In a series of tweets and a video former Democrat Representative Tulsi Gabbard (HI-2) said
she's leaving the Democratic Party. In her carpet bombing of her former party Gabbard said the Democratic Party is controlled by “an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness” who “stoke anti-white racism” and “protect criminals.”
She went on to say the Democratic Party is “demonizing the police” and “dragging us” toward nuclear war. Gabbard also said members of the Democratic Party “actively work to undermine our God-given freedoms” and “Democrats weaponize the national security state to go after opponents.”
She closed her attack on the party that made her the first female combat veteran to run for president by urging “common sense independent-minded Democrats” to join her in leaving.
As the UK’s Daily Mail reported, Gabbard 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 & stoke anti-white racism, actively work to undermine our God-given freedoms, are hostile to people of faith & spirituality, demonize the police & protect criminals at the expense of law-abiding Americans, believe in open borders, weaponize the national security state to go after political opponents, and above all, dragging us ever closer to nuclear war... I believe in a government that is of, by, and for the people. Unfortunately, today’s Democratic Party does not. Instead, it stands for a government of, by, and for the powerful elite.
Conservatives and Republicans were overjoyed to hear Ms. Gabbard’s land bullseye after bullseye on the Democrats just a month out from the 2022 midterm election. And Gabbard was absolutely right about the Democrats, but does that make her a conservative?
Here’s what we know about the Hawaiian Democrat.
Gabbard was raised in a diverse household and followed her father’s conservative path. She was in favor of traditional marriage in the early 2000’s. By 2012 she had evolved and offered a heartfelt apology to the LGBT community. Coincidentally, she happened to be running for a Democratic House seat that year.
In 2019, Gabbard offered a second sincere apology that resounds with solemnity. Coincidentally, that year she was running for president of the United States.
Gabbard’s voting history tells a story that belies her recent conservative evolution.
The Moving Forward Act: HR 2
Gabbard voted to add more subsidies for windmills and carbon reduction regardless of cost and effectiveness and
require 100% of the building funds for schools utilized for green building even though studies show they are costly and ineffective.
An avid supporter of Medicare for all: HR 1425
She voted to expand health insurance exchanges,
increase tax credits for the Affordable Care Act placing a greater burden on middle income Americans and offering little to the poor,
reimburse insurance companies for excessive claims under the Affordable Care Act, and
eliminate the short term, limited duration health plans that many healthier people used to avoid excessive fines and costs under the ACA.
She voted to increase community grants that are subject to HUD’s crippling AFFH rule: HR 7301
Gabbard favored adding $100 billion in Emergency Solutions Grants that operate under HUD’s AFFH rule handing the federal government indirect control of local zoning.
In favor of proxy voting: H Res 965
Voted for Congress to be able to vote by Proxy anytime the Speaker of the House claims a novel corona virus health-related emergency,
and to research ways House members can vote from home.
Wants to further rein in the police via the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020: HR 7120
Gabbard voted to re-define police “use of force” as pointing of a firearm at an individual,
increase police oversight,
have the AG to provide grants to investigate law enforcement statutes, and
expand the definition of racial profiling.
Wanted to end deadlines for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment: H J Res 79
She voted to permanently remove any deadlines for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, even though in practice it would compromise women’s rights and disadvantage them economically.
Condemned President Trump's “invasion of illegals” remarks: H Res 489
She voted to condemn President Trump for calling the caravans of illegals at our Mexican border an "invasion" even though videos proved he was correct.
Wants to further reduce off-shore leases: HR 1941
Voted to prohibit the Department of the Interior from offering oil and gas leases up to 200 miles offshore in the Atlantic or Pacific Outer Continental Shelf planning areas.
It’s difficult to believe Gabbard has spun 180° on so many core issues. Gabbard was against Trump’s decision to end DACA and in favor of the Iran Nuclear Deal that Trump called disastrous. This does not sound like the person trashing the Democrats for being out of touch with America’s hard-pressed working families.
Based on her record in Congress it’s no surprise Tulsi Gabbard’s performance was rated:
27% by FreedomWorks
33% by Freedom First Society
9% by the American Conservative Union
90% by NARAL ProChoice America
50% by US Chamber of Commerce
0% by Council for Citizens Against Government Waste
9% by Family Research Council
21% by National Taxpayers Union
These ratings will surprise no one who has been paying attention to Rep. Gabbard’s “evolving” positions and political alignments.
Let’s not forget she famously quit her role at the Democratic National Committee because she backed Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders to be the 2016 Democratic Party nominee for president.
In her resignation she told then DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz in an email - exposed in the Wikileaks hack - that she felt the DNC was rigging the primary in favor of Hillary Clinton.
In that she was most certainly correct but being right about the perfidy of the national Democrats hardly makes Ms. Gabbard a conservative.
The conservative movement can and should align with others to accomplish our policy goals, and we should be happy to have Tulsi Gabbard’s support when our views align, but conservatism is a fully formed worldview, not a smorgasbord from which you can pick and choose a few morsels. We should never assume that just because Tulsi Gabbard agrees with us on a few issues she’s suddenly become a movement conservative.
2022 Elections
Control of Congress
border security
Tulsi Gabbard
Republicans
Democrats
2020 Election
same-sex marriage
Climate change
Medicare for All
Support for Bernie Sanders
proxy voting
George Floyd
Gabbard voting record
Tulsi Gabbard conservative