DNC Releases December 19 Debate Criteria, Musings on Tulsi Leaving Congress

The DNC announced the criteria for their December debate: 200,000 unique donors and 4% or more in 4 qualified polls from the four early states or nationally. That's the general gist at least.

Right now only 7 candidates have met those numbers. Tulsi, of course, is still trying to meet the criteria for the November debates.

As humphrey noted in my previous essay, Tulsi has announced that she will not be seeking another term in the House of Representatives (she is currently serving her 4th two-year term). There is a lot of discussion at that previous essay thread, but I'd like to summarize the most likely possibilities as to why she is doing this. Honestly, all signs point to this being a major strategic decision, and I feel there is a lot of intent behind it.

--At a minor level, this keeps Tulsi in the news after the Hillary fight was quieting down.

--Tulsi will keep running for president, and this lets her focus on that.

--Despite my (and a lot of people's) hopes, for the time being it seems unlikely that Tulsi will skyrocket into the top candidate tier and win the presidential election. Unless she came into tens of millions of dollars after the Hillary thing, and has a radical plan to win the early states unexpectedly, she must be thinking of next steps.

--There are 4 real options for Tulsi if she does not get the presidency, if she wants to remain in politics.

1) Join the Biden team and become a cabinet member under Joe Biden. Biden has been super nice to Tulsi, and Tulsi has been super nice to Biden (oddly so, in both directions). This could indicate that Tulsi has cut a deal with the Biden team behind the scenes to be Sec. of State, VP, Sec. of Defense, or something of that nature. I'm guessing it won't be VP, because if Biden does end up getting the nomination, I'd think Warren would be the obvious VP pick.

2) Join the Bernie team and become a cabinet member under Bernie Sanders. Throw any delegates she gains to Bernie's cause in the Democratic convention (assuming she remains, she might have 20 or so delegates from Hawaii).

3) Run for governor of Hawaii. Tulsi is very well liked in Hawaii, and she may have a real shot at the governorship there. She was very upset how the current governor handled that missile scare last year.

4) Run to become a US Senator from Hawaii. This would raise her profile in Congress, and bring another strong progressive voice to that body of congress, which in general can have greater impacts than the House.

In my view, she has either made the personal decision to do one of the above after running for president (if she fails), or she will choose to exit politics.

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to read this piece:
The Untold History of Hillary Clinton’s Vitriol for Tulsi Gabbard

Disclaimer: This is not an official endorsement of Tulsi Gabbard as we steadfastly retain c99's commitment as a non-partisan site.

On a personal level I think it prudent to support both Bernie Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard's candidacies up until either one becomes the nominee or drops out of the race. If the latter happens then may I suggest the Kraken be released upon the anointed establishment candidate whoever that may be. And please, this is just my personal opinion and not official site policy.

c99 - Trolling the establishment since 2015.

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snoopydawg's picture

@JtC

Inside it has the email from the CAA guys who told Tulsi how disappointed they were in her for stepping down that Wikileaks released.

So just who are those guys and why did it seem important that they wrote that? Because they are long time Clinton insiders who hold lots of power because of who they represent.

Now, this email is hardly new. Wikileaks released it as part of their Podesta Emails series later in 2016. So why am I even bringing it back up? Because it’s relevant, or possibly, it’s consequences are.

CAA presents itself as a “Nexus of talent, content, brands, technology, sports, and live events” creating “limitless opportunities for the storytellers, trendsetters, icons, and thought leaders who shape popular culture”.

CAA represents thousands of clients across the entire mass media spectrum. From A-List movie stars and news anchors, to sports heroes and big tech CEOs. By putting so many influential and socially exhalted figures under one umbrella, it provides a pathway for ideas to inorganically seep into the cultural lexicon, ideas that can be instantly promoted by your favorite politician and your favorite NBA player simultaneously without the typical observer knowing they got that idea from the same person. It is the largest such agency of its kind in the world,

This is who Tulsi pissed off when she stepped down as vice chair of the DNC. And they got their media lackeys to write scathing articles about Tulsi. Especially the one that keeps saying that she is an Assad apologist.

