What has Tulsi Gabbard been up to?

After reading the highly popular, slanderous diary on the GOS yesterday (note: substituting "she joined the National Guard so she could claim veteran status" for "served two tours of duty in Iraq" is just naked slander), I got curious about Gabbard's record.
The reason was several "sourced" claims about her voting record, which indicated she was Republican-leaning.
So I did a quick search of her votes. This is what I found from just the last few weeks.

Rep. Gabbard Votes Against Communications Surveillance

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawai‘i 02), a founding member of the Fourth Amendment Caucus, voted today, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, against legislation to reauthorize the warrantless collection of Americans’ calls, emails, texts and other communications.

Rep. Gabbard Announces Legislation to Save Net Neutrality

Rep. Gabbard Votes Against Predatory Lending Legislation

Hawai‘i Rep. Tulsi Gabbard voted against legislation that would unravel protections against discriminatory lending and weaken fair housing laws. H.R. 2954, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Adjustment Act, exempts the vast majority of lenders from releasing data used to identify and prevent discrimination against low-income and minority Americans. This legislation passed by a vote of 243-184.

Gabbard Urges Equal Banking Access for State-Licensed Marijuana Businesses

Gabbard Bipartisan Stops Proposal to Deport H-1B Visa Holders Seeking Residency

Hawaii Democrat: false missile alarm shows Trump failure on North Korea

On most of these issue, Democratic leaders were either silent, or actively voted/lobbied the other way.
In other words, the only Washington politician that can match her progressive record over the past month is Bernie, and he's not a Democrat.
So who's the real DINO?

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With cross-over appeal. There's also the whole issue of how she stood up to DNC corruption. I just hope she and Bernie don't dilute each other's votes if she runs and if he runs. The times are right for a woman President.

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Beware the bullshit factories.

@Timmethy2.0

The times are right for a woman President.

Just not another neoliberal warhawk woman.

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@gjohnsit

The times are right for a woman President.
Just not another neoliberal warhawk woman.
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Beware the bullshit factories.

@Timmethy2.0
Her ego demands it. Eight years for Trump.

Who was it that said, "After me, let fire consume the universe." I mean besides HER.

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

@The Voice In the Wilderness there's been no leadership change, she's still the head of the party and the loyalists go all junk yard dog if you diss her.

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Steven D's picture

@Timmethy2.0 running as a Dem. The Centrist Establishment wants nothing to do with her.

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"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott

Wink's picture

to run as an Indie.
@Steven D
As would Bernie should he choose.

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the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

Wink's picture

of Public Affairs.
@Timmethy2.0

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the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

Bollox Ref's picture

The present clientele of DailyKult joined to claim asshole status.

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

@Bollox Ref need dkult Or to 'claim' that status!
Enough Other Folk will testify!

Stop These Fucking Wars

peace

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Ya got to be a Spirit, cain't be no Ghost. . .

Explain Bldg #7. . . still waiting. . .

If you’ve ever wondered whether you would have complied in 1930’s Germany,
Now you know. . .
sign at protest march

gulfgal98's picture

is that she is not playing the political games but is actually working on bills to do the right things while others continue to whine about Russia, Russia, Russia. Apparently she also is very good at listening to her constituents. It seems like to me, the Tulsi Gabbard is an old school representative who still believes in representing the people.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

Big Al's picture

https://caucus99percent.com/content/syria-tulsi-gabbard-progressives-and...

Here's an article posted by Jacobin about Gabbard.

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/05/tulsi-gabbard-president-sanders-democ...

Some excerpts from my post.

"She was also a key co-sponsor of the North Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act last year which passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a stunning 418 to 2."

(Those sanctions are causing North Korean people to suffer as Tillerson just came out and admitted (actually rejoiced in), which is the intent of sanctions.)

"When asked if she had any advice for the president, she responded, “put yourself in Israel’s shoes. I think whether you’re — when you’re in any kind of situation like this where there’s a little bit of a standoff and personalities and egos are hurt, if you put yourself in their shoes and understand where he’s coming from, where the Israeli people are coming from and their deep concern about Iran’s continued development of a nuclear weapon and what they want to do with that.”

(That's a flat out lie "Iran's continued development of a nuclear weapon")

“Russia has violated the sovereignty and independence of the Ukrainian people, in direct contravention of its own treaty obligations and international law,” said Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, an Army combat veteran and member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “I support the sanctions announced today, and I strongly urge the President to go further and consider a broader range of consequences. If Russia is allowed to continue its aggressive push for control in Ukraine, there will be long-term, serious, and costly security risks for the United States and Europe. Russia must face serious consequences for their actions; the U.S. must consider options that truly isolate Russia economically and diplomatically—not just sanction a handful of oligarchs—and send a message of unity and strength from the international community."

