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Her Sister

(6,444 posts)
57. http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/curious-islamophobic-politics-dem-congressmember-tulsi-gabba
Mon Feb 29, 2016, 11:32 AM
Feb 2016

CIVIL LIBERTIES
The Curious Islamophobic Politics of Dem Congressmember Tulsi Gabbard
Gabbard comes from one of the nation's most progressive chapters of the Democratic Party.
By Zaid Jilani / AlterNet February 22, 2015
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303 COMMENTS

Photo Credit: "Tulsi Gabbard, official portrait, 113th Congress" by United States Congress -

“Meet the Democrat Who’s Not Afraid to Criticize President Obama on ISIS,” intones a recent ABC News headline. The story describes remarks by Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D), who has for the past month been all over the media slamming Obama's refusal to directly associate ISIS and other terrorists with the Islamic faith.

She's particularly a favorite of right-wing media. Appearing with Fox's Neil Cavuto last week, she lashed out at the White House for holding an extremism summit with Muslim Americans, saying it's a “diversion from what our real focus needs to be. And that focus is on that Islamic extremist threat.” She criticized Obama for saying that “poverty, lack of access to jobs, lack of access to education” is contributing to radicalization. “They are not fueled by materialistic motivation, it's actually a theological, this radical Islamic ideology,” she said, throwing red meat to Fox viewers.

To the media, Gabbard is a curious spectacle. She's a Hawaii Democrat, coming from one of the nation's most progressive and dovish chapters of the Democratic Party, but she's also an Iraq war veteran, and she's consistently tried to outflank President Obama and the rest of her party to the right on foreign affairs. Last month she openly mocked Secretary of State John Kerry during an appearance on CNN, saying that he thinks that, "if we give them [Islamic extremists] $10,000 and give them a nice place to live that somehow they're not going to be engaged in this fighting."To Gabbard, the idea that Syria and Iraq have been through years of brutal civil war, wrecked economies, and massive displacement is irrelevant; the only reason they have an extremism problem is because of Islamic theology."

But the case of Tulsi Gabbard becomes less curious and more expected once you look at her links to a different set of ethnic and religious hardliners: the Hindu nationalist Indian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Since her election to Congress, Gabbard has tied herself closely to this party, which has a history of condoning hatred and violence against India's Muslim minority. Many of her stateside donors and supporters are also big supporters of this movement, which disdains secularism and promotes religious sectarianism.

Holy fuck, they're on EVERY. SINGLE. THING. she posts. Dr Hobbitstein Feb 2016 #1
Unbelieveable........ Historic NY Feb 2016 #2
DAYUM! The Berners are begging for her endorsement on EVERY SINGLE POST. BlueCaliDem Feb 2016 #3
I don't see any Hillary supporters doing that. yallerdawg Feb 2016 #4
Me, either, but there are at least 288+ in that first post and I don't intend to read each and every BlueCaliDem Feb 2016 #8
I wrote to her a while back Rose Siding Feb 2016 #9
There's one! yallerdawg Feb 2016 #12
Oh I didn't do it there! Rose Siding Feb 2016 #15
OMG! yallerdawg Feb 2016 #19
Wow! Snail-mail! Now *that* takes dedication these days, rather than posting a quick BlueCaliDem Feb 2016 #20
Jesus ismnotwasm Feb 2016 #5
If she endorsed Hillary charlyvi Feb 2016 #6
Yes, just like they did to Sen. Franken DesertRat Feb 2016 #13
Have they ever met... yallerdawg Feb 2016 #23
Nope. Once you put a label on it, it becomes "Establishment". charlyvi Feb 2016 #27
OMG! BooScout Feb 2016 #7
Same here, BooScout. I was totally BlueCaliDem Feb 2016 #21
That's just insane! DesertRat Feb 2016 #10
I'm not even sure MSMITH33156 Feb 2016 #11
Oh ffs, *Especially* ironic and inappropriate on the post about the JFK library Rose Siding Feb 2016 #14
The spamming of PP, Naral, Al Franken, John Lewis, and anyone who endorses Hillary is bad enough, still_one Feb 2016 #16
God, they're obnoxious. DavidDvorkin Feb 2016 #17
Feeling that bern. Starry Messenger Feb 2016 #18
Wow, that shows that GamerGate spirit indeed! KitSileya Feb 2016 #22
Astute observation Ellen Forradalom Feb 2016 #41
It's about ethics in Democratic primaries! nt Dr Hobbitstein Feb 2016 #45
Yes. yallerdawg Feb 2016 #56
I have an intuition - after her state votes on Monday (and hopefully Clinton wins).... George II Feb 2016 #24
When did Elizabeth Warren... yallerdawg Feb 2016 #28
One guy told her that the Revolution was more important than her career! charlyvi Feb 2016 #25
Picked at random: OilemFirchen Feb 2016 #26
These read like abusive Nigerian Prince emails jsmirman Feb 2016 #29
Wow! brer cat Feb 2016 #30
Has this been posted in GD: P? nt KitSileya Feb 2016 #31
Oh, no. yallerdawg Feb 2016 #32
True dat! nt KitSileya Feb 2016 #33
lol Cha Feb 2016 #42
I took the leap and posted the issue in GD: P KitSileya Feb 2016 #47
Great! yallerdawg Feb 2016 #53
No shit! William769 Feb 2016 #50
Bizarre behavior. nt kjones Feb 2016 #34
Good lord, even on posts that are personal obamanut2012 Feb 2016 #35
The only positive thing I see? yallerdawg Feb 2016 #37
hahaha yes obamanut2012 Feb 2016 #43
Disgusting behavior. Please! Please! Please! Pretty Please! Kang Colby Feb 2016 #36
WTH??? DemonGoddess Feb 2016 #38
They seem to see her as some sort of mascot lolly Feb 2016 #39
Hillary is spending a lot of Monday in Massachusetts. yallerdawg Feb 2016 #40
Her endorsement would have won him Mass. Agschmid Feb 2016 #44
No doubt. Wonder why she's not and did he ask her? Cha Feb 2016 #52
Uh-Oh....Liz is at risk of being eclipsed... Princess Turandot Feb 2016 #46
Super Tuesday draws near and the bullshit will end. oasis Feb 2016 #48
So much for all of that happy horseshit about any woman but Hillary. Starry Messenger Feb 2016 #49
Imagine Super Tuesday.. misterhighwasted Feb 2016 #55
It's going to be total insanity. Starry Messenger Feb 2016 #58
Yet somehow they will try to cry victim out of this. giftedgirl77 Feb 2016 #51
This will be sad to watch Gothmog Feb 2016 #54
http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/curious-islamophobic-politics-dem-congressmember-tulsi-gabba Her Sister Feb 2016 #57
And, somehow, incredible national exposure! yallerdawg Feb 2016 #60
Ummm... I don't think this tactic will work. If anything, she's probably realizing ... NurseJackie Feb 2016 #59
Let's hope bullying and intimidation doesn't work! yallerdawg Feb 2016 #61
What ever happened to free thinking? They were doing similar to Jesse Jackson after... George II Feb 2016 #62
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