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Anja Geitz's picture

@snoopydawg

By putting so many influential and socially exhalted figures under one umbrella, it provides a pathway for ideas to inorganically seep into the cultural lexicon, ideas that can be instantly promoted by your favorite politician and your favorite NBA player simultaneously without the typical observer knowing they got that idea from the same person.

From movies, ads, to fashion, there's a reason why pop culture moves in a certain way. True art is organic and often speaks to these cultural forces that normalize the killing and degradation of the powerless.

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

k9disc's picture

It came from a Hollywood whistleblower, Tiffany Fitzhenry on a CT radio show I listen to.

She talked about how we’ve been tricked into thinking that movies and TV are just entertainment.

It’s far more than that, she argued. These stories from Hollywood and the comic books ARE our culture. To label it entertainment is to make it trivial.

She went on to say that media drives culture and culture drives politics.

It was a smashing summary that fits with your comment here, @Anja Geitz .

I’ve been on this front for some time now as I’ve been caught in the YouTube algorithm maelstrom on many occasion, and have lately been getting a lot of the gamers, comic and fantasy nerds, and libertarians in my feed.

This is ground zero for IdPol, and I’ve caught the con: destroy the stories that define real humans and humanity and replace them with mindless, pointed programming.

And I do understand that media has always been a con, but they were busy creating stories that pushed a narrative. Now they are rewriting stories to change the narrative and disembody cultural tribes from the art and stories that wepatronized, embodied, and depended on for inspiration and escape.

There is no escape. They will rewrite and tear apart our cultural narratives just as powerful private interests and ideologies rewrote and shuffled our history. This will be done to disenfranchise those who have a social or cultural stake in the stories and to confuse and mislead the future. This disenfranchisement and confusion is ripe for pitting demographics against each other.

“I mean, why are you getting so upset? It’s just entertainment. Grow up.”

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“Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~ Sun Tzu

lotlizard's picture

@k9disc  
I keep thinking, “Oh, no, I hope they didn’t risk their lives and peacefully overthrow the old system only to have their kids succumb willingly to the new, slicker brainwashing methods from the bankers and billionaires of Davos.”

Especially exasperating: the popularity of movies where protagonists with superpowers end up serving as just another secret weapon of the U.S. Deep State and MIC.

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Anja Geitz's picture

@JtC

to annihilate the neo-liberal war-mongering candidates so we can have a Bernie/Tulsi ticket going into 2020?

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

@Anja Geitz is pretty busy in Chile at this time...

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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

Anja Geitz's picture

@on the cusp

Some fiercely courageous happenings in Chile, that's for sure! But when he's done over there, he can swing by our continent for some regime change bulldozing.

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

scenarios, fortunately I don't have to contemplate #1 as I have Biden fading badly well before Iowa. And in the unlikely event he does become the nominee, I doubt if Tulsi would hitch her surfboard to a neocon Biden admin. First, a barely-coherent and standing Biden wouldn't beat Trump, even an impeachment-tarnished Donald, as Joe's obvious cognitive decline gets far greater scrutiny in the general. Second, she may have been hands-off with him in the debates b/c so many others were going after him a/o Biden himself was doing a good job of making himself look unelectable. And gettable voters -- more to be gained from the college-edumacated types backing Liz and Kamala than the blue-collar/low-information and nursing home folks backing Biden.

#s 2 & 3: plausible.

#4: senator: When is the next opening, and are either of the 2 current Dem senators unpopular? Dunno if there is an obvious opening there. Also, the travel factor. She may be sick and tired of the long commute back home frequently from D.C. to those several tiny dots stuck in the middle of the Pacific. Is that 9 hours flying time? How often each month? For this reason alone, she might greatly prefer governor of Hawaii.

