Sanders surrogate Tulsi Gabbard: 'I’m not prepared’ to back Clinton

[Karmadillo]

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/283990-sanders-surrogate-im-not-prepared-to-back-clinton

June 17, 2016, 08:05 pm
Sanders surrogate Tulsi Gabbard: 'I’m not prepared’ to back Clinton
By Mark Hensch

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) says she is not abandoning Bernie Sanders to endorse Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary.

“I’m not prepared to do that,” she told CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer Friday when asked if she would back Clinton. "There are a number of issues that I am concerned about and I look forward to discussing with you again in the future.

“There are a lot of things I’m looking at. In particular, this issues that [Clinton] has not moved on at all in this campaign, which is this commitment to continue this interventionist regime change policy in Syria that is proving so disastrous.”

Gabbard also refused comment on whether Sanders is overstaying his welcome in the presidential race.

more...

[BootinUp]

1. I'm Shocked!

[msongs]

2. fortunately this character is being primaried but she's got her claws in too

deep now I think

[Hortensis]

39. ? My guess would be Bernie has her number,

and they're just using each other.

A progressive group that gave him an A gave her an F, and she'd almost certainly be a Republican if they could get elected in Hawaii. In spite of her Democratic constituency, what sounds like a very typical conservative hawkishness slips out, even though currently she's touting Sanders' more cautious approach. She's participating in the "People's Summit" in Chicago, but while pretending to be part of that team probably won't do too much harm.

At least she no longer has her claws in a DNC leadership post, causing trouble from within. She may not be what we usually think of when considering necessary reform and redirection of the party, but I consider that one item checked off anyway.

[ucrdem]

3. Okay, Syria, fine

The problem is that Sanders didn't run on foreign policy and didn't say much about it other than that a) the US must lead the world in destroying ISIS, and b) otherwise he agrees with what Clinton says.

Basically the only distinction he ever made was that he didn't vote for the Iraq AUMF in October 2002, nearly fourteen years ago, although he did vote to fully fund the Defense Department in 2003 that very day.

So, it's a distinction without a difference, like most of the policy differences between them. When you get down to it Bernie's only real issue is Hillary.

[kpola12]

9. Bernie has said time and time again that he didn't believe the US should be involved in regime chang

Hillary is the queen of regime change.

[TwilightZone]

14. He voted for regime change in Iraq twice.

And supported regime change in Libya.

[Live and Learn]

37. Those are false statements. nt

[cali]

46. Blatantly false. Have you no shame?

[MADem]

68. Yes, he did.

And those votes, by that Congress, were used as the basis to craft the IWR.

Funny how people overlook that! And then they try to claim that your assertions are untrue. Talk about being unable to handle the truth, eh?


His soulmates at COUNTERPUNCH were quite annoyed with him over that:


http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/02/16/blood-traces-bernies-iraq-war-hypocrisy/

Sanders supported Bill Clinton’s war on Serbia, voted for the 2001 Authorization Unilateral Military Force Against Terrorists (AUMF), which pretty much allowed Bush to wage war wherever he wanted, backed Obama’s Libyan debacle and supports an expanded US role in the Syrian Civil War.

More problematic for the Senator in Birkenstocks is the little-known fact that Bernie Sanders himself voted twice in support of regime change in Iraq. In 1998 Sanders voted in favor of the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, which said: “It should be the policy of the United States to support efforts to remove the regime headed by Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq and to promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime.”

Later that same year, Sanders also backed a resolution that stated: “Congress reaffirms that it should be the policy of the United States to support efforts to remove the regime headed by Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq and to promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime.” These measures gave congressional backing for the CIA’s covert plan to overthrow the Hussein regime in Baghdad, as well as the tightening of an economic sanctions regime that may have killed as many as 500,000 Iraqi children. The resolution also gave the green light to Operation Desert Fox, a four-day long bombing campaign striking 100 targets throughout Iraq. The operation featured more than 300 bombing sorties and 350 ground-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles, several targeting Saddam Hussein himself.

