Thread by @LeanOnAndLead

Happy to see that folks locally are telling the truth about Tulsi Gabbard -- now that the nation is wondering WTF....

So I guess it's time to start putting all those stories in one thread:

I think Dave Shapiro might have been first: "Internationally she proclaims herself a peacenik, but it’s a peace where the strongman always wins, judging from her coziness with Syria's al-Assad, Egypt's el-Sisi and India’s nationalist leader Narendra Modi. staradvertiser.com/2019/01/13/haw…

Then came Richard Borecca: "That’s an important lesson because now, popular Hawaii Democrat U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has the same trust issues as she toys with a campaign for president. To that end, she has started attacking Hawaii U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono." staradvertiser.com/2019/01/13/edi…

Local activists Indivisible Hawaii wrote a viewpoint in Civil Beat: "This attack is not only inaccurate, it exposes Gabbard’s self-serving attempt to project herself as a defender of religious freedom — a position which is inconsistent with her own actions.civilbeat.org/2019/01/why-is…

Blogger Ian Lind: ...Gabbard’s Congressional staff & her campaign have included a number of individuals w/ties to Science of Identity...Gabbard’s campaign has gone to great lengths to insulate her from questions about her past & present ties to the group. ilind.net/2019/01/15/

Lee Cataluna: "..a past full of gaping holes, hateful words & bigoted intentions that she fully expects people to ignore. Look at the surfing veteran. Get her lots of coverage in national media. Ignore all the hatred she spewed in her not-so-distant past." staradvertiser.com/2019/01/16/haw…

And the @StarAdvertiser opinion poll (not scientific, but telling in its framing of questions -- and the responses.)

Chad Blair did a recap of the national and local press this weekend, ending with:

"But Gabbard can no longer blow off the local press or expect the media (and voters) to disregard her controversial background, record and positions."

civilbeat.org/2019/01/chad-b…

The recap also includes a summary of/and links to Gabbard stories since 2010. (For those of you who haven't been paying attention for that long!)

Someone was asking me about what the general view of Gabbard has been in Hawaii -- and whether she is seen as a divisive figure. I'd say that she's mostly been seen as a self-involved and self-promoting figure. Gridiron made this video about her last year. vimeo.com/231475529

Tulsi Gabbard has been pretty consistent in pushing the missile headed our way scenario. (Kind of makes you wonder why she was the first to know that the false missile attack was false, right?)

Anyway, here's the Maui News response to her crazy talk in 2016. #Tulsigottago

Borreca lifts the lid on Tulsi in MSM:

[Gabbard] actually came to her religion from first joining a local Hare Krishna offshoot called the Science of Identity Foundation, headed by self-described guru Chris Butler, who goes by the name Siddhaswarupananda. staradvertiser.com/2019/01/20/edi…

Wow.

Arriving at a peaceful solution requires, rather than freelancing, consultative & collaborative work w/experts in the field. Trump has been accused of winging it in international relations; someone seeking to replace him should show better judgment.
staradvertiser.com/2019/01/22/edi…

Gabbard vs Kahele:
His father, the late Sen. Gil Kahele, was a beloved leader who spent his life in public service. While Gabbard threw her father & his bigoted beliefs under the bus last week, Kahele’s father was a champion of same-­ sex marriage rights. staradvertiser.com/2019/01/23/haw…

And so it begins. The Star Advertiser exposes Tulsi Gabbard and the Science of Identity Foundation. Hopefully, the media starts looking at their criminal activity next -- in spite of Butler's threats to sue. staradvertiser.com/2019/01/27/haw…

Story about threats to SA by the cult on Gabbard's behalf is actually more interesting than story about her connections to it. "Primary focus was on ensuring S-A didn’t publish allegations from people who say they were former practitioners of the religion" tinyurl.com/y7wqdp3n

.@charliearchy did this story first but @CivilBeat added local perspective: "But instead of talking about her past, Gabbard has gone on the offensive, accusing those who question her of “fomenting bigotry” or at least being complicit in its proliferation."civilbeat.org/2019/01/gabbar…

Local media continues to pile on Tulsi Gabbard. Not a lot of local love for her. Maybe the fact that she and her guru threaten the press (and citizens) has something to do with it...#TulsiGottaGo
kitv.com/story/39885484…

Nick Grube on Tulsi's record of staff turnover. It's the link to the old story on her chief of staff that tells the real story. When some old guy in Kailua is calling the shots, of course theres gonna be chaos. amp.civilbeat.org/2019/02/__tras…

"I’m all for religious freedom. But when a candidate comes fresh out the gate misrepresenting a valid critique rather than debating ideas, that shows neither of those qualities. I say we must stand for critical thinking & call out BS whenever we smell it." mauitime.com/news/politics/…

Local media coverage of Tulsi Gabbard's launch includes same photos over and over, interview with Mike Gabbard and one supporter.