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Anja Geitz's picture

@wokkamile

Ralph Ellison you are not:

"Now measure ten drops into the paint…There, that's it, not too goddam fast. Now. You want no more than ten, and no less."

Slowly, I measured the glistening black drops, seeing them settle upon the surface and become blacker still, spreading suddenly out to the edges.

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

OzoneTom's picture

Lightning could strike, but I have never expected that Rep Gabbard would rack-up many delegates in the primary race. Her intention to continue her race "to the convention" will give her standing meaning she might act as a shadow surrogate for another candidate.

Any Democratic presidential candidates who are sitting Senators could be stuck in impeachment hearings at a critical time for their campaigns. Rep. Gabbard could be a valuable ally during such an interval. And FOX viewers being willing to hear her out provides all the more clout. Sen. Sanders seems to view at least some of Clinton's "deplorables" as persuadable and he does not shy away from unfriendly venues either.

Anti-intervention Libertarian types like Rep. Gabbard for what they see as a principled foreign policy. And Rep. Gabbard treats them with respect unlike the open disdain and mockery from so many on the left.

Not being a contemptuous jerk is not the same thing as agreeing with your opponent. Reflect on how rare it is for Sen. Sanders to actually label anyone a liar, even though he is interacting with blatant liars on a daily basis. He plays a longer game and when he does come down on someone with both feet, you know that it's not just name-calling. I found Rep. Gabbard's truth-telling in response to The Queen's smear to be just as refreshing and welcome.

Rep. Gabbard’s popularity is similar to Senator Sanders’ in that it comes from legitimate principles. They both speak to class divisions rather than accept the right/left framing. People accustomed to viewing everything through a group identity lens often find this aspect challenging. I am glad that she is hanging-in and welcome her voice in the process.

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Tulsi is too toxic to the base of the party for any administration to make her a cabient head. As JtC's link shows, there was a coordinated smear attack on her from the Clinton wing. In addition you have promienent people/group/sites like Ana Kasperian of TYT, TOP, and some guy named David Pakman who I never head about but has according to youtube, a large following.

If she essentially leaves the democratic party, not sure what she will do.

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to consider what lies in store for Tulsi after the convention, it's sobering to realize that Tulsi still needs to qualify in 3 more polls to be allowed into the Nov debate while both Andrew Yang and Amy Klobbachair have both already qualified.

I can understand Yang and the appeal of his UBI. But what does Klobbachair bring to the table other than meek incrementalism and her Can't Do attitude.

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Anja Geitz's picture

@wokkamile

I find you calling any other Dem candidate a "meek incrementalist" a bit hilarious.

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

@Anja Geitz were a Warren booster ...

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Shahryar's picture

@wokkamile

to figure out where Klobuchar, or any other favorite of theirs, might be doing well enough and then to come out and say a poll conducted there will count, while doing the opposite for candidates they don't like.

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I think she's betting that there won't be a Democratic Party after 2020 and is positioning herself to lead the replacement. (think Abe Lincoln)

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On to Biden since 1973

snoopydawg's picture

NO!

Any questions for those in the back?

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Wally's picture

@snoopydawg

. . . which is what I thought given the FOX Business guy's tweet being vague and its lack of attribution to any source (aside from that restaurant meetup which is still somewhat albeit not altogether disturbing to me).

But it's probably good if HRC believes Tulsi just might run 3rd party coz it will at least make her think twice from seeking the nomination.

There is still the matter of the Biden connection which is confounding and disturbing. And I noticed today that Yang seems to be aligning with Biden even more staightout.

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Really, dedicating herself to reforming a fucking party as a first priority.
The earth is burning, protests everywhere, and she wants the Democratic Party to shape up and then get to work?

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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

https://ghionjournal.com/eating-their-own-how-the-clinton-wing-is-retali...

I recommend this as a companion to JtC’s link above.

I was disappointed at first that Tulsi isn’t seeking re-election, but I’m starting to feel there’s a method to her actions. There’s just no way she can fight the Clinton/DNC on multiple fronts by herself. She’s also proving herself to be someone putting principal above ambition, as she did when she stepped down from the DNC. I think she knows what she’s doing.

