Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on Warmongers in Their Ivory Towers

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard released this 30-second video in her campaign for the White House. It is one of the most clear and unequivocal statements I have ever heard from a presidential candidate:

Please note that this is not an endorsement or statement of support. Antiwar.com is a nonprofit organization and does not endorse or urge support for any candidates. We do, however, provide news and commentary on campaigns.

47 thoughts on “Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on Warmongers in Their Ivory Towers”

  1. Just because the talk gets tougher doesn’t mean the policy will change. Especially from the top down. We can hope, but if she’s at all sincere I doubt she’ll ever get close to the debates since it would be an indictment upon the elite who stack the slate we vote from.

    I hope she keeps saying what she’s saying but it’s abundantly clear to me the five eyes countries are already beyond the point of no return as far as their sh*tty global debt peonage and slavery utopia dream goes…….

    Without mass civil disobedience this gal will either fade away or get JFK’d.

    1. The rules say that they have to let her in the first Debate if she raises donations from at least 65,000 people by then. She has to have raised these contributions from at least 20 States, with at least 200 contributors coming from an individual State in order for that State to count toward the 20 State total. So, you can actually help to get her in the Debates by going to her Campaign Page and making a contribution, and encouraging others to do the same. It’s the total number of contributions that matters, not the total amount, so anything will help toward the goal. There is also a polling threshold in order to qualify for the Debates, but you only have to meet one or the other. The polling threshold is too easy for the Establishment to manipulate and rig. The donation threshold can’t be faked, and is the safer path toward getting her on that Stage. https://www.tulsi2020.com/splash/no-fear

      3. I don’t give money to politicians. That’s how we got to this point remember ?

        All you’re doing is paying consultants who used to work for the Clinton Mafia anyway.

      4. Those rules pertaining to contributions and polls get a little more complicated if there are more than 20 candidates that meet one or the other threshold. So beware, the DNC bosses may still be able to horse around. We can only wait and see.

        EDIT: Oh, hey, I don’t mean you shouldn’t contribute. I’ve already done so.

    2. Dave chimes in with his usual cynicism and the well worn ” only massive civil disobedience will work” trope. Read John McCarthy below for a solid and effective thing to do for Tulsi – not that Dave seems to want to help in any way.
      Is he cynical or lazy – and those are not mutually exclusive?

      1. I’d say it’s the more naive among us that believe that political stump speeches actually have to mean something that are the lazy ones.

        How come voting hasn’t changed policy goals so far Cratylus ?

        If people like you would pull your head out of your arses and quit supporting the two funding arms of the war party we would be less likely to get “hope and change” over and over again.

        Here’s a clue for you….. Politicians don’t always mean what they say in stump speeches……

        Here’s another clue for you….. You live in a plutocracy, please take note of this and quit pretending you have representative government or anything close to a democracy.

          1. “The definition of a plutocracy is a political system where the wealthy govern.”

            You repeat yourself. All existing States are governed by the (relatively) wealthy. It cannot be otherwise. Once the State has been granted the legal authority to plunder, it is only a matter of time before the wealthy become the biggest purchasers of the plundering service.

          2. That just means the state isn’t the enemy, the “elite” are. Or in other words, the concept of their being an elite. The state is just another benign entity like a religion that in reality is the control mechanism of the so called elite.

          3. Yes, the state is just another benign entity that murdered somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 million people in the 20th century, excluding war deaths and incidental rather than intentional killings.

    3. Your comment is paradoxical. You either have hope for recovery or you believe all hope is lost. You can’t claim both.
      I don’t worry about the debates as each four years that pass reduces the hold the TV debates have on Joe America and pumps up the internet which the Commission on Presidential Debates has no control.
      Thank you for your passionate comment.

      1. I have no hope the current system will recover. I have hope something new will rise out of the ashes of the old. The enemy is this stupid idea of there being an “elite” class among us.

        1. Interesting assertion you have there. I’d be interested if you know of any articles or books that elaborate on your no elite class among us concept. Thank you for your reply.

