Democratic Primaries
Related: About this forumIf you donated to Tulsi Gabbard, she's funneled much of your money to her cult
Big investigative piece on Gabbard in a Hawaiian newspaper
https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/09/why-is-tulsi-gabbard-paying-this-obscure-consultant-big-bucks/
Kris Robinson grew up in the same controversial religious sect as Gabbard. Now, hes one of the top-paid vendors on her 2020 presidential campaign.
As you read this article it just gets more shocking.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Cha
(295,929 posts)Never be any of my money.
Mahalo, sharedvalues.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
CincyDem
(6,284 posts)...because he helped her win in the past.
Much is made in the article about how this guy is some nobody from the backwoods of Washington State and his common non-mainstream religious beliefs (just by others as a "cult" . It appears that he's worked for her in previous campaigns; you know, the one's she won (state rep, city council, US house). She's a third tier candidate running a shoestring campaign with an organization likely best suited to support candidates running for Fish and Wildlife Commissioner.
To be clear - one of my few morning rituals is to wake up and pray I don't have to decide between her and Trump next November. I'm pretty sure we don't risk that fate. If she makes it to the Ohio primary, I would rank her somewhere below my favorite chair and above a root canal.
But...
Feels like this story starts and ends with "she's part of a whackadoodle cult that's not a real religion". The fact that everyone comes from a small circle of friends, family, and religious affiliates doesn't feel nefarious - it just feels normal when you take the religious vector out of the story.
Like I said, she'd be my fifth choice in a three horse race but everyone's entitled to their own religion and everyone builds personal/professional bonds within that religion. Not for us to judge if that's how she (poorly) runs her campaign.
Time for breakfast.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
qazplm135
(7,447 posts)at one point, her whole family had some pretty extreme beliefs on gays.
Almost cult-like you might say.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
I agree with you that the whole family had some pretty extreme beliefs regarding homosexuality.
But I wouldn't consider that criteria to call them a cult. Their wrongheaded ideas on the topic are extreme and in line with those of Mike Pence but we don't talk about him being a member of a "cult"...we just appropriately call him and his ilk "asshats". lol.
My point was that for many people, religious affiliation and similarity creates business relationships (for better or worse) and it just doesn't feel like news that this incompetent candidate hired a guy from her church that has no other qualifications for the job other than he helped her get elected to three positions already.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
qazplm135
(7,447 posts)"The Family."
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
madaboutharry
(40,153 posts)The story at the link gets pretty weird.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
dewsgirl
(14,961 posts)has been something shady about her since before the campaign events began.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
dalton99a
(81,091 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
PatSeg
(46,807 posts)got as far as she did. She was always a bit of an oddball, but she kept winning elections.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
thesquanderer
(11,955 posts)Let's say ANY candidate hires someone from the same religious background that he or she has, or is even part of the same congregation. Would you say that that candidate is funneling their campaign contributions to their church (or equivalent)?
p.s. - the article has been discussed here before.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Response to sharedvalues (Original post)
Rainbow Droid This message was self-deleted by its author.
sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
TomCADem
(17,378 posts)On the environment, she is not too far off from other candidates, but her positions on LGBT issues and Russia are really problematic. On top of that, her main schtick appears to be to attack Democrats from the "left" on Fox News. Then again, there are folks who supported Nader and Jill Stein, so perhaps there is an audience.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
sabbat hunter
(6,825 posts)Is a practicing Hindu. Is that a cult now?
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)Saying Gabbard is a Hindu is like saying David Koresh was a Christian. Both true, and both totally uninformative about the craziness of their sect.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
still_one
(91,968 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Hekate
(90,202 posts)https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211695834
In addition, there is a Hawaiian journalist who has been doing some deep digging on Tulsi's background, and one of our Hawaii DUers has posted those links.
That young lady is not all that she seems, by a long shot. She was groomed from childhood to be the public face of a very undemocratic philosophy.
Here it is, from Mahina, with many additional links
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211667912
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This new one from the OP, so it's in my files
https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/09/why-is-tulsi-gabbard-paying-this-obscure-consultant-big-bucks/
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden