Just Let Tulsi Gabbard Be Tulsi – Tulsi Gabbard is a curious politician who is not afraid to take risks.
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She has done everything from surfing in New Hampshire in winter to guest-hosting Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show.
Is she an Independent or a Republican?
It is not clear where she stands on all the issues, but she is definitely leaning to the right and could even become a member of the GOP one day after officially leaving the Democratic Party.
Picking Up Some Conservative Bona fides
Hawaii’s Gabbard spoke at last year’s CPAC confab, which made her an unlikely guest since she is associated with liberalism. In that address, she tried to call for unity in American politics in an effort to eliminate the tribalism and divisiveness in our public discourse.
This is after Gabbard ran for president as a Democrat in 2020. So, it shows she is willing to cross the aisle when it fits her need for relevance and media coverage.
Tulsi Gabbard: Impressive Back Story
Gabbard has noteworthy experience. She served in the Hawaii Army National and Army Reserves, rising to the rank of major with deployments to Iraq and Kuwait. She was one of the first female combat veterans and the first Hindu and Samoan-American to serve in Congress after being elected to the House of Representatives in 2012. She was a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) as well and made an unlikely bid for president in 2020.
Feud With Hillary Clinton
She supported Bernie Sanders for president in 2016 and is no fan of Hillary Clinton. The feud between Gabbard and Clinton came to a boiling point in 2019 when Clinton accused Gabbard of being a “Russian asset.” Gabbard was quick to respond, stating that Clinton, “is the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party.” Gabbard later filed a lawsuit against Clinton for defamation.
Alliance with Tucker Carlson
Tulsi Gabbard became frustrated with the DNC in 2019 when she was cut from the presidential debate field after not meeting the polling and donor threshold. Gabbard was livid and found a new friend in Tucker Carlson to better articulate her grievances. She spoke to Carlson and the Fox News host lauded her for being against U.S. intervention during the wars in Iraq and Syria.
Time to Move one from the Democrats
By 2022, Gabbard was completely disenchanted with the Democrats and decided to leave the party over what she claims was unending “cowardly wokeness” and “war mongering.”
She now has her own pundit program on YouTube and is making a name for herself with conservatives instead of liberals – even though she cut her teeth as a progressive.
Unconventional Politician
Remember what I said about risk-taking? Gabbard is not afraid to make controversial allies and unpopular stances. Her alliance with Carlson is risky. Carlson has no friends on the left and often trolls Republicans too. But Tucker brings in the numbers. He has one of the most popular shows on all of cable and Gabbard is using this audience as a springboard for her own broadcasting career. She is certainly telegenic with her trademark silver streaked hair and enthusiastic demeanor. Fox picked her up as a paid contributor in November.
Anti-war to the Max
Gabbard will take an unpopular stance if need be such as being against aid to Ukraine, which puts her in the lane with some anti-war Republicans. She doesn’t want Ukraine to join NATO, either.
She campaigned for senate Republicans in 2022. So why not take the plunge and just join the Republican party officially? The agenda is not out for this year’s CPAC, but she will probably speak again. Carlson likes her and Fox approves of her communication ability, but does that translate into another political run as a member of the GOP?
Not Likely to Be an Office Holder
Running again is unlikely. She would need a new home for one thing. Hawaii is extremely left-wing. There is no way she could get elected back home as a Republican. I don’t see political office for her in the future, but television punditry may be the way to go. She won’t have to face unruly voters back home and she can enjoy her role as a risk-taking rebel, plus make a decent amount of money. She has that military experience, so why not throw some proverbial hand grenades at the Democrats, it could be fun for her.
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Author Expertise and Experience: Serving as 19FortyFive’s Defense and National Security Editor, Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations.