Even Hillary belatedly admitted that her Iraq war vote was a mistake. Bernie, however, has never apologized for his two votes endorsing the overthrow of Saddam. On the rare occasions when Sanders has been confronted about these votes, he has casually dismissed them as being “almost unanimous.” I went back and checked the record. In fact, many members of the progressive caucus in the House, as well as a few libertarian anti-war Members of Congress, vote against the Iraq regime change measures. ...

[virtualobserver]

11. it appears that you wouldn't recognize a distinction if it bit you in the snark.

[SamKnause]

30. Bernie is against a no fly zone over Syria.

Hillary is for a no fly zone over Syria.

[bravenak]

4. She should make sure she does not get any airtime at the convention

No airtime for nonsupporters of the democratic nominee

[eastwestdem]

8. Agreed!! nt

[Live and Learn]

38. I doubt many will be paying attention to the convention anyway. nt

[La Lioness Priyanka]

5. Gabbard who sounds like a republican?

So far, Gabbard is choosing her own route, and it's not one Democrats hoping to groom her for leadership would have her take. Especially with regard to foreign policy, Gabbard often sounds more like a hawkish Republican than a potential future Democratic leader. She has blasted President Obama for failing to talk about Islamic extremism. And she recently tweeted this criticism of the president's perceived weakness and hypocrisy in Syria

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/10/15/rep-tulsi-gabbard-the-democrat-that-republicans-love-and-the-dnc-cant-control/

[RobertEarl]

15. No. Not republican at all

In the OP:

"“There are a lot of things I’m looking at. In particular, this issues that has not moved on at all in this campaign, which is this commitment to continue this interventionist regime change policy in Syria that is proving so disastrous.”"

She is, in opposition to your falsely stated premise that "she sounds more like a hawkish ..... " clearly against the Syrian intervention.

Read the OP gain, apparently for the first time?

[DLCWIdem]

23. Read the article linked above.

Not only are there 2 direct tweets that are very hawkish. Bomb this, bomb that. She is also a favorite of Fox news.

[Lord Magus]

27. She doesn't just oppose regime change, she thinks we should actively preserve the Assad regime.

Gabbard's also tweeted out bullshit Republican memes about Obama supposedly refusing to bomb Al-Qaeda targets in Syria and praised Putin's bombing campaign. She also uses right-wing memes about President Obama "refusing to say Islamic extermism." She wants to ban refugees from entering the US and wants to end visa waivers for western European countries on the basis of them having too many Muslims. She's a close friend of Sheldon Adelson. She also has a bad history on LGBT issues. I don't just mean she used to oppose gay marriage; as a state legislator in 2004 she even opposed civil unions and dismissed those who criticized her as "homosexual extremists."

[randome]

63. The hell with her, then.

What a stupid load of stupid.

[AJ.Akia]

64. Oh good lord

Talk about a twisted plot... straight out of Clinton's paid troll book.

Do you even know what a 'regime' is? Assad is the head of Syria - his administration is the 'regime.' Topping this regime by war is a 'regime-change war.' And in this case, toppling Assad allows ISIS and other Islamist extremists to take over the rest of Syria causing untold misery and death, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis of refugees that already exists. Tulsi has said that Assad is a brutal dictator, but now is not the time to remove him because of the impending consequences.

Did we learn nothing from Iraq & Libya? Regime-change wars have lead to failed states and the proliferation of ISIS & other Islamist extremists in those states, and now you want Syria to suffer the same? How... anti-humanity of you. Tulsi has fought to end such a war and clearly states why.

One thing I admire about Tulsi is that she states THE facts - not 'left' or 'right' facts, and since you declined to post those tweets and the context they're in, you have no argument.

This is what Tulsi in supporting the SAFE Act:

I believe we must offer refuge to the most vulnerable and those in need, while simultaneously ensuring the safety of the American people”. The stronger screenings, as mandated by the SAFE Act, are needed because there have in fact been terrorists admitted as refugees in the US as indicated
here, here, and here.

