Tulsi Gabbard Drops a Big Hint About Running a Spoiler Campaign for Trump

[lapucelle]

“Hillary Clinton emerged recently to claim, with no basis in fact, that I am being ‘groomed’ by the Russian government to undermine America,” claims Tulsi Gabbard in a Wall Street Journal op-ed today.

In fact, as even the conservative Washington Examiner acknowledges, Clinton did not say that. She said Republicans were grooming Gabbard. And far from refuting that charge, everything about Gabbard’s op-ed confirms Clinton was probably right.

It is in Gabbard’s interest to conflate the charge that she is working on behalf of the Republicans with the charge that she’s working on behalf of the Russians. The former is apparent, while the latter is impossible to prove. Gabbard has taken some strident foreign-policy stances that follow no apparent American dovish objective, and do line up with Russian goals. While Gabbard presents herself as a noninterventionist, she bizarrely attacked the Obama administration for failing to bomb Al Qaeda in Syria, while crediting Russia for allegedly doing so.

snip===================================================================

What is very clear, however, is that Gabbard is now working hand in hand with the Republican party. This is apparent in her pattern of working closely with Republican-controlled media, like “Hill TV” — John Solomon’s propaganda outlet — and Sean Hannity. Gabbard used both forums to promote Republican talking points discrediting the impeachment process — i.e., “Most people reading through that transcript are not going to find that extremely compelling cause to throw out a president that won an election in 2016” — before eventually reversing course.

=====================================================================

The Journal editorial page is not normally enthusiastic about running screeds denouncing the bloodstained neocon war machine. But it’s happy to make an exception for somebody who’s in the electing-Republicans business.

Gabbard’s op-ed is structured as an apparent refutation of the claim Clinton made about her. In fact, nothing could do more to vindicate Clinton’s suspicion that Gabbard is being groomed by the Republican party as a spoiler candidate than a Wall Street Journal op-ed previewing her case for a spoiler campaign.

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/10/tulsi-gabbard-third-party-campaign-russia-spoiler.html

[Eric J in MN]

1. Tulsi Gabbard was referring to the primary

...when she wrote that Hillary Clinton’s foreign policy will be on the ballot because many Democratic candidates support it.

She wants to be the Democratic nominee.

Jonathan Chait’s interpretation that she’ll oppose the Democratic nominee no matter who it is makes no sense.

[lapucelle]

11. Wait...what? Secretary Clinton's foreign policy? Wasn't President Obama president?

Didn't Tulsi criticize the US for not bombing Syria and praise Russia for doing so, and then cast doubts on reliable news reports in defense of Russia?

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http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/10/tulsi-gabbard-third-party-campaign-russia-spoiler.html

[brush]

27. I'm about tired of her and her hinted threats. Shouldn't she be banned from the debate...

for spewing repug talking points? Enough is enough.

[thesquanderer]

26. Chait is always the Hillary advocate. His article here does not justify the headline.

There was no "big hint" there that Gabbard actually wants to run 3rd party.

It's not surprising that Chait's article reflects more of a Hillary perspective than the facts justify.

[IronLionZion]

2. Trump's margin was 78,000 votes in 3 midwestern swing states

it only takes a few disgruntled lefties to spoil it

[Dorn]

3. There were 70,000 votes uncounted in Detroit

Remember that! If you haven't heard this just search for it.

[catbyte]

9. And don't forget that the gop AG, bill scheutte, sued to stop the recount when that thing's

"margin of victory" shrank from 13K to 10.3K. I will believe until my last breath that Michigan was stolen on November 8, 2016.

[thesquanderer]

25. People forget that Jill Stein was the one who was pushing for the recounts...

...which, if she were successful, would almost certainly have benefitted HRC. She was pushing for it in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania too. Which kind of goes against the conspiracy theory argument that Stein's goal (perhaps at the behest of the Russians) was for HRC to lose.

[catbyte]

28. I think it ending up helping HRC was inadvertent and she surely didn't kick up any fuss at all

when the recount was stopped. Here's her rationale for the Michigan recount:

https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2016/11/30/jill-stein-michigan-election-recount/94680194/

And, to be honest, I think she was a "useful idiot." I don't think she was actively, knowingly working for the Russians or that thing currently infesting the White House, but she sure was an asset to them.

[brush]

16. And isn't Detroit a majority POC city, hardly full of trump voters?

[MrsCoffee]

4. And I got a bridge for sale.

The KGOP stole the election. It was treason.

Not for a minute do I believe he had the votes or that all the votes were counted.

[mountain grammy]

10. Agree!

[IronLionZion]

18. It has to be close for them to steal it

so we need a large enough margin to win and should avoid anything that cuts into our votes.

If what you said is true, they obviously got away with it. We must make sure that never happens again.

[Blue_true]

30. Come on. You're being too logical.

"Stealing" and election and magic voting machines that selectively change vote are sexy. Our side not showing up to vote or making sure that their registration is good is nuts and bolts boring stuff.

