. But this is so bizarre and blatant. FiveThirtyEight doesn’t even include her, a declared candidate, on their front-page pictorial collage. But they do include Michael Avenatti, Eric Holder, and The Rock. I mean, c’mon pic.twitter.com/1BgGa0DqWS
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) January 25, 2019
Notice how the NYT describes Kamala as having “history-making potential” but omits this label for Tulsi, even though she’s a minority woman. NYT instead chooses to label Tulsi an anti-gay Assad lover. This is how establishment consensus tries to preemptively disqualify candidates pic.twitter.com/Ph3a8dquAY
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) January 23, 2019
Watch this NYT writer trash Rep. Gabbard without knowing what she’s talking about. Tells you something about the received orthodoxy of the elite, right?
Read our previous report on her daring trip to Syria:
Rep Tulsi Gabbard: Naive, Traitor or Hero?