Calling for a temporary suspension of the visa “waiver” program so people traveling to the US from countries with open borders can be screened properly before they enter is a position which is supported by many Democrats, such as Amy Klobuchar, Barbara Boxer, and Dianne Feinstein. It is a prudent move in light of the horrific events in Paris & San Bernardino.

Tulsi works in a bi-partisan manner, which is how things get done in Congress, and has received no contributions from Adelson. Her bill (that Adelson likes) that opposes online gambling is supported by Hawaii’s attorney general. Tulsi is working for the best interest of the people of Hawaii and gambling has a devastating effect especially on the poor.

Tulsi supports equality & LGBTQ 100% and worked to repeal DOMA. She had a profound change of heart and spoke about this in an interview in 2012. She continues to this day to support equality & LGBTQ issues, so please update your script.

[JRLeft]

67. It's either Assad or Jihadists. Assad sounds a hell of a lot better than Jihadists.

[MattP]

6. Another Zell?

[JoePhilly]

51. Thread should end right here ^^^^^

[MADem]

7. Well, she shits on Obama for sport and never met a war she didn't like, so....

Kinda odd, with all those GOP values, that she'd back Sanders....

Gabbard has been glorified in the conservative media. Her criticism of Obama's failure to cite "Islamic extremism" earned her appearances on Fox News, and in April, the conservative National Review wrote a glowing profile about the "beautiful, tough young" Democrat "who's challenging Obama's foreign policy" (though the magazine's adjective-heavy headline didn't earn them any favors with feminists).


This shouldn't be a complete surprise though. Gabbard's political background is non-traditional. Her conservative Democratic state senator father led the charge in Hawaii against same-sex marriage. Gabbard said she generally aligned with social conservatism until she deployed twice to Iraq with the Hawaii Army National Guard. ...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/10/15/rep-tulsi-gabbard-the-democrat-that-republicans-love-and-the-dnc-cant-control/

A rather complex person.

[Maru Kitteh]

20. YIKES. A FOX darling? I had heard she was a bit of a screwball and bad news.

[DLCWIdem]

25. yea. and these guys got nerve to call Hillary----Killary. Wow, the disconnect is outstanding

[Cali_Democrat]

26. She's a confused soul. nt

[Hortensis]

40. Possibly. She represents an overall solidly liberal district,

though, and how someone who's apparently dancing to "gotta be me" will keep her seat may be the most confusing thing here.


Big red flag: "generally aligned with social conservatism until she deployed twice to Iraq with the Hawaii Army National Guard"

Personality type is initially genetically determined and then altered by environment, but personality change all the way from social conservative to liberal would probably require a transplant. She probably really is less inclined than the typical social con xenophobe to squander lives callously than if she'd never gone to war, but that insight may be confined to American lives. Social cons tend to view most things in terms of "good us" and "bad them."

[BainsBane]

29. Seems like Trump would be more her style

My mom calls here a real life troll in the Democratic Party, precisely because of statements like those tweets.

[MADem]

31. I think she doesn't appreciate her military chain of command!

Now, she's free to be critical as an American citizen, but when one wears the uniform, even on a part time basis, she should be cognizant of the fact that the guy she's criticizing is, when she puts that uniform on, her operational boss. She could make the same points about her "concerns" without being so 140 character flippant, IMO--she's very Trumplike in her critiques!

[mahina]

47. Her father is a Dem now but changed parties

When he figured out there was no future in continuing as a Republican. He was an R when he lead the anti equality charge.

[MADem]

49. And she was raised at that right-wing knee.

He ONLY changed parties -- and he said as much --because he'd have more influence hanging out with the majority party, not because he bought what they were selling.

The Hawaii Dems should have kicked his ass out--he didn't reflect their values.

[mahina]

62. Read you.

Couldn't agree more.

[AJ.Akia]

65. I disagree strongly.

Pres. Obama says we have to destroy ISIS, so going after them is the war we SHOULD be fighting. Al Qaeda attacked us on 9/11 - Obama went after Bin Laden. He should be going after them in Syria, too, because they are at war with us.