What throwing around theories, people tend to chose the equivalent of the good looking and hot potential date in a bar, instead of the steady person who showed up at the bar because friends were there and who would likely be a much better longterm choice.

[oldsoftie]

5. Why is it that no one sees this?

[get the red out]

12. Or disgruntled righties to not vote Trump

A lot of Rs seem to like Gabbard (more than Ds, I believe), maybe Trumpski is lighting a fire that blows back on him?

[IronLionZion]

17. Why risk it?

I'd rather she just stay out of the general election.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. Connect the dots on those undermining America's strong post-war foreign policy

From Snowden through Assange and into our domestic politics, Trump to Gabbard and the GOP who won't fund our election security

[blm]

29. All roads lead to Russia

[Jarqui]

7. I agree to at least some considerable extent with Chait

She is reciting Republican talking points.
Her oped in the WSJ is off base because she's taking Clinton to task for things Clinton did not say.

Her comments about tackling the "Clinton doctrine" are insulting to all the other Dem candidates - who have developed and articulated their own views.

The only reason to pick a fight with Clinton and to use FOX Noose is to try to raise her bad numbers in the polls when she was unable to do it with her own platform and campaign.

I do not care for or support what she is doing and how she is going about it.

[Me.]

8. It's The Old 'When Someone Tells You Who They Are, Believe Them'

Yet even on this thread, some don't

[brush]

14. Yes, unbelievably she still has a few supporters here. I wonder what they're thinking of her...

media appearances, statements and WSJ op-ed where she spews repug talking points.

[MerryBlooms]

22. Well, a few of them are probably exhausted from swooping onto DU to support her, and

swooping back to JPR to trash DU and Dems... But always vote Dem! lulz

[beachbumbob]

13. Gabbard's influence in 2020 even as a third party will be next to nothing,

she has little support, even among the those who voted for Jill Stein.

[groundloop]

15. For the time being, but that can change in a year's time

Just watch, she'll be promoting herself as a middle of the road moderate who can work with both sides, that will sound good to the casual voter who doesn't pay as much attention to politics as they should.

[lapucelle]

20. The ridiculous "the lesser of two evils is still evil" talking point

helped elect Republican presidents in 2000 and in 2016.

Some voters were easily tricked (many who identified as unaffiliated) and responded to anti-Democratic Party influence by signaling apocryphal virtue by voting third party or staying home.

[beachbumbob]

21. in 2016 it was easy to do, not so much in 2020 but then the russian bots are not active nor

has the bernie bros campaign started. I don't see the gullibility in the electorate to allow another trump term to happen. We have had a taste of real "evil"

[lapucelle]

24. "Russian bots are not so active"? Not according to coverage that began in February 2019.

Russia's propaganda machine discovers 2020 Democratic candidate Tulsi Gabbard

Experts who track websites and social media linked to Russia have seen stirrings of a possible campaign of support for Hawaii Democrat Tulsi Gabbard.

Feb. 2, 2019, 7:03 AM EST
By Robert Windrem and Ben Popken

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/russia-s-propaganda-machine-discovers-2020-democratic-candidate-tulsi-gabbard-n964261

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Tulsi Gabbard: White nationalists and Russian propaganda machine throw support behind 2020 candidate
The Hawaii Democrat is facing a growing pool of controversies surrounding her 2020 presidential candidacy

Chris Riotta
Thursday 7 February 2019

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election/tulsi-gabbard-russia-david-duke-policies-2020-campaign-white-nationalist-hawaii-propaganda-a8768056.html

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The Russians Are Coming For Kamala Harris. Why?

William Spivey
Aug 3, 2019

After the second debate during which Kamala Harris was criticized onstage by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on her history as the Attorney General of California. Russian bots went all-in on the Internet in declaring Harris’s candidacy all but over. Like clockwork, Fox News reiterated everything said on the Internet. Make no mistake, Kamala Harris’s record on any issue is fair game to be discussed and debated which is true of any of the candidates. A campaign to misrepresent that record by Russians supporting Trump is another thing entirely.

https://medium.com/discourse/the-russians-are-coming-for-kamala-harris-why-b7c2c73c7523

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What, Exactly, Is Tulsi Gabbard Up To?

As she injects chaos into the 2020 Democratic primary by accusing her own party of “rigging” the election, an array of alt-right internet stars, white nationalists and Russians have praised her.

By Lisa Lerer
Published Oct. 12, 2019

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/us/politics/tulsi-gabbard.html

[lapucelle]

19. Tulsi needs to take responsibility and apologize

to Secretary Clinton for her misleading characterization of what HRC actually said.

Any candidate or pundit who fell for and helped to spread Tulsi’s dishonest story line should take responsibility and apologize as well.

[Cha]

23. gabbard will never do that.. too

entrenched in her fantasy that "Hillary's foreign policy".. which is President Obama's foreign policy is the boogie person.

She's too chicken to say it's President Obama.

Mahalo, lapucelle

[Blue Owl]

31. What's with the Hillary obsession?

Hillary's not even running in 2020. Only a bitter Repuke would care so much about HRC's influence in the 2020 race.