Tulsi goes
By B.J. Reyes
As reported, Honolulu City Councilwoman Tulsi Gabbard today announced her plans to run for the U.S. House seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono. Hirono is running to replace U.S. Sen. Dan Akaka, who plans to retire when his terms ends next year.
Gabbard’s video announcement:
In an email message to supporters, sent today, Gabbard adds:
I want you to know that I will continue working hard and serving you on the City Council, and if you choose to send me to Congress, I will continue serving you, just in a different capacity. I feel I will be of even greater service to you in Congress, given my experience, especially with issues such as the environment, our economy, and the war.
With what’s currently happening in the Middle East, in our country, and most importantly here in Hawai’i, we need an experienced and strong leader in Washington who can make the tough decisions. Having deployed twice to the Middle East, served 2 years in the US Senate with Senator Akaka, assisting him with issues such as energy independence, homeland security, the environment, and veteran affairs, being elected as a State legislator and City Councilmember, as well as my work with my environmental non-profit, I am well-equipped to take on these challenges, and am confident that I will serve you well.
Political Radar
May 26th, 2011 at 1:56 pm
FWIW my sound is not working so watched the video in silent mode. Funny – if I did not know it was a political announcement, I would have guessed it was one of those drug “sleep aid” type ads you see on tv all the time. It just needed little butterflies traipsing across the screeen. The soft fuzzy color, the direct look into the camera, the beautiful teeth and perpetually serene smile.
May 26th, 2011 at 4:35 pm
“I will always listen to you”, however it should continue to say “But, I will do what I, and my father, want to do”.
May 26th, 2011 at 5:48 pm
Bring back ethics to our Government.
May 26th, 2011 at 6:10 pm
can she raise the $$???
May 26th, 2011 at 6:33 pm
So okay let’s get this straight, Congresswomen Hirono and Hanabusa do not live in the areas they represent, Representative Corinne Ching does not live in District 27 but over the Pali somewhere and now we learn that Councilmember Tulsi Gabbard does not live in the area she represents either. Is it just me or is there a trend forming here?
I think we the voters need to start interrogating these wannabe servants of our area that they want to represent.
May 26th, 2011 at 6:49 pm
I think this is good news. Who else is there to support? She’s young. She’s served her country. I think she’ll go far. I like her. No one else listens to the people these days.
May 26th, 2011 at 7:17 pm
she is a snake. Against civil rights, against abortion understood has been part of the hare krishna. Like her dad, she is fake as fake gets. Right wing.
May 26th, 2011 at 8:12 pm
Tusli raises her “experience,” so I will do so also. The first issue into which she passionately and publicly plunged, was a very hostile opposition to equality for gays and lesbians. She spent years on the issue and has said some pretty hard-edged things in public fora and on-camera. Her second major public campaign was in the aftermath of the September II attacks, when she and her father launched an organization, Stand Up for America!, which was one of the most extreme, jingoistic efforts locally, portraying those opposed to the wars in Afghanistan. She and Mike were also “hard-edged” in their hostility to those who disagreed with the war fervor.
The three Gabbard politicians, Mike, Carol and Tulsi, had run into a deadend with their hard right trajectory, so they needed to repackage themselves with a softer, more use-frienfly image. Today, they emphasize their environmental views and try to avoid discussions on issues which arouses their reactionary inner voices.
Tulsi is strong, fearless and intelligent. She also wants government to have police power over women’s bodies and angrily opposes gay and lesbian equality. Once her hard right views are called out into the open, their is no way she can win a Democratic primary, unless the field splits into tiny fractions. She is too right wing for Democratic voters. The City Council race did not bring forth those kind of issues. A congressional race will.
May 26th, 2011 at 10:07 pm
@umm: She does live in the area that she represents as a City Councilwoman. Who knows if she’ll stay or move? It’s early in the game. Besides, it’s not like there’s no precedent: Patsy Mink successfully represented the 2nd District, back in the day.
I’m with Dell on this one.
