In January of 2013, Tulsi Gabbard (then just 31 years of age) was being promoted as the next rising star of the Democratic Party. At the time, Representative Gabbard was everything the Democratic Party alleges to care about as a walking embodiment of cultural diversity. Gabbard was one of the first female combat veterans elected to Congress and a member of both a religious and ethnic minority (as the first Hindu and American Samoan ever to sit in Congress). Being from Hawaii, Gabbard is also an avid surfer and is active in both physical conditioning and martial arts training. As a young, fit, and socially dynamic progressive woman committed to public service and ending wasteful regime-change wars, she was showered with praise from party leaders as she was unanimously elected to serve as Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee:"Congresswoman Gabbard’s story is an inspiration and her dedication to public service showcases the best of our party’s values." ~Former DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
"She’s an emerging star." ~House Leader Nancy Pelosi
"I think she’s wonderful. She’s been in combat in a leadership role, and she knows how to lead. She deals well with men and women, young and old, Republican and Democrat. She’s got an extraordinary political talent." ~Democratic House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer
So what changed? How and why did Tulsi go from DNC darling to Establishment enemy #1? (Well, maybe #2 behind Bernard Sanders). To understand the vitriol that Hillary Clinton and Establishment Democrats hold for Tulsi Gabbard, it’s imperative to put her trajectory in its historical context.
It was on the morning of February 28, 2016 that Tulsi Gabbard’s political life would forever change. I remember that day perfectly. It was a crisp, sunny winter morning in Kittery, Maine where I found myself drinking coffee at one of my favorite local cafes, when a headline buzzed across my phone: