One former presidential candidate from this cycle’s presidential primaries who didn’t receive an invitation to speak at the Democrat convention is Tulsi Gabbard. It is a standard procedure of both major political parties to offer a speaking spot to any presidential candidate who received delegates during the primaries.
Granted, Tulsi only earned two delegates (from American Samoa), but still, she has delegates on the board. That is more than some of the also-rans received. So, it’s a bit surprising that she was snubbed, especially in a year that the Democrats are concentrating on women and women of color, in particular. She confirmed the snub on Twitter, natch.
You're correct – I was not invited to participate in any way. https://t.co/zQBOQB8Zw7
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) August 20, 2020
It’s no secret that Tulsi doesn’t have a lot of friends among the members of the Democrat establishment. She made waves during the primary debates when she went after Kamala’s record of tossing innocent people into jail. Who can forget the look on Kamala’s face when Tulsi first spoke up and challenged her on her record in California? Kamala looked stunned, clearly not prepared for such an aggressive, honest attack. And there was the dust-up with Hillary after Hillary called Tulsi out as a Russian asset. Tulsi sued Hillary for defamation, then dropped the lawsuit. The likely reason is that Stephanie Cutter, the convention program executive, decided Tulsi wasn’t deserving of a speaking spot because of the pot-stirring she dares to do. Cutter, an Obama loyalist, and former campaign communications person, no doubt had Tulsi’s past performances in mind. Who knows what she could have gotten out in a minute?
So, the Democrat convention was filled with musical performances and celebrities who snarled against the current president. No one was allowed to stray from the script. The Democrats are masters at groupthink and punishing those who alter the message.
Tulsi Gabbard didn’t run for re-election. She’s done with the House of Representatives. Right now she is in Alaska to fulfill a two-week Army duty requirement. She will be joining a U.S. Army Reserves Civil Affairs team to assist an Alaska Native Tribe with critical community needs through the Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) program. IRT provides joint training opportunities to increase deployment readiness as well as key services that benefit communities across the country and U.S. Territories. Those services include health care, construction, transportation, and cybersecurity for the communities. I think a lot of people forget that Tulsi is still an active member of the Army Reserves. While the Democrats were working feverishly to convince the viewers that they care about the military and its members, they were actively suppressing the voice of a Democrat still serving.
While Tulsi is on duty, her congressional staff will continue working on her behalf. Her district has benefitted from her service in the Army Reserves. They have taken advantage of the IRT program through Tropicare, a two-week annual training event. Medical professionals provide free health care clinics throughout the islands. They have offered basic dental, medical, optometry exams, health education classes and pharmaceutical and lab services fo the public at no cost.
I don’t agree with Tulsi on political philosophy or with some questionable relationships she has had with foreign dictators but, if Andrew Yang was given a minute and a half to speak, Tulsi deserved the same.
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