May 26th, 2011 at 11:32 pm
Another politician who is neither very sharp nor very accomplished but has convinced herself, or been convinced by sycophants around her (Dad?), that she is both. She briefly served in the State House (representing a Leeward district) and accomplished nothing. That adventure stumbled to an end when she couldn’t get straight whether her voluntary deployment would preclude her from running for re-election (it did). She’s a part-time soldier; good for her (and us, I guess). But so what? Then, she opportunistically runs for the Nuuanu Council seat (no incumbent) and, having served barely 5 months, has announced that she’s running for Congress from another district because she wants to serve everyone (and not just her own career ambition)? Dies she think we are as dumb as she is?
May 27th, 2011 at 12:24 am
Are you kidding me? This wahine is overqualified. I don’t care how old she is. Two deployments to the Mideast, two years in the State House, two years with Senator Akaka in DC, and now on the City Council. What more could you ask for. I’d vote for her in a heartbeat. Let’s get rid of the old guard, and let the young ones have a chance.
May 27th, 2011 at 12:26 am
Hmmm, let me think this through. Mazie’s been in this seat for 5 years, and I’m still wondering what she has accomplished. I met Tulsi at a community meeting, and was impressed with her sincerity and willingness to listen to my concerns. I mean it was about potholes, for God’s sake. She took notes, and lo and behold, one week later the potholes were filled. Sure the issues will be different on the national level, but the fact that she cared about me and my stupid potholes, and took ACTION!!! What a refreshing change from the same old, same old.
May 27th, 2011 at 1:21 am
Heck, I thought that it was her father that was running for CD2. This one is getting panned at the City Council.
May 27th, 2011 at 1:27 am
Umm: how do you know about Ching?
May 27th, 2011 at 8:22 am
Ref: zzzzzzzzing’s mention of Patsy Mink – not clear, but if the reference is to living-in-the-district-you-represent, Mink, as a 2nd Congressional District representative, officially listed her residence as Hilo, where she owned an apartment and where she voted.
May 27th, 2011 at 9:57 am
I’ve never given this woman a second glance, namely because of her name. I can’t stand the idea of Sen Gabbard rising in any form of power, and here by extension of his daughter.
I know it’s not fair that I still wouldn’t want her to win because of her dad, but we can’t pick our family.
Still, i must give credit. Tulsi has produced a decent video here. It sets a good tone and credible argument for her candidacy.
May 27th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
How does her constituents in her council district feel now that she wants to abandon them?
Politicians should have some respect for their constituents, otherwise, voters will only feel that the poliltician is only running for his/her own ambition.
May 27th, 2011 at 3:56 pm
I find it interesting that so many politicians just use one office as a stepping stone to another office. of course, I realize that’s the nature of the game and acquiring of power. If someone wanted to truly be a councilperson and ran and was elected FOR THAT JOB, i would think they would have the integrity to see it through and not ditch the constituents that voted for them in the first place. They rationalize it by saying “well i will still be serving the people” just not the specific needs of the people that voted them into office in the first place! No wonder so many people distrust politicians..
May 27th, 2011 at 5:02 pm
Voters are very fickle over whether they hold a grudge against theri legislators running for higher office. If they like the person, they WANT the person to rise to higher office, though they might regret losing the closer contact. If they dislike the person, they will denounce them for “abandoning” them and “using the office as a stepping stone.”
In Tusli’s case, it was a special election. Voters had several choices. Had they known Tulsi was going to bail so quickly, they probably would have elected Sesnita Moepono instead.
Ambition is not, by itself, a bad thing. But seeking an office and then abandoning it before even getting a feel for the job, tends to rub people wrong.
Tulsi wants power. She thinks she can help impose God’s will on society through political power. Anyone who thinks she is not going to jump at an opportunity to gain even more power– not for HER glory, of course, but for God’s– does not understand this woman.
She is, essentially, “a Hindu jihadist,” devoted to imposing a Vaishnavist/Christian form of “sharia law” on the rest of us.