“We cannot stand by while Russia unilaterally degrades Ukraine’s territorial integrity. We must offer direct military assistance—defensive weapons, military supplies and training—to ensure Ukraine has adequate resources to respond to Russia’s aggressions and defend themselves. We cannot view Ukraine as an isolated incident. If we do not take seriously the threat of thinly veiled Russian aggression, and commit to aiding the people of Ukraine immediately, we will find ourselves in a more dangerous, expensive and disastrous situation in the future.”

Also based on lies. She's also fully supportive, some say an Islamophobe, on the fake war OF terror. And she's a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. I'd like to see her explain. AND, she's a democratic party politician. I think she's a political opportunist.

Anyone that thinks Gabbard is some kind of antiwar, anti-imperialist needs to think again.

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@Big Al

I like her more and more. She's balanced not just doctrinaire.

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

@The Voice In the Wilderness
I can't think of anyone in the House who is more anti-war.

If no one meets your criteria, then your criteria is a problem.

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@gjohnsit

Is that a general tag line? I don't see how it applies to my reply.

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

@The Voice In the Wilderness
mostly directed at Al.

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Big Al's picture

@gjohnsit of opposing and ending U.S. imperialism and the accompanying wars, regime changes, genocides, militarism, etc., that's my problem?
Well, I guess so. Supporting imperialism via democratic party politicians is yours.
And Ron Paul isn't in the House anymore.

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@Big Al

that's my problem?
Well, I guess so. Supporting imperialism via democratic party politicians is yours

If you really think that of me then you don't know anything about me.
If you are just trying to insult me, then, well try harder next time.

Sticking by your principles is important.
But if literally no one meets your standards then those principles don't do any good. You may as well be talking to yourself.
I'd prefer that people with morals like yourself didn't isolate yourself.

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@Big Al one's criteria. A person's criteria is established by their beliefs and concerns.
I do not want my vote to be a LOTE vote, or to send some message that I am willing to support a politician who supports a war policy that goes against my interests, morals, and my way of conducting my life.
I am a peace mongering dfh.
I do not consider losing a job at a corporation for disagreeing with corporate policy to be heroic. The worst thing that might come of it is that she doesn't get re-elected. She will have no trouble living the good life as a private citizen.
The NK fishermen are dead.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Big Al's picture

@The Voice In the Wilderness

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@Big Al

I'm against senseless war, but not all war. Strict pacifism is like walking into a bad neighborhood with a sign that says "No matter what you do, I will not fight back."
I do believe in defense and that some situations are so clear cut that offensive moves are justified. If you discovered a burglar with a gun in your house at night, would you take no action because he hadn't struck first?

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

Big Al's picture

@The Voice In the Wilderness government and those who control it conduct.

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She could just be saying the right things and even sponsoring the right things now that they have no chance to pass (heard that before?) just so that we'll elect her and she can say, "suckers!" and crush our dreams and souls again, (See above for evidence of that possibility) but she deserves the chance to prove that cynicism wrong.
There is a difference between Tulsi's statement on Israel and Iran and the Ukraine and Hillary's, and if you don't see it… well, I may be wrong, but you're being hopelessly cynical, and this is no time to give up hope.

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On to Biden since 1973

@doh1304
to stop arming terrorists.
No one else had done that in my lifetime.

No one else went to Syria to see firsthand.
No one else says we are at fault for the NK situation.

Gabbard is no Obama.

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@gjohnsit
I was responding to Wendy Davis (above) without calling her out. Her criticisms are very legitimate, but such criticism can be given against literally anyone, Bernie, Tulsi, even Gandhi.No one hates the LOTE myth as much as I, and lines must be drawn, but we must be carful not to draw our lines so that no one is inside.
I do not know why Bernie doesn't call out the RUSSIA!!! myth for the bullshit it almost certainly is (and if it is true I would put up a statue of Putin for his service to America in saving us from Hillary) but I have faith that he would not do anything genocidal even if he does believe it. I have no interest in giving up on him. Same with Tulsi, at least right now.

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On to Biden since 1973

snoopydawg's picture

@doh1304

Caitlyn called him out on it after his post SUTU address.

In an otherwise fine video response to the last night’s vapid, flag-waving State of the Union address, Bernie Sanders once again promoted the neocon think tank-generated and unproven claim that Russia interfered in America’s 2016 elections via “cyberwarfare”, and repeated the completely baseless insinuation that they colluded with Trump to do so.
“How can he not talk about the reality that Russia, through cyberwarfare, interfered in our election in 2016, is interfering in democratic elections all over the world, and according to his own CIA director will likely interfere in the 2018 midterm elections that we will be holding?” asked the Vermont Senator. “How do you not talk about that unless you have a very special relationship with Mr. Putin?”