    4. If Trump can win, anything is possible. We’re looking at a whole new ballgame here. I generally prefer general strikes and direct action myself but if there’s a ballot box just lying there, I’m gonna pick it up and throw it through the nearest government window. Why the f**k not? The brick and the ballot box, that’s my motto. Put that shit on a T-shirt and sell it.

    5. For anyone to actually get elected President and THEN make major policy changes that GREATLY benefit the American people, as USG policies should, would take a full-scale revolution against the ruling classes! That is the REALITY of the USA today. All talk about “freedom and democracy” and nothing but policies that suffocate these two things all over the globe AND at home! A candidate can have 70% of the vote and STILL be prisoner to the Deep State in some way.

  2. We need Tulsi on that debate stage! She is the only candidate speaking about the issues of war and peace. Once she gets the exposure, people will like her and her platform. Then she has a chance to get to the White House.

    We can help her!

    Let’s get Tulsi Gabbard on the stage for the first Democratic Primary Debate in June! Donate $5 today at http://www.tulsi2020.com to help Tulsi get her message out to America!
    We need 65,000 supporters across the country to donate so we can meet the DNC’s fundraising threshold requirement to qualify Tulsi for the debate stage.

  3. Good message. Poor ad.

    – Lose the lei. It’s distracting and it subconsciously broadcasts that you’re an “other”.

    – You’re a 37-year-old woman from a tiny state. People need to get to know you. Start with a photo/video montage showing military career, family, speaking in the House, etc. while you do a voiceover. Then switch to headshot video of you speaking directly to the viewer.

    – Instead of attacking “warmongers in their ivory towers”, connect with viewers by explaining that you’re a combat veteran who shares their war-weariness. Leave in the stuff about the monetary and human costs of the wars.

    – The “speech” setting for the ad doesn’t work: if you’re speaking to a crowd, where’s the applause? And the constant looking left and right (to, presumably, imaginary people) makes you look nervous.

    Again, you’re a young Hawaiian female. In a field of more than a dozen candidates, you have to quickly establish yourself as “top tier”. Barring an endorsement from Bernie Sanders, the only way to do that is to look, speak, and act top tier.

      1. And nobody was clapping? Ugh. Oh well, Bernie started his Death Watch Tour – err I mean Vanity Campaign, so Tulsi’s gonna have a hard time getting traction.

        2. People were clapping, but the event was outdoors, and the clips don’t feature applause lines. The entire speech is online if you want to hear it.

          Sanders doesn’t excite me, and I don’t think he’ll fare as well in a crowded field, but I’ll be happy with Gabbard as his running mate. She’s not remotely like Trump, but because corporate media paint her this way, they’ll help her draw votes from Trump.

          I don’t vote as a rule, and I don’t support political candidates because I expect them to win. Like Ron Paul, Gabbard says things that desperately need saying but that establishment politicians rarely say. She not only says them. She makes them the centerpiece of her campaign, so I support her speaking tour rather than the campaign per se.

          The lei and aloha talk also seem overdone to me, but these superficial appeals don’t affect me one way or the other, and for all I know, they’re effective for people who are moved by them.

  4. You can’t say it any clearer than that. Tulsi will get her chance to shine and break from the pack in the first debate. She will stand out in stark contrast against the other war party candidates in both parties. I am looking for Tulsi to come out of the debates as a clear anti-war alternative while the others split the pro-war vote.

    Unlike Trump you don’t have to read between the lines to cherry pick anti war nuggets while ignoring the other 90% of what Gabbard says. Nor do you need to ignore her vids about “pussy grabbing” or her draft dodging or tabloid scandals and self-centered get rich schemes. Tulsi is an Iraq War combat zone veteran with a genuine commitment to public service with crossover appeal to red and blue voters. She would beat Trump head to head. Trump barely beat Hillary despite Hillary’s warmongering , poor judgment and scandalous foundation. Tulsi has none of Hillary’s baggage and would demolish Trump on national TV. Would you rather your kids grew up to be like Tulsi or like Trump?