Unfortunately the CIA has been arming so-called 'moderate' rebels who in turn ditch their weapons to ISIS & al Qaeda, etc. So the US should stop arming them and yes - they should bomb them. That's what the tweets are about. Nothing 'right wing' or warmongering about them. Using our military properly is good; regime-change wars are costly in trillions of dollars, thousands of lives, and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis refugees.

It's not as you say at all. Tulsi is against interventionist, regime-change wars and has introduced bipartisan legislation to end that illegal campaign in Syria because it's just going to end up like Iraq & Libya, which are both awash in ISIS and other Islamist extremists.

It's called 'disagreeing' and is correct.

Tulsi says she doesn't support Hillary because Hillary wants to escalate the Syrian war with a no-fly zone, which even Pres. Obama disagrees with. Note the State department officials who sent a letter to Obama recently saying the war should be escalated. He is firmly against it - and I hope he holds to it. We don't need another DECADE of war. Only warmongers want that - and that's not Tulsi.

Tulsi fully supports equality & LGBTQ issues; going to war changed her life profoundly. She is supported by Equality Hawaii.

[MADem]

66. You don't throw Putin in your military commander's face.

She is crass, tasteless, not-too-bright and Trump gets his ideas (radical Islam) from her.

She has a long and vocal history of NOT supporting "equality and LGBTQ issues," rather virulently, in fact, so I'll take her change of heart with a large grain of salt. I think she got way more pushback than she expected on that issue, particularly after she doubled down and denied that gay kids face more harassment in schools, and she--who learned at her GOP-to-Dem (because it put him "in" with the majority, not because he believed what they were selling) father's knee--tacked left to avoid that minefield. Frankly, I doubt her sincerity.

Fox News loves her conservative stances (and they never fail to praise her beauty--don't get old, Tulsi!) so she's a favorite with them.

"We've got to end this war by bombing the shit out of 'em" sounds like something out of the Vietnam era. Not her finest hour.

[KingFlorez]

12. I really wish I could say this to her

[AzDar]

13. Tulsi is a staunch character...

[TeeYiYi]

17. "S . T . A . U . N . C . H . . .

There's nothing worse, I'm telling you..."

TYY

[Fairgo]

18. I have no reference for this...

but I love it. What's it from

[TeeYiYi]

21. Grey Gardens...

Grey Gardens is a 1975 American documentary film by Albert and David Maysles. The film depicts the everyday lives of two reclusive, formerly upper class women, a mother and daughter both named Edith Beale, who lived in poverty at Grey Gardens, a derelict mansion at 3 West End Road in the wealthy Georgica Pond neighborhood of East Hampton, New York. The film was screened at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival but was not entered into the main competition.[2]

It's a classic. The scene I posted was from the original documentary, by the Maysle brothers. A Broadway play and, finally, a movie were to follow. The original documentary is my favorite.

TYY

[Fairgo]

22. I will definitely look this up

Thanks for the bon-bon!

[MADem]

32. Those loons were Jackie Kennedy's relations--the mother was the sister of her drunken father, and

thus the daughter was her cousin.

She paid to have that house completely renovated when the health department condemned it, and they messed it up again. They later sold it to Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn.

Jackie Kennedy paid all the utility bills and gave them a stipend for food every month.

She had family loyalty, I will give her that.

[mahina]

48. That makes sense out of the Bill Hader video

That's evidently inspired by this film. Thank you.

[Lord Magus]

28. Which I suppose is why she's so tight with Sheldon Adelson.

And why she peddles RW memes about President Obama being soft on terrorism. And why she wants to ban refugees.

[onecaliberal]

16. Tulsi, Bernie, Nina. So proud of them.

[senz]

36. Same here.

Not everyone folds.

[Lord Magus]

59. Are you proud of Tulsi's bigotry and her alliance with Sheldon Adelson?

She was calling for a Muslim ban even before tRump did.

[oasis]

19. "I look forward to discussing with you again" Gabbard says.

