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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTulsi Gabbard says US 'not so different' from Russia on free speech
Former Hawaii congresswoman defended spreading Kremlin-backed conspiracyhttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/tulsi-babbard-russia-biden-speech-b2037274.html
Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, has claimed that Russia and the United States are not so different when it comes to freedom of expression.
Speaking with Fox News Jesse Watters, Ms Gabbard said the situation in the US was not that different from what were seeing happening in Russia, where news is state-controlled and challenging authority will likely lead to imprisonment, if not death.
This is whats so dangerous about the place that were in right now as a country, said Ms Gabbard of the US, where the news is not controlled by the government, on Tuesday. Freedom of expression is directly under threat and under attack.
And youre right. Its not so different, she continued, without any apparent irony. Whats happening here is not that different from what were seeing happening in Russia, where youve got state TV and controlled messaging across the board. This is where were at.
snip
COL Mustard
(5,914 posts)I always thought she was pretty reasonable but it seems like shes going off the deep end in the cuckoo pool.
Celerity
(43,469 posts)The US has an amazing amount of flaws (as do all nation states), but to even remotely compare it to Russia in terms of freedom of speech is insane.
Dorian Gray
(13,498 posts)and this article being shared and spread in the USA gives lie to her stupid ass assertion.
Samrob
(4,298 posts)FarPoint
(12,425 posts)good at her job....nothing has gotten into her or changed....deception has been her mission all along.
Calista241
(5,586 posts)She didn't run as a 3rd party candidate in 2020, and many calling her a 'Russian Asset' feared she would. And she was capable of doing so. Joe Rogan LOVED her, before he ultimately endorsed Bernie Sanders, and his endorsement alone would have garnered her more votes than any of the 3rd party candidates in 2016.
She was a Lt. Colonel in the Army, and THEN she went on to Congress. She had a TS Security Clearance from her time in the military. She served 4 terms there on the Homeland Security and Armed Services committee. If she was a spy for the Russians (or anyone else), there's no way they'd let her voluntarily leave those committees. Not for some longshot, hail mary attempt at the Presidency. No chance, zilch, nada, zip.
is she a little crazy now, probably, but so are a shitton of people. We fucking elected Donald fucking Trump of all people, and she's way less crazy than that motherfucker. But she's definitely not a Russian asset.
If she was a Russian asset, she's gone from their best asset of all time, to being a worthless periodic rando news show guest. That's like giving someone a 24kt solid gold bar worth $50k in exchange for 5 quarters because you want a coke out of coke machine.
AntivaxHunters
(3,234 posts)Can we please stop the talking points & BS Liberal version of Alex Jones already? She's awful but just throwing around things is what the far right does. There's absolutely no evidence that Tulsi is a "Russian spy" and I think Pelosi pretty much knows this given her committee assignments she was assigned to. People need to have some faith in our Dem Party leadership....
hamsterjill
(15,223 posts)I can call her whatever I want.
Thats the difference between free speech in America and Russia.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)1. If Gabbard were a DU poster saying the same thing, she'd be what Russian intelligence has long considered a "USEFUL IDIOT."
2. If she WORKED FOR RUSSIA, one of them, she'd be a Russian AGENT. Like Rosa Klebb or Maria Butina.
3. ASSETS are those whose behaviors are of special benefit to Russia. If she or someone else ran as a political candidate and used national attention to badmouth and splinter away support for Democrats, enabling Russia's choice to take power, that person would definitely be a really good ASSET to Russia. Assets only have to be helpful; they don't have to agree to be. They can be totally free and self directed or they can be compromised and coerced, knowing or completely clueless, rewarded or ruined.
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Gabbard's history is probably too well documented for her to have become an agent at some point in her past. As a national figure, once presidential candidate ( ) she was too helpful to just be a useful idiot. That leaves asset, and the millions of useful idiots who can always/usually be fooled (because they want to be) pretty much guarantee that public figures who behave like her can, and will, be put to good use by Russia.
edhopper
(33,604 posts)but it seems this is the case.
Dorian Gray
(13,498 posts)during the syria years, so she's seemed to be one ring beyond fruit loop for awhile.
TheBlackAdder
(28,211 posts)Dorian Gray
(13,498 posts)I wish she and her quirky white stripe would slink away.