This is very disappointing coming from him. He knows damn well that it didn't happen.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Voting is like driving with a toy steering wheel.

Song of the lark's picture

@snoopydawg the Russians are not our friends.

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Dhyerwolf's picture

@doh1304 She did that at great political cost and risk. Obama just gave good speeches, but never had to stand up for anything (and in the end, never did).

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@Dhyerwolf

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On to Biden since 1973

@Dhyerwolf @Dhyerwolf
Both Obama and Gabbard saw the Clinton hijacking of the primaries. Obama said and did nothing. Gabbard spoke out and was forced to resign as a DNC vice-chair.

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Beware the bullshit factories.

Strife Delivery's picture

Regardless of position on Tulsi, there are a few comments I want to throw out after reading through that thread.

1) Anti-Muslim/Islamophobe.

Unless someone has some other info, the only reason for this label is because she called ISIS "radical Mulism terrorists". Is that it? Because unless someone else has other info, that is kind of pathetic then.

This isn't going into the issue of the War on Terror, which is a lie. I guess part of my thing is our tap-dancing around language. We constantly have to reinvent or avoid the naming of certain elements.

Illegal immigrants are now undocumented migrants for instance.

Apparently a group using an extreme variant of a religion cannot be called that extreme variant of said religion, otherwise you are anti-that religion.

Westboro Baptist is a group of fundamentalist Christians who picket funerals and say everyone is going to Hell. You don't have to call them radical cause that's kind of the fundamentalist part of that.

I guess the ultimate point here is yes ISIS and sub-groups such as that are radical Muslim terrorists. Does that mean all Muslims? No, and it is sad that we have to quickly throw that in as a qualifier so people don't quickly jump at you. I think the Muslim population of America is like 1%, so 3 million. Any fear of them? Nope. Calling a group radical Muslim terrorists does not make you anti-Muslim or an Islamophobe.

2) Religion

Reading through that thread, the hypocrisy is revolting. They comment how Gabbard is anti-Muslim/Islamophobe yet then go on to attack her for her allegiance or beliefs into a Hindu group which they deem cult. I haven't researched into it (Hinduism is not my strong point) but let that sink in. These folks who attack someone for being an "Islamophobe" on one hand then go to attack someone else because of their religion.

3) Assad

Apparently she has been called Pro-Assad. Again, reactionary, hypocritical bullshit. You have some Democrats (not all since a good portion voted for things such as Iraq), who were against Iraq. Against regime change. Against the blatant lies the administration told them. Nope, not here. Apparently not wanting to destroy an entire nation makes you Pro-Assad. That is in the same breath of not wanting to destroy the entire world in nuclear war makes you Pro-Putin. Apparently you can't point to Libya, destroyed that nation and now people are being sold into slavery. Job well done folks. It's just pathetic and all the more disgusting the rank reactionary and hypocritical bullshit that comes out of the mouths of both parties.

In the end, both parties love war. Both parties love killing people. Both parties want to destroy as much as possible simply because they enjoy it. It is maddening.

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snoopydawg's picture

@Strife Delivery

It seems that everything that they used to be against is now something that they think is acceptable. I saw that change after Obama was elected. The people who joined because of the Iraq war would not hear anything bad about Obama when he did the same things. The war crimes against Libya was acceptable because they believed what he and Hillary told them. "Gaddafi is arresting journalists and his troops are killing civilians", while hear at home the cops were arresting journalists and beating up civilians. It was the total blindness of what Obama was doing that I found stunning.

Then when Her was running and we told them that she is as big a war criminal as Bush was we were accused of spreading right wing talking points and hr'd for our comments. This in my opinion is called hypocrisy.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Voting is like driving with a toy steering wheel.

Amanda Matthews's picture

for months. I’d vote for her in a heartbeat if I could.

Those people over at TOP have become sad little hypocritical liars and freaks.

I hope they’re all having conniptions now that The Clinton Creature and her cohorts are being outed. The outrage has to be epic. Too bad, so sad.

It’s funny that they point their little hooves at Republicans and call them corrupt. They should look in a mirror. They’d rather tear this country apart for a known liar and cheat than admit that they backed a loser.

That doesn’t sound very honest or smart. But then again, look as the shithole they post on. Moosetits and his cult are proof that all the education in the world doesn’t mean someone has a single ounce of smarts. It’s a miracle they don’t hang themselvex tying their tennies.