May 27th, 2011 at 5:41 pm
When she was running for the council, she used her FORMER married name, “Tamayo”. Soon after she was elected, she said since she was divorced, she was reverting back to Gabbard. As for the person who was impressed with getting a pothole filled, the city’s normal schedule is to do that one or two days after a report. So don’t give Tulsi credit for that.
May 28th, 2011 at 1:07 am
Councilwoman Gabbard has many more years ahead of her.
A respected elected official is one that performs his/her job well. AND fulfills the obligation of that term whether it’s two, four or six.
Unfortunately, Councilwoman Gabbard in office for 5 months (?). Worked in Sen. Akaka’s office for (?). Served her country (?) Representative Gabbard-Tamayo at the capitol for (?)
years.
She’s here, she’s there….she’s everywhere!!
I reside in the District II and I and as many folks as I can get to will not give Ms. Gabbard a second thought.. I want a congressperson who is really dedicated to the office elected to.
She should resign now if she is serious…don’t say “I do not need to resign my seat to run for Congress”. As it is true, give up your council pay and concentrate on the new contest.
You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Honolulu deserves better.
Though the city will need to proceed with a special election, blame it on Tulsi.
Ses Moepono, in my eyes, has more class and a respected person.
I saw and up and coming “the new breed” in Tulsi as a member of the House of Respresentative. I see now an “opportunist”.
Lujean
May 28th, 2011 at 1:11 am
Councilwoman Gabbard has many more years ahead of her.
A respected elected official is one that performs his/her job well. AND fulfills the obligation of that term whether it’s two, four or six.
Unfortunately, Councilwoman Gabbard in office for 5 months (?). Worked in Sen. Akaka’s office for (?). Served her country (?) Representative Gabbard-Tamayo at the capitol for (?)
years.
She’s here, she’s there….she’s everywhere!!
I reside in the District II and I and as many folks as I can get to will not give Ms. Gabbard a second thought.. I want a congressperson who is really dedicated to the office elected to.
She should resign now if she is serious…don’t say “I do not need to resign my seat to run for Congress”. As it is true, give up your council pay and concentrate on the new contest.
You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Honolulu deserves better.
Though the city will need to proceed with a special election, blame it on Tulsi.
Ses Moepono, in my eyes, has more class and a respected person.
I saw an up and coming “the new breed” in Tulsi as a member of the House of Respresentative. I see now an “opportunist”.
Lujean
May 28th, 2011 at 8:11 pm
Thanks, Kolea, for the poop-scoop on this chic!
Guess she really can be summed up as:
Once a Gabbard, Always a Gabbard.
May 29th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
Once a genious always a genious.
People who own dogs should pick up their dogs poop.
June 1st, 2011 at 3:38 pm
Hipoli et al.,
Those who want to brush up on Tulsi’s “back story” can start with Dave Shapiro’s blog post from the Council race, “Where there’s Gabbards, there’s drama”:
http://blog.volcanicash.net/2010/09/07/where-theres-gabbards-theres-drama/
For further reading, there is an earlier Honolulu Magazine article, which can be found online by googling its title, “Who’s Mike Gabbard?” Those who think Tulsi has different views from her parents, Carol and Mike, should consider a quote from Tulsi in this passage from that article:
“When HONOLULU asked Gabbard in an e-mail to clarify his former relationship with Butler’s Krishna group, Gabbard’s daughter, state Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Tamayo, sent us an angry e-mail in response. “I smell a skunk,” Tamayo wrote. ‘It’s clear to me that you’re acting as a conduit for The Honolulu Weekly and other homosexual extremist supporters of Ed Case.’”
Kinda conflicts with the image she is trying to convey with her new video. But then, Mike Gabbard has always had a disarming smile himself, and adorned himself with leis to soften his hateful message.
June 2nd, 2011 at 2:14 pm
On May 26, 2011, B.J. Reyes wrote “Tulsi goes.”
It’s June 2, 2011; is she gone, yet?
June 6th, 2011 at 5:46 pm
Fickle tourists.
June 7th, 2011 at 6:53 pm
Some others should be gone too.