    I hope Sanders understands that Gabbard will be a much more powerful candidate than he could ever be, especially since he will be 79 before the 2020 election, he can’t connect with Black voters and has no military service. Sanders should throw his support to Gabbard early and become her adviser or running mate. Sanders’ support could help Tulsi get off to a strong start in New Hampshire. Here’s hoping.

    1. Even if I didn’t vote for her in the general election, I am certainly going to contribute, as she will probably be the only major party candidate who is remotely antiwar. If she can get her ideas some exposure, you are correct, she would mop the floor with Trump. My only concern would be her coziness with Israel, but, perhaps, she will rethink those ties to be consistent with her overall antiwar message.

      1. Borg, I agree that Gabbard needs to articulate a clearer understanding of Israel and its lobby in US wars. But she is the only candidate who would never put Israel’s interest ahead of the interests of the American people.

        In less than 20 years Gabbard has grown from a homophobic Hawaiian surfer girl to the youngest woman legislator in American history to a veteran twice deployed in an Iraq war zone to a resolute critic of the eternal wars who condemned Obama and Trump alike for their neocon foreign policies. She is still growing. I hope she comes to a deeper understanding of the Zionist influence on US policy as well as a deeper appreciation of the foreign policy goals of the Iranian regime. I am optimistic because her past record shows a capacity for change, a commitment to honesty and the ability to respond effectively and courageously to diverse challenges. If given the chance Tulsi would resolutely fight against the war mongers in both parties.

    2. It’s official today, Bernie is running. Even if he wasn’t, he doesn’t possess the backbone to support a candidate this dangerous to the DNC. He didn’t even have the backbone to stand up for his own voters when Hillary mugged the vote. The man is on the record as a Russia-bating, Hugo-bashing, drone-strike-socialist. He’s an albatross around the left’s neck. Nobody needs another FDR. Nobody but the Military Industrial Complex that is. People like Bernie only give such institutions a much needed “compassionate” makeover.

      1. Not to nitpick your verbiage, but I think you meant to say that Sanders is an ALBATROSS around the left’s neck, not an abacus.

  5. Pingback: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on Warmongers in Their Ivory Towers – Michigan Standard
  6. Pingback: 02/19/19 Overnight Links – Republic Reborn

  8. Bernie can shit in his hat. There is only one Democrat left committed to McGovern-style anti-imperialism and that’s Tulsi Gabbard. I left that party of dickless hypocrites years ago and I have zero intention of ever returning but you can consider this an endorsement. If you’re gonna vote in 2020, vote for Tulsi. We gotta put an end to this bomb-dropping shitshow we call a super-power. This is a start.

    1. I think if Tulsi became President, we would know soon whether or not the Trump apologists are full of crap that Trump is simply “playing 3D Chess” and doing everything in his power for peace. Tulsi appears to be the real thing, and, if she actually followed through, we would put an end to this talk of Trump – Peace – MAGA. Of course, there is always the slight chance, no matter how small, that the Deep State actually does possess mind control weapons which can morph any pro-peace President into another Trump, but I’d like to think it is not that late yet.

      1. Anarchy is still the best option. Tulsi, at the very least, would be a nasty caltrop for the tires of the state. I think Trump has served some purpose in that way, but most of the big damage he’s done is more a matter of in-confidence than anything else.

        1. “Anarchy is still the best option.”

          Yes, I agree. And of course, there is always the danger that having someone more benign as President would only re-legitimize the office. As long as an office that powerful exists, its powers will be abused, if less for a time, it will always be excessive when regime change rolls around.

    1. I would be interested in a few reference links. If this is true, it would complicate things, but, people, even politicians, can learn and change for the better. If I can be redeemed after some of the lame headed things I’ve said and done, anyone can.

  10. Tulsi Gabbard is awesome, and if nothing else will inject a little truth serum into the 2020 Campaign for King/Queen of Turd Mountain. The Establishment won’t let her get anywhere near the throne, of course, wedded as they are to the fascist neolib/neocon corporatist oligarchy, but I give her credit for trying.
    If she left the Democrats and ran under the Green Party she might even get my vote, but the DNC machine is a treasonous, poisonous snake best left to die alone in shame and irrelevance.

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