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I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

wendy davis's picture

gjohnsit, it told you what my main chich is w/ her. i just checked, and you hadn't come back. it's about her close alliance with hindu nationalist narenda modi. i did a quick search for a capsule report, and came up with ‘The Curious Islamophobic Politics of Dem Congressmember Tulsi Gabbard’ zaid jilani, alternet, feb. 2015

some excerpts:
"But the case of Tulsi Gabbard becomes less curious and more expected once you look at her links to a different set of ethnic and religious hardliners: the Hindu nationalist Indian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Since her election to Congress, Gabbard has tied herself closely to this party, which has a history of condoning hatred and violence against India's Muslim minority. Many of her stateside donors and supporters are also big supporters of this movement, which disdains secularism and promotes religious sectarianism.

In May 2014, the BJP swept the Indian election, and the man it made prime minister was then-governor of the state of Gujarat, Narendra Modi. To say Modi is a controversial figure would be a considerable understatement. In 2002, huge riots broke out in his state, with primarily Hindu mobs attacking Muslim residents. Over 2,000 men, women, and children were killed, with many more injured; mass rape was also documented. Almost all of the victims were Muslim."

"Why did Gabbard work so hard to shield BJP abuses from congressional review? The answer lies in her base of supporters. The BJP draws on support from the large Indian expatriate community through an organization called the Overseas Friends of BJP. In August of last year, the group convened a large number of Indian American BJP supporters in Atlanta as part of an eight-city tour designed to prepare for Modi's first visit to the United States the following month.

Ironically, she spent much of her Atlanta speech condemning religious persecution—of Hindus and Iraqi Christians, not Muslims in India."

"Gabbard has one other curious alliance. Under Prime Minister Modi, India has sought increasingly close relations to Israel, shifting the country's historical support for the Palestinian cause. Perhaps Gabbard is a sort of consigliere for this alliance of Hindu nationalists and right-wing Zionists, as she is the only House Democrat backing a bill basically designed to benefit one of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's closest political allies, Sheldon Adelson. The bill is part of a crackdown on online gambling that Adelson is promoting in order to destroy competition to his casino chain."

now in 2015 dubya was so blown away by modi's muslim persecutions, he'd refused him a visa. i can't say when it was that gabbard took modi on two different charm offensives across the US (the first may have been 2014 mentioned above), but it seemed to have borne fruit, as they say. youtube has videos. but now modi is one of the power oligarchs and was at davos touting his country's 1.5 billion people as ready consumers, and seeking investments, etc., and has been utterly ruining farming in india, according to colin todhunter. (scroll down at will)
https://twitter.com/Colin_Todhunter

he has also made sure never to have enacted the self-determination plebiscite that was promised to jammu and kashmir (the 'elephant in the room' between nuclear pakistan and nuclear india) years and years ago. talk about border tensions!

as it happeens,i'd just read some narrtives on the positions that arundhati roy has publicly taken against modi over time (kashmir, damming rivers to beat the band, anti-muslimism) etc., and she was accused of sedition for her blessed efforts. but by now, his self advertising and the geostrategic position of india has caused NATO to put india 'under its umbrella' until full membership can kick in one day. think bases, ports, who knows what military systems.

now most of you may consider yourselves americans first, but i'm by way of a global citizen in fervent favor of human rights for all, but especially the marginalized and oppressed. so pardon me when i say: 'fuck tulsi gabbard, fuck narenda (namaste) modi, and their ilk.

peace when you can, there is a better world possible,
wd

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Big Al's picture

@wendy davis I didn't address that in my comment but of course knew about it. But perhaps even that isn't enough to dissuade some who seem ready to elect her president right now.

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SnappleBC's picture

I'm a misogynist because I liked Tulsi Gabbard but wouldn't vote for Kamala Harris.

It's fascinating how the Democrat's identity politics goes right out the window when you have someone checking off multiple of the right boxes but is in the wrong camp economically.

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A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard

@SnappleBC That will make you both a sexist and a racist. According to Identity Politics, that is. Especially if you also want to primary Diane Feinstein. Then you really must hate women.

(Off topic, but on Daily Kos I once stated the only I'd vote for Diane Feinstein was if she ran against Harvey Weinstein.)

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All we have to do is wait and see how the democratic party establishment responds to any talk of a potential Gabbard candidacy.
If they like the idea, it's time to dump her. If they don't like the idea, that's reason enough to seriously consider getting behind her (although she would have to run as an independent, because the party establishment will never let her get into a general election, i.e. by fixing the primary process, again).

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Mike Taylor

Godless's picture

I remember the media and many in the Democratic party (Claire McCaskill thought it especially agregious) eviscerating Gabbard for saying the fake sarin attacks in Syria were not the responsibility of the Assad regime. While not admitting that the attack may not have even happened, General Mattis admitted yesterday that the defense department has no evidence that such an attack was the responsibility of the Syrian government. I'm sure all the apologies are in the mail. I'm thinking that a Gillibrand-Gabbard ticket would actually get me to vote for a Democratic ticket; something I haven't done since 1988 and Jesse Jackson.

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