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Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

snoopydawg's picture

@Dr. John Carpenter

The DLCC has stated that they will defend the incumbents from a new opponent, but not for Tulsi. Just one more shining example of democrats hypocrisy huh?

Notice who hasn't come to Tulsi's defense? Pelosi. Warbama. Kamillary. Albright And I haven't seen anything from the squad members on this either. Lots of other women who jumped on Hillary's sexism bandwagon have all abandoned their standards on how it's very important for women to support women.
-----
Woman candidate
Woman of color
Member of the military
Incumbent
.....
Check, check, check, and check.

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snoopydawg's picture

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Lookout's picture

Tulsi gets pushed to say Putin is our enemy. She doesn't and says words are important.
The entire hour is good and Tulsi is candid.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPFggY36zrY]

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

mimi's picture

@Lookout
he was serving in Iraq. The war and my son's fighting in the war as of March 2003 lead me to read TOP back then. And now I just pulled his book "Chasing Ghosts" from my bookshelf (I even have a signed one). Time to read it after 13 years... heh, I would rather forget everything about this time period.

Good interview. I am half through listening to it. Thanks.

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Lookout's picture

@mimi

I hope all is well in your corner of the world.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Centaurea's picture

@Lookout
That's just a fact. We haven't declared war on Russia. That means Russia is not our enemy, and neither is its leader.

(Full disclosure, I don't have time to watch that video right now, but will watch it later on Sunday. It could be that in the interview she says what I just wrote.)

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"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi

"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone

Lookout's picture

@Centaurea

She doesn't really say that. The interviewer is pushing her hard to say Russia and Putin is our enemy but she doesn't rather stating that she will meet with Russia, China, and so on.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout interviewer is except that he is apparently an Iraq War vet, maybe spoke out against it back then? He does seem however rather eager for the US to go to war again, against "our enemy" Russia (though he claims we would merely act defensively - sure ..) and against any "regime" anywhere in the world where there is "genocide" being committed. His Hitler example was off the mark historically.

He also presents as another of these insufferably smug "independents" who is so pure and noble he is above the political fray. Other than that, it's not a bad interview, and Tulsi has some strong answers to his calls for more war.

Not sure when this interview took place, but it was in NYC and if in the last day or two, there was an opportunity missed to ask her about the meeting she had with several Wall St execs at that private club or just to ask her why she was in NY, which doesn't hold an early primary.

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Lookout's picture

@wokkamile

....for some sort of meeting where the $hill was also scheduled. Needless to mention the chance of an encounter with Tulsi cause Her to cancel.

I would have like for him to ask about that meeting as well. My favorite comment in the interview is when he asked if any of the other candidates could whip her ass and she smiled and said no shook her head and said no again. (Or something along those lines.)

No I see the canceled meeting was in DC

Clinton canceled her upcoming appearance at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit next week in Washington DC, just as her war of words with the Hawaii Congresswoman is escalating, according to Slate.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Had the current DNC gatekeepers been in charge and enforcing these same rules for the 1976 Democratic primary, Jimmy Carter (polling at 1% in 1975) wouldn't have made any debates other than the first two, in June and July.

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pswaterspirit's picture

I pretty much agree with that one. It has been kind of a kill the messenger thing. Same with Edward Snowden. Powerful people ended up with poo on their face. If they didn't want poo on their face maybe not doing shady stuff would have been a better idea.

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I don't see #1 or #2 happening. Tulsi is moderate(by US standards) and anti-establishment. She is too moderate for Bernie, and too anti-establishment for Biden. I guess I could see Bernie throwing her something like head of the VA or something similar I don't see what cabinet position she could hope for.

#3 or #4 Seems like a possibility, but her popularity in Hawaii seems to have dropped (based purely on fundraising from HI, not sure I have seen any polls.

I see her more likely becoming a pundit. Possibly her own show.

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