Tulsi Gabbard, the Mystery Candidate

[bronxiteforever]

The 38-year-old presidential contender does not fit any “conventional” political profile.
The Atlantic
EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE
5:00 AM ET
Sept 5,2019

...Many high-level Democrats I spoke with for this story, who insisted on anonymity to share their true feelings about her, suspect that Gabbard is up to something other than actually trying to win the party’s nomination—even if they can’t quite identify what her goal is. These are people who have been wary since Gabbard became a Fox News favorite for criticizing Obama’s foreign policy. They believed that their distrust was vindicated when Steve Bannon brought her in for a meeting with then-president-elect Donald Trump just two weeks after the 2016 election, which was one of Trump’s first meetings with a Democrat. To this group, Gabbard looks like Jill Stein, who also talked about progressive politics and peace, but whose 2016 Green Party run was, to them, a self-centered campaign that blew a crucial hole in Hillary Clinton’s chances, eating up money and getting Russian support along the way.

Gabbard’s supporters are a mix of old hippie peaceniks, cryptocurrency enthusiasts, people who obsess over American imperialism, and former Trump voters. They are also people who just love that she’s a young woman of color...

... to many people, Gabbard’s refusal to disavow Assad is disqualifying on its own. In August, the Syria-focused blogger Eliot Higgins wrote a long dissection of her official statements on Assad, which he called an “error filled mess.” In an email to me, he summarized: “The claims she's using are pretty much classic positions used by chemical weapon truthers and pro-Assad war crime denialist, and are littered with errors and contradictory information, so even apart from the political dimension of criticism of her claims there's basic factual criticisms that she should address.” The response on Twitter from the Russian embassy in Washington was forceful: “Higgins is spam-attacking US presidential candidate @TulsiGabbard for posing questions to the MSM-propelled narrative on the alleged #Douma incident. #ThoughtPolice & #ElectionMeddling irony aside, Ms Gabbard visited #Syria herself, unlike certain bloggers ...”

...The apparent Russian support is perhaps the most curious aspect of Gabbard’s 2020 bid. Another candidate might have gotten flustered when I asked why the Russians seem so interested in her. Not Gabbard. Her voice stayed even, and she moved right past the question, saying, “I don't have any explanation for these things, other than the fact that the world and other countries, including Russia, are in agreeance that we are in a better place in the world when we're not on the brink of nuclear war.”

Long worthwhile article.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/09/tulsi-gabbard-2020-candidate/597226/

[question everything]

1. And on these pages she is right behing Beto

Ahead of Klobuchar, Booker, Yang, Castro and the rest

[karin_sj]

3. Hmmmm

When I read your comment, I thought, "Nah, that can't be," but I took a look and sure enough, you were right. That's very odd that she would be so high up there on a site like DU.

[thesquanderer]

4. Not just DU. Check RCP, she polls above Klobuchar and Castro "IRL" too. (n/t)

[thesquanderer]

2. Good article that actually seems pretty even-handed, despite your negative excerpts.

Thanks for posting it, it was interesting.