Tulsi Gabbard breaks ranks from Democrats, says she actually supports restrictions on abortion, No open borders

Source: Washington Examiner
Published: Sep 9, 2019
Author: Mike Brest
Post Date: 2019-09-11 08:17:06 by Deckard
Views: 1922

In an interview with Dave Rubin yesterday, Hawaii congresswoman and Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard conceded that abortion should not be permitted during the last three months of pregnancy unless the mother was at severe risk.

Gabbard told Rubin she views abortion in a “libertarian” way, saying she doesn’t think government should be dictating women’s choices. “I think that there should be some restrictions though,” she added. Rubin asked if she had a “cutoff point,” to which she replied: “I think the third trimester. Unless a woman’s life or severe health consequences is at risk, then there shouldn’t be an abortion in the third trimester.”

When Gabbard first became involved in politics in the Hawaii state legislature, she called herself pro-life, but later said having been deployed to Iraq changed her view of the issue. Since becoming a member of Congress, Gabbard has maintained a 100-percent rating from Planned Parenthood. She supports federal funding of abortion, but she did not co-sponsor a Democratic bill in the House that would repeal the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the direct use of taxpayer funds to cover abortion procedures. She also did not sponsor the Democratic “Women’s Health Protection Act,” a piece of federal legislation that would override state restrictions on abortion.

Though Gabbard’s acknowledgement that third-trimester abortions ought to be regulated is a small concession, it’s much more than any of her fellow Democratic presidential candidates has been willing to offer on the issue — despite the unpopularity of elective late-term abortion among Americans, including those who consider themselves “pro-choice.”

What about open borders?

Gabbard also criticized her fellow candidates for pushing for what she saw as open borders policies on immigration.

"I don't support open borders," she said. "Without secure borders, we don't really have a country and while some of the other Democratic candidates will say, 'Well, open borders, that's a conservative argument and that's not really what's being advocated for,' if you look at some of the practical implications of some of the things they are pushing for, it is essentially open borders."

She said that she thought the country needed secure borders, although she did not believe that President Trump's proposed border wall across the entire southern border was the most effective way to accomplish this goal.

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#1: misterwhite    To: Deckard (#0)

Unless a woman’s life or severe health consequences is at risk, then there shouldn’t be an abortion in the third trimester.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We've heard that from Democrats before. But this is always translated as "mental health consequences" and third trimester abortions continue.

Go away, flip-flopper.

misterwhite posted on 2019-09-11 09:24:51   Reply   Private Reply


#2: Hank Rearden    To: Deckard (#0)

Too late, honey; we'll just assume you're a liar like all democRats.

Hank Rearden posted on 2019-09-11 14:58:58   Reply   Private Reply


#3: Tooconservative    To: Hank Rearden, misterwhite (#2)

Sometimes when a campaign is about to end, they're a little more truthful. Or a little more desperate to grab some attention.

Gabbard did not qualify for tonight's Dem debate. The ones who qualified were:

  • Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar
  • New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker
  • South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg
  • Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
  • Former Vice President Joe Biden
  • Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren
  • California Sen. Kamala Harris
  • Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang
  • Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke
  • Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro

So it's easy for Gabbard to say stuff. And she has taken enough fire previously that maybe she just doesn't care and is focusing on establishing herself as a Dem brand name nationally. Chances are, she drops out very soon, maybe this week. To me, she has more appeal than Klobuchar, Yang and Castro.

She may be looking for a shot at being someone's VP attack dog, like for a very liberal type like Bernie! or Lieawatha who might want a VP who could hit the Red states and balance the ticket with a veteran.

Tooconservative posted on 2019-09-12 14:51:02   Reply   Private Reply


#4: misterwhite    To: Tooconservative (#3)

If I want someone who is pro-life and in favor of secure borders I'll vote Republican, not some pseudo-Democrat trying (lying) to get elected.

misterwhite posted on 2019-09-12 15:20:30   Reply   Private Reply


#5: Tooconservative    To: misterwhite (#4)

Well, sure. I was looking at it from the angle of what she's trying to accomplish at this point when her support is under 1%. She's hanging in there for a reason, to build a brand name, to become the first populist Dem in the House, to become a VP pick or cabinet pick. Most likely, it's all of the above. She is kind of opportunistic and she is a calculating risk-taker.

I wasn't suggesting that any GOP should actually support Gabbard. I suppose they could if they were in a hopelessly Red or hopelessly Blue state, just to cause a little primary mischief for the Dems. This is Limbaugh's Operation Chaos strategy. It worked fairly well at keeping Hitlery's campaign in 2008 alive all the way to the convention when the superdelegates turned on her and threw their support to the 1) younger, 2) blacker, 3) charismatic 0bama which is the kind of candidate the libs are always waiting to swoon over anyway. The Dems know these choices can affect party identity for a generation or more among voters coming of age. The Dems are stupid in policy but subtle in long-term political strategy.

Gabbard is enough of a maverick, I could see her getting a Pentagon job as an undersecretary in a Trump administration if she somehow lost her House seat.

I do think that Gabbard believes it is possible to assemble a coalition of indy/Dem voters in Red states to tilt a lot of House and Senate seats Blue. And maybe elect her president in 10 years or so. She has the WH bug.

Tooconservative posted on 2019-09-12 15:28:43   Reply   Private Reply