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[AuthenticM]

Someone posted this in the DNC thread, and I needed to give it its own thread because holy shit does she seem like the perfect candidate for the Democratic Party to reinvent themselves and get back those disenfranchised voters.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsi_Gabbard

During her tenure Gabbard strongly supported legislation to promote clean energy. She supported legislation to expand tax credits for solar and wind, improve the net energy metering program, establish renewable energy portfolio standards, reduce taxes on the sale of ethanol and biofuels, provide funding for a seawater air conditioning project and make it easier for condo/townhouse owners to get solar.

Regarding the environment, Gabbard supported legislation to better protect air quality, the water supply, endangered species and avian/marine life, fight invasive species, reduce greenhouse gases, promote recycling of food waste & packaging, improve the Deposit Beverage Container Program (bottle law), and reduce illegal dumping.

Gabbard, a vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee, was critical of the decision by DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to hold only six debates during the 2016 Democratic Party primary season, compared with 26 in 2008 and 15 in 2004. Some have argued that the number of debates was intentionally limited in order to bolster Secretary Hillary Clinton's position as the Democratic front-runner, citing Wasserman Schultz's previous position as co-chair of Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign as a conflict of interest and a newly created penalty barring further participation in sanctioned debates for any candidate who participates in an unsanctioned debate as an effort to limit public exposure to other candidates. Gabbard appeared on multiple news outlets to express her dissatisfaction with the number of debates. Following her public criticisms, she claimed she was uninvited from attending the Democratic debate in Las Vegas as a result. In a telephone interview with the New York Times, Gabbard stated, "It's very dangerous when we have people in positions of leadership who use their power to try to quiet those who disagree with them. When I signed up to be vice-chair of the DNC, no one told me I would be relinquishing my freedom of speech and checking it at the door."

Gabbard resigned as DNC vice-chair on February 28, 2016, in order to endorse Senator Bernie Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination. She was the first female U.S. Representative to endorse Sanders. At the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Gabbard gave the nominating speech putting his name forward.

Furthermore, in July 2016, Gabbard launched a petition to end the Democratic Party's process of appointing superdelegates in the nomination process, and ran ads for the petition on Facebook.

In April 2003, while serving in office, Gabbard enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard. She received several distinguished honor graduate titles and awards at Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training.

In July 2004, Gabbard asked to deploy with her Hawaii Army National Guard unit, volunteering for a 12-month tour in Iraq, where she served in a field medical unit as a specialist with a 29th Support Battalion medical company. She learned that she would not be able to serve with her unit and perform her duties as a legislator, and thus chose not to campaign for a second term in office. Gabbard served at Logistical Support Area Anaconda in Iraq. While on a rest-and-relaxation tour in August 2005, she presented Hawaii's condolences to the government of London regarding the 7/7 terrorist attacks. She was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal at the end of this tour.

Upon her return from Iraq in 2006, Gabbard began serving as a legislative aide for U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka in Washington, DC. She was responsible for issues involving veteran affairs, energy and natural resources, judiciary, and homeland security. She served as a surrogate speaker for Akaka on many occasions, and built a grassroots network with the veteran community in Hawaii.

In March 2007, while working for Akaka, Gabbard graduated from the Accelerated Officer Candidate School at the Alabama Military Academy. She was the first woman to finish as the distinguished honor graduate in the Academy's 50-year history. She was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and assigned again to the 29th Brigade Special Troops Battalion of the Hawaii Army National Guard, this time to serve as the Military Police Platoon Leader.

Gabbard continued to work for Akaka until 2009, when she again voluntarily deployed with her unit to the Middle East. During this deployment, in addition to leading her platoon on a wide variety of security missions, she also conducted non-military host-nation visits and served as a primary trainer for the Kuwait National Guard. She was one of the first women to set foot inside a Kuwait military facility, and became the first woman to ever to be awarded and honored by the Kuwait National Guard for her work in their training and readiness program.

In her campaign materials and editorials, Gabbard calls for a restoration of the Glass-Steagall Act, a ban on naked credit defaults (possibly referring to naked credit default swaps), and forced breakup of the "big banks". She also condemned banks that foreclosed on the homes of deployed troops. She is a co-sponsor of HR381: Return to Prudent Banking Act of 2015, which would revive the separation between commercial banking and the securities business, in the manner provided in the Glass-Steagall Act.

Gabbard strongly opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership and has led protests against it. A member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, she has been highly critical of both the deal itself and the secrecy surrounding its exact text, arguing that it will largely benefit multinational corporations at the expense of American workers while actively contributing to existing threats to the environment, such as global warming and pollution. Gabbard has said, "The TPP agreement will benefit Wall Street banks and multinational corporations on the backs of hard-working Americans, and it will increase existing threats to our environment...If it contains the same noxious provisions we suspected it would, I will do all I can to defeat the TPP when it comes before Congress for a final up-or-down vote."

In 2016, she was cited as a major so-called "Saudi Skeptic." She was a notable opposer of a $1.15 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, and was quoted in The Hill as saying, "Saudi Arabia continues to spend billions of dollars funding the spread of the Wahhabi Salafist ideology that fuels groups like ISIS, al Qaeda and other jihadist groups around the world. The U.S. must stop arming Saudi Arabia, stop fueling this fire and hold Saudi Arabia accountable for their actions." Furthermore, when on CNN she stated to Wolf Blitzer, "I think we should ask the reverse question, [which] is what is the United States doing to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for being the number one promoter of radical Islamic extremism, not only in their own country, but around the world, spending hundreds of billions of dollars in funding madrassas and schools and books and media outreach trying to influence people towards this ideology that fuels ISIS, fueling al Qaeda, what to speak of the direct and indirect support that Saudi Arabia and some of these other Gulf states gives directly to the enemy that we are supposed to be fighting and defeating. So, I think it is an important time and question for us, in the United States, to ask: Is Saudi Arabia willing to be our ally? And if they are, then they need to stop this funding, stop this support of Islamic extremists, stop promoting that ideology, and stand with us and focus on defeating our enemy: ISIS."