As if she'll get a platform anytime, ever.

[leftofcool]

24. Tulsi the anti-gay anti-Syrian refugee says what?

[Metric System]

33. Did she discuss "homosexual extremists"?

[Uncle Joe]

34. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Karmadillo.

[Cali_Democrat]

56. What do you think of this, Joey....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=2200575

[Uncle Joe]

57. What do you think of this, Cali_Democrat...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017386452

[senz]

35. What a courageous, principled woman.

I'm very impressed with her.

[nenagh]

41. Agree

[leftofcool]

43. You don't have a problem that she is anti-gay?

She is also against allowing Syrian refugees in the country.

[MADem]

50. I am astounded how easily some principles can be dropped like a sack

of unwanted garbage when either "personality" or "affiliation" comes into play.

The sad fact of the matter is that Trump is copying HER when it comes to this whole "Radical Islam" bullshit--she said it first, on FOX NEWS, over a year ago.

UGH.

[AJ.Akia]

55. Since she supports Equality & LGBTQ 100%

I don't have a problem, no. Any suggestion that you can't have profound life changes and change your beliefs thusly flies in the face of reality. Her votes and actions have spoken far better than the Clinton paid troll team's accusations.

Tulsi was clear about her vote on the SAFE Act:

True to our history and values as a nation, I believe we must offer refuge to the most vulnerable and those in need, while simultaneously ensuring the safety of the American people. In this regard, this bill is not meant to keep Syrian refugees from entering into the United States. This was a vote to make sure the program to vet these refugees is sufficient to protect Americans.
In other words, voting for this bill was not a vote against refugees. Rather, it was a vote for bringing refugees into our country safely.
When looking at how to vote on this measure, I considered two things: 1) the safety and security of the American people, and 2) the long term viability and continuation of our country serving as a place of refuge for those who are truly in need of shelter.
It would be a double disaster if someone who came to America as a refugee ended up engaging in a terrorist act. First, it would cost the lives of innocent Americans. Second, it could lead to the complete shutdown of our refugee program for a long, long time. This would be extremely unfortunate. I want to make sure that doesn't happen. It's important for anyone who really cares about keeping our refugee programs open to seriously consider the negative impact to such programs if a terrorist attack occurred and a refugee were involved.
This happened before, in 2009, when two al-Qaeda terrorists came to the U.S. as refugees from Iraq, and were actively supporting al-Qaeda from the U.S. while also plotting an attack on U.S. soil. Following their discovery and arrest, the refugee program for Iraqis was completely shut down for six months.

[BlueStateLib]

61. Gabbard has a pretty conservative voting record

http://voteview.com/HOUSE_SORT113.html

[Vinca]

42. She should look at it as saving the country from Trump. That's what I'm doing.

No matter how hard we wish or even try, she's the choice over Trump, like it or not, and Trump is nuts. Clinically nuts . . . not just a little "eccentric."

[Cane4Dems]

44. who cares?

she's completely irrelevant. These Sanders people are just trying to extend their time in fame a little bit longer. Shameful

That's ok- us "hillarites" as yall love to call us are busy being the responsible adults in the room. We are working hard to stop Trump.

the bernistas (see we can call you names too) can continue funding Sanders/Jane's retirement slush fund (that family must be laughing their ass off- "wow we really fooled these people big time. Honey another $27 dollar donation- can't wait for our trip to Bahamas to uhmm fight for economic equality"

if you want to report my post go ahead- the truth hurts I know.

[oasis]

45. I 99% agree with the sentiments in your post. nt

[Stofrk]

52. Tulsi will come around

Eventually

[Trust Buster]

54. Gabbard shamelessly self promotes. She will switch to Independent IMO. She should be

marginalized on her way out the door.

[Sheepshank]

58. How many more hundreds of thousands, must have their pet project addressed.....

.....Before they are willing to give Clinton their vote?

Who the fuck is she to make any demands? She backed a loser and quit her job with the Party.

[LexVegas]

60. Who?