Kittycatkat
(1,356 posts)Noting else makes sense.
Kittycatkat
(1,356 posts)Noting else makes sense.
yardwork
(61,690 posts)JI7
(89,260 posts)but she was anti gay anti choice and claimed to have changed but her final days in congress were trying to take away abortion rights and lgbtq rights.
viva la
(3,315 posts)I don't think she's ever had a coherent political belief system. And she was easily co-opted by the Putin crowd.
LiberalFighter
(51,020 posts)tenderfoot
(8,438 posts)I never got her appeal
Demsrule86
(68,632 posts)eShirl
(18,496 posts)maxsolomon
(33,360 posts)Liberals are suppressing Free Speech, Liberals are cancelling people who say things they don't like, Liberals are "woke", Liberals let BLM force children in to CRT indoctrination, private corporations are censoring brave Patriots like DJT, MTG, Bobert, etc.
It's a consistent grievance of the right since the Right decided to start spouting crazy shit 24/7 and tried to overthrow Democracy.
BlueMTexpat
(15,370 posts)go there ... and stay.
She is just another "useful idiot."
Irish_Dem
(47,226 posts)She is another Russian agent.
No wonder Putin has been so emboldened.
Dorian Gray
(13,498 posts)she's not exactly the highest ranks....
She's barely Marjorie Taylor Greene ranks.....
Irish_Dem
(47,226 posts)I consider anyone in the US congress a high ranking official and she was once there.
But right she was not a US president or senator.
Dorian Gray
(13,498 posts)because she stinks. But yeah, it appears that there are a lot of people willing to sell out their country and their dignity for a few russian rubles.
Irish_Dem
(47,226 posts)FarPoint
(12,425 posts)Michael Flynn.....assests.. Spewing Putin propaganda with tRump....with every breath.
Irish_Dem
(47,226 posts)Putin bought quite a few puppets here in the US.
FarPoint
(12,425 posts)Many more than we are as public citizens are aware...My guess...thousands at various levels. Let us not forget the mouth pieces for Putin on Foxx News Propaganda, Newsmax etc....
Irish_Dem
(47,226 posts)Some worked out, some didn't.
But enough were successful in dividing and weakening the US. As Putin has said, the US was very easily manipulated.
I think Putin and Xi however greatly underestimated Joe Biden.
ProudMNDemocrat
(16,786 posts)What a dunderhead.
In Russia, she would have never been heard of again. Perhaps she should defect and move to Russia then if she is so unhappy in America.
Eugene
(61,937 posts)It makes sense if you see the "stolen election" and prosecution the January 6 putsch as an infringements on your freedom.
Celerity
(43,469 posts)If you deny them the criminal act or prosecute them for it, they scream that THEY are the aggrieved victims.
It is a dangerous AF form of thinking. It will lead to the annihilation of the rule of law.
betsuni
(25,583 posts)regular Democrats were called corrupt (campaign contributions makes one beholden to corporations and wealthy donors for mysterious vague conspiracy theory reasons), warmongers, establishment, elites who hate the working class, neoliberals with the same economic policies as Republicans, crooked (teh primaries are rigged!), evil and all sorts of bullshit. Hope all those assholes are happy.
FarPoint
(12,425 posts)Pure and simple...she is a russian asset of Putin......it is known.
alphafemale
(18,497 posts)Consequences for saying idiotic things is not a loss of freedom.
Dorian Gray
(13,498 posts)This woman needs a pie in the face, stat.
Dirty Socialist
(3,252 posts)Go fuck yourself, Tulsi!
The Wizard
(12,546 posts)Her Russian allegiance is out in the open. Many suspected her of being a Putin sympathizer when she was in Congress undermining Democrats. Her pension should be revoked for treason. Make her defend treason.
genxlib
(5,528 posts)Fox News does sound a lot like Russia State TV these days
634-5789
(4,175 posts)twodogsbarking
(9,784 posts)betsuni
(25,583 posts)twodogsbarking
(9,784 posts)Even our government keeps news from us.
yardwork
(61,690 posts)twodogsbarking
(9,784 posts)yardwork
(61,690 posts)So what is Tulsi's good point?
jcgoldie
(11,636 posts)...
