In information that will probably be deeply distressing to her supporter, Tulsi Gabbard, the previous lawmaker from Hawaii whose whole flame out within the 2020 presidential main led her to search for any shreds of political relevance she may discover in right-wing tradition wars, introduced she was leaving the Democratic Get together on Tuesday.
In a video posted to Twitter during which she parroted right-wing speaking factors on crime, wokeness, and “anti-white racism,” Gabbard mentioned she was leaving the Democratic Get together and as a substitute internet hosting a brand new self-titled YouTube present.
“For those who can now not abdomen the course that so-called woke Democratic Get together ideologues are taking our nation, I invite you to hitch me,” Gabbard mentioned.
For good measure, her message additionally included what seemed to be veiled antisemitism and QAnon references during which she mentioned the celebration was “beneath the whole management of an elitist cabal of warmongers” that “weaponize the nationwide safety state to go after political opponents.”
Gabbard additionally sounded positively Trumpian within the first 28-minute episode of her present, accusing Democrats of rejecting the rule of regulation and turning the nation right into a “banana republic” — seemingly ignoring all of the proof that Trump and his Republican allies have persistently sought to undermine that bedrock precept of democracy. (In 2019, she was the one member of Congress to remain impartial by voting “current” at Trump’s first impeachment.)
The truth is that Gabbard, who represented Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District from 2013 to 2021, had lengthy since drifted to the best on quite a lot of points.
In 2020, she determined to make use of the ultimate days of her time as a lawmaker overtly signaling the beginnings of her right-wing shift, attempting to limit abortion and attacking transgender girls and women.
Since leaving workplace, she has slammed President Joe Biden for calling out Republican assaults on voting and has railed towards his former signature home coverage regulation often known as “Construct Again Higher” as furthering a “cradle-to-grave mentality of presidency dependence.”
She has additionally in contrast so-called cancel tradition to ISIS terrorism and has inspired Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to go even additional along with his “Don’t Say Homosexual” regulation. (Whereas courting Democratic voters in 2019, Gabbard apologized for her previous conservative views on LGBTQ points, together with on marriage equality, however I assume that’s previous information now.)
This 12 months, she was additionally a speaker on the Conservative Political Motion Convention in Florida, the place she advised the gang she felt “proper at dwelling.”
In January, the left-leaning British journal New Statesman even referred to as her “a dark-horse contender for the 2024 GOP nomination.”
On the finish of an interview final November on Fox Information, far-right Trump acolyte Sean Hannity appeared already happy with Gabbard’s political transition to the best.
“You don’t sound like a Democrat to me,” he advised her. “I hereby — increase your proper hand — you’re undoubtedly a conservative.”
“At all times a pleasure, Sean,” Gabbard responded.