In October 2016, she criticized Pakistan, saying, "People within the Pakistani government continue to provide tacit and overt support for terrorism. This is not new; this pattern of attacks has been occurring now for the past 15 years, and it must end. That's why I've continued working in Congress to cut back US assistance for Pakistan and increase pressure on Pakistan to stop this violence. In the past, the US government took steps to increase pressure on Pakistan, and it's time to revisit that approach." She expressed "solidarity with India in the face of these attacks" (referring to the 2016 Uri attack).

So, in short:
-she is a young Bernie Sanders
-she had beefs with Hillary Clinton
-she served in the military
-she isn't white
-she's a she
-she's young
-she's charismatic
-she represents the outsider that a large part of the electorate wants in Washington

She seems like the perfect candidate for the democrats in 2020.

 

[Xe4]

Gabbard has her problems, ranging from her stance in Islam to refugees to foreign politics.

Essentially, she's cool with dictators such as Assad, and frequently attacks democrats for not using Islamic Extremism as a phrase.

She's also against supporting refugees fleeing from Syria in the US.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...ng-congresswoman-who-trump-fans-can-love.html

 

[Kathian]

We'll have to see how she goes through a Primary but candidates like this were sorely missed. Its why I think people miss the mark on the Bernie comments, its no about him being a better candidate - its about a system that backed one person and basically ignored what primaries were for.

I've no doubt some good candidates did not stand for the Democratic nomination for fear of Clinton/DNC backlash.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

How is beefing with Hillary Clinton a positive?

 

[AuthenticM]

How is beefing with Hillary Clinton a positive?

It is for a large portion of people who didn't like Hillary. It'll give her the image of someone who stands up to "the political establishment".

 

[djkimothy]

It is for a large portion of people who didn't like Hillary. It'll give her the image of someone who stands up to "the political establishment".

That's the kind of attitude that landed america in this mess.

 

[SlimySnake]

Gabbard has her problems, aging from her stance in Islam to foreign politics.

Essentially, she's cool with dictators such as Assad, and frequently attacks democrats for not using Islamic Extremism as a phrase.

She's also against supporting refugees fleeing from Syria in the US.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...ng-congresswoman-who-trump-fans-can-love.html

this is a good thing. We dont need a perfect liberal. We need a candidate that appeals to both liberals and racist america. Blocking refugees and blaming Islam will get her that white vote that cost Hillary Pennsylvania and Michigan.

 

[Kathian]

Gabbard has her problems, aging from her stance in Islam to foreign politics.

Essentially, she's cool with dictators such as Putin, and frequently attacks democrats for not using Islamic Extremism as a phrase.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...ng-congresswoman-who-trump-fans-can-love.html

She uses the term Islamic Extremism which is internationally used and a logical description - I really don't get how the Democrats got into a spot where this is;
a) An argument worth having
b) Something they actually judge people by

I'm missing where the article gives evidence of her backing dictators.

 

[AuthenticM]

That's the kind of attitude that landed america in this mess.

Maybe, but that's what a large portion of the electorate wanted. The Dems should be strategic and take this to heart for their next candidate.

 

[shintoki]

Gabbard has her problems, ranging from her stance in Islam to refugees to foreign politics.

Essentially, she's cool with dictators such as Assad, and frequently attacks democrats for not using Islamic Extremism as a phrase.

She's also against supporting refugees fleeing from Syria in the US.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...ng-congresswoman-who-trump-fans-can-love.html

In this day, that would probably be a plus and get the moderates over.

 

[ahoyhoy]

Gabbard has her problems, ranging from her stance in Islam to refugees to foreign politics.

Essentially, she's cool with dictators such as Assad, and frequently attacks democrats for not using Islamic Extremism as a phrase.

She's also against supporting refugees fleeing from Syria in the US.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...ng-congresswoman-who-trump-fans-can-love.html

Apparently Democrats are going to have to settle a bit more. Even a warhawk like Hillary wasn't good enough.

Unfortunately we still aren't at a point where we can be liberal with our international policy. Settle for liberal domestic policies.

 

[The Lamonster]

We need someone that speaks to the working class. Not saying it's not her.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

It is for a large portion of people who didn't like Hillary. It'll give her the image of someone who stands up to "the political establishment".

I think we're still forgetting that Hillary still garnered a good 85% of the number of Democrats who voted in the 2012 election. There's a difference with being anti-establishment and being presented as a new face and being anti-Hillary. See the 2008 primaries vs this one. Hillary was seen as establishment back then, but wasn't nearly as hated (although, part of that can be accounted for by her SoS tenure)

 

[Sarcastic Poster]

Gabbard has her problems, ranging from her stance in Islam to refugees to foreign politics.

Essentially, she's cool with dictators such as Assad, and frequently attacks democrats for not using Islamic Extremism as a phrase.

She's also against supporting refugees fleeing from Syria in the US.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...ng-congresswoman-who-trump-fans-can-love.html

That's a plus for most voters.

 

[ModBot]

Nope.