[ad_1]
Mahalo for supporting the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy free stories!
Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s name on Donald Trump’s short list of running mates later criticized the Democratic Party, which sued Hillary Clinton for $50 million for defamation. It only adds to the mysterious political career of former rising star Tulsi Gabbard.
Gabbard previously served in the state Legislature and the Honolulu City Council, and in 2012 won the first of four races for the 2nd Congressional District, representing neighboring islands and rural Oahu.
At first, she seemed to be in step with the rest of Hawaii’s Congressional delegation, but she soon became more vocal about her critical comments about Hawaii’s son and then-President Barack Obama, her support for the Syrian regime, and her failed administration. He attracted the attention of conservative media nationwide for a series of surprising stances, including criticism of She will run for president in 2020.
At the end of her Congressional career, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Hawaii Poll found Gabbard had the lowest approval ratings of the four Hawaii members of Congress, including 41% on Oahu. It also included an unfavorable evaluation of %.
Gabbard had the highest approval rating among Oahu Republicans (58%), followed by men and independents (both 49%), white people and people over 50 (both 48%).
Among Oahu Democrats, she ranks 55% worse.
Gabbard could not be reached for comment last week about President Trump considering her.
Gabbard’s father, state Sen. Mike Gabbard (D-Kapolei-Makakilo-Kalaeloa), did not respond to a request for comment.
Tamara McKay, state chairwoman of the Hawaii Republican Party, said she doesn’t know where Tulsi Gabbard lives or what she does for a living.
But McKay praised Trump for considering Gabbard as a running mate, saying she would be even more qualified as a woman who is also a military veteran.
McKay said picking Gabbard “sends so many messages about women and the military and shows that the Democratic Party is on a dark path and we need to come together.” .
Asked to speculate on how their personalities and styles would mesh, McKay replied, “He has his own style and she has her own style.”
Politico reports that during a Fox News town hall event hosted by Laura Ingraham last week, Trump spoke with Gabbard, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, and Florida Gov. Ron, a former political opponent of Trump.・It was reported that Trump said he was considering six candidates for vice president, including DeSantis.
Others include biotech entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Florida Congressman Byron Donald, and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.
“Are they all on the list of nominees?” Ingraham asked, according to Politico.
“They are,” President Trump said, adding, “Honestly, all of those guys are good people. They’re all good, they’re all solid.”
According to Politico, Scott attended the town hall and received the utmost praise from President Trump. Scott withdrew from the 2023 Republican primary and endorsed Trump, campaigning ahead of last week’s South Carolina primary, which Trump easily won.
The New York Times reported that in a straw poll for President Trump’s running mate, Gabbard came in third with 15% of the vote, behind Noem and Ramaswamy, who tied for the same vote. Gabbard received 9% of the vote.
Colin Moore, who teaches public policy at the University of Hawaii and is an associate professor at the University of Hawaii Economic Resources Institute, said Gabbard’s spotlight-seeking and polemics are similar to Trump’s, and that their styles clash. He said it was unlikely that he would be selected.
“It would be hard to imagine how that would work because Trump likes to be the center of attention and Tulsi Gabbard likes to be the center of attention,” Moore said. Ta. “Mr. Trump demands loyalty more than any other quality. Tulsi Gabbard is great on television. She’s always been very good at it. She has real charisma. But , she hasn’t shown much political allegiance in recent years and she hasn’t brought much to the ticket.”
One reason for choosing a vice presidential running mate may be to “build up weak points in states that you have to win,” Moore said. “But Tulsi Gabbard is not particularly popular in Hawaii.”
“She’s a unique figure in American politics,” Moore said. “That’s why she attracts so much frustration and attention. For better or worse, Tulsi Gabbard is never afraid to speak her mind. But she takes positions from the heart. Or are they using it as a political opportunity?”
During her brief campaign for president, Gabbard reversed her previous condemnation of gays and lesbians and apologized for her work with the anti-gay advocacy group her father founded, the Traditional Marriage Alliance.
The group helped pass a constitutional amendment that would give Congress the power to ban same-sex marriage, which is currently legal in Hawaii.
Gabbard also filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Clinton, but Gabbard later dropped the suit.
Without identifying Gabbard, Clinton said that one of the Democratic presidential candidates at the time was a “favorite of the Russians,” a comment that Gabbard said “inadvertently and recklessly tarnished her reputation.” said.
Gabbard also sued Google for the same amount, $50 million, alleging that Google violated her free speech rights by suspending her advertising account.
A U.S. District Court judge agreed to Google’s motion to dismiss Gabbard’s lawsuit.
Gabbard previously supported Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. But in October 2022, she officially announced her departure from the party and called on other Democrats to join, severing her ties with the Democratic Party in Hawaii and across the country.
“I can no longer remain in today’s Democratic Party, which is completely under the control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by vile wokeness. They racialize every issue and divide us. “The freedoms enshrined in our Constitution are the rights of people of faith and spirituality.” is hostile to the United States, demonizes police, protects criminals at the expense of law-abiding Americans, believes in open borders, and weaponizes the national security state to go after political opponents, and Above all, it moves us ever closer to nuclear war,” Gabbard wrote in a lengthy statement at the time.
Gabbard said Democrats “don’t believe in the constitutionally protected right to free speech; they don’t believe in the constitutionally protected right to religious freedom; they don’t believe in the constitutionally protected right to bear arms.” I don’t believe… ‘Big Brother’ is violating our rights.” Civil liberties…racialize everything, blatantly incite anti-white racism…anti-women…undermine families…(but) are for the powerful elite. ”
Political analyst Neil Milner questions the sincerity of President Trump’s list of running mate candidates for Ingraham.
“Trump says all sorts of things, but I don’t know if they’re random or not,” Milner said. “Who knows for sure? Mr. Trump will never follow the traditional Republican strategy. So I don’t take this list all that seriously at this point. It’s hard to imagine that they think it’s necessary, so we wouldn’t take her being on the list that seriously.”
Of Gabbard, Milner said, “She’s always been good in front of the camera. She’s certainly an anomaly and captivates people. It’s hard to decipher how much appeal she has to Trump Republicans.” .”
[ad_2]
Source link