"Dozens of supporters and friends turned out to the Hilton Hawaiian Village’s Great Lawn for the event."

hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/01/31/gab…

[Yoshida} also said he leaned more right than left in politics. He thinks Gabbard is better than most of the other Dems in the field, and he noted that the greatest presidents — Ronald Reagan & Abraham Lincoln, in his view — were Republicans. civilbeat.org/2019/02/tulsi-… #TrickyTulsi

If the local press had actually reported what we've all already known about Gabbard for over three years -- as opposed to just offering her a free platform, then maybe she would have felt like she HAD to respond to hard questions.

https://twitter.com/nickgrube/status/1093227959429877761

Hawaii pundit piles on. Maybe if there'd been some local analysis during last 2 elections by media as opposed to being dazzled by the "rising star," Gabbard's problematic views would've been exposed and grassroots candidates would've had more credibility. civilbeat.org/2019/02/neal-m…

To be fair, reporters have had to deal with Tulsibots from the beginning. This @CivilBeat is from 2014. civilbeat.org/2014/10/denby-…

Local coverage by @MAUITIME of Tulsi Gabbard's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Presidential campaign.#tulsigottago mauitime.com/news/politics/…

This has always been true: "Gabbard is popular enough in local public opinion polls that most fellow Democratic politicians don’t see any gain in speaking out against her, but she lacks sufficient clout to make them feel a need to stand behind her." staradvertiser.com/2019/02/10/haw…

(And the don't share common cause with her...so there's that.)

Good catch @nickgrube:

Civil Beat asked Gabbard’s office for an explanation as to why the congresswoman didn’t include the position on her 2017 financial disclosure, but did not receive a response. #TrickyTulsi

civilbeat.org/2019/03/tulsi-…

Funny thing about fame/infamy:

"Mainstream media in many ways created Gabbard. She’s gone from sort of being a darling of national media … to attacking the machine that kind of created her.”

(Good point even though Moore comment about Assad is absurd.)
staradvertiser.com/2019/03/16/haw…

HI responds to Tulsi Gabbard:
You can only go so far on a beautiful face, nice voice & fine articulation. Eventually you do have to have a better grasp of the enormous job you are seeking. Why not be a good rep for Hawaii, gain more experience & then run?
staradvertiser.com/2019/03/19/edi…

So there was a positive letter to the editor about Tulsi Gabbard in the @StarAdvertiser on March 24, 2019 applauding her bravery etc.

The comments were pretty revealing about the prevailing view of our rep these days.
staradvertiser.com/2019/03/24/edi…

Put another way, a lot of people who contributed to Gabbard’s previous campaigns for the U.S. House of Representatives are now paying for Tulsi 2020, as her campaign is called.

civilbeat.org/2019/04/chad-b…

Gabbard’s FEC filing for her Tulsi Now committee shows that she has appeal across the country in terms of campaign contributions. But not much comes from Hawaii. Of the 2,078 itemized receipts for Gabbard, only 114 — or about 6% — came from Hawaii.

Guru Chris Butler's plan for Tulsi Gabbard?

When Sarah Palin saw herself as having outgrown Alaska after running for VP in 2008, she resigned as governor to cash in on TV appearances & speaking fees while keeping her name in the presidential conversation. staradvertiser.com/2019/04/21/haw…

https://twitter.com/TrueFactsStated/status/1135238924845092864?s=19

I think this thread is going to get interesting again...cuz people locally are going to have lots to say about what's finally coming out about #TrickyTulsi. No words from @MidWeekHawaii.

Gabbard’s polling numbers have not shown any breakthrough. Polls over past few days from Quinnipiac, CNN, The Hill/HarrisX & Politico/Morning Consult show her w/just 1% support, which is where she’s been pretty much been since she first entered the race. civilbeat.org/beat/debates-o…

#TrickyTulsi: Some of Gabbard’s missed votes were on important defense legislation, even though her signature campaign issues revolve around criticism of US foreign and military policy, particularly her opposition to U.S. involvement in regime-change wars. civilbeat.org/2019/07/gabbar…

Not standing up for the Mauna & not doing her job:

Gabbard did not participate in the House’s 11 roll call votes Wed. Messages not returned. But Gabbard’s Twitter feed said that she was in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wednesday for a presidential candidate forum. civilbeat.org/beat/rep-gabba…