Cosmocat
(14,567 posts)cause the likes of her and the entirety of the "conservative movement" are driving this country in that direction more and more each day ...
IronLionZion
(45,494 posts)Many Republicans can't tell the difference either so they should all move to Russia. White immigrants are called "expats" which is appropriate for people who are the opposite of patriots.
Mr. Ected
(9,670 posts)A Russian asset speaking out on a compromised American television entertainment network about the similarities between the vacuum of Russian media and what the right wing portends for all of us.
Tulsi, we hardly knew ya, because your life is a lie.
jaxexpat
(6,841 posts)Except Gabbard's practically a pariah in her party while MTG is the "brand" in hers.
dalton99a
(81,565 posts)As usual
Whiskeytide
(4,461 posts)spanone
(135,857 posts)Kind of boggles the mind. I am still not sure I understand the motivation.
spanone
(135,857 posts)It is perplexing.
dalton99a
(81,565 posts)ck4829
(35,079 posts)And Alex Jones has yet to be pushed out of a window.
---
Now is she referring to the "suicideds" like Gary Webb (Who Tucker Carlson once defamed)? That would actually have some weight. And she was a Representative, she had access to levels of information and intel beyond a whole lot of other people, she should just say that government forces killed Gary Webb.
Link to that defamation:
Link to tweet
GoCubsGo
(32,086 posts)is proof enough of how wrong she is. Nobody from the government is feeding her Polonium-laced tea, or poisoning her underpants with Novachuck. If you think it's so fucking dangerous here, Tulskyo Rose, you are free to leave.
jcgoldie
(11,636 posts)That's why Joe Biden will be sending the police to arrest her now...
Iggo
(47,563 posts)Its not nice or nothing anymore?
mn9driver
(4,428 posts)If you go far enough to the left, you end up sounding like the far right.
I had a friend many years ago who was quite active in protesting against Vietnam, the Cold War, Nuclear Weapons and other things. Her outlook was solidly left. It still is, but at some point she slipped over the line and now she sounds an awful lot like Gabbard.
Her Facebook posts now read as if they were written by Putin himself, with the US as the perpetrator of all the terrible things in the world, including Ukraine. Its strange and sad to see this.
ck4829
(35,079 posts)The US has a sad and horrific history on many issues. And there are still a lot of issues going on to this day.
And you can criticize them, you should criticize them, you should call out racism from government and institutions, corruption, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, state-sanctioned violence, etc.
But then to take that, OK, and then say "Russia is NOT the US so therefore..." and turn it into this idyllic paradise, a land of milk and honey, when it's not. And there are plenty of otherwise high-functioning people who think do this and it's crazy.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,347 posts)For instance, did she advocate the nationalization of industry? A maximum wage? Her only view on taxes picked out by Politico was 'eliminate offshore tax breaks": https://www.politico.com/2020-election/candidates-views-on-the-issues/tulsi-gabbard/
I don't think she went that far to the left.
AZProgressive
(29,322 posts)Her health care plan was to the right of Warren & Sanders. She felt it wasnt American to get rid of private insurance. Plus there is the transphobia and voting present on impeachment. Also her countless appearences on Fox News. This latest comment is for her right wing fans.
LizBeth
(9,952 posts)to call out their stupid. Free speech is not the demand to be able to spew stupid and also a demand we all must lose our free speech and stay quiet.
live love laugh
(13,124 posts)Wounded Bear
(58,685 posts)ck4829
(35,079 posts)For amusement, I did the math and I estimate a journalist dies in the US once every 4 fours and that was 1776 to now.
Russia? 6 a year, and that's only from it's great glorious refounding that made it better than Jesus in the eyes of the Qheads.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_journalists_killed_in_the_United_States
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_journalists_killed_in_Russia
6 a year is a whole order higher than 1 every 4 years.
Tulsi really doesn't know what she is talking about here.
Midnight Writer
(21,780 posts)Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(108,135 posts)Emrys
(7,250 posts)Sorry, I'm relishing throwing back a line that was regularly chucked at we Western peaceniks when we were trying to do something about impending nuclear armageddon back in the 1980s.
I may not tire of doing this any time soon.
Response to Celerity (Original post)
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