It sure seems like it's hard to find anyone on the left these days who demonstrates even an ounce of sanity. When you do, they tend to stick out because they are the exception, not the rule.
Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) stuck out as an exception during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. If more Democrats were like her, our country would be significantly better off. That year, while she was still in Congress, she introduced a bill banning biological males from competing in women’s sports. Heck, on that issue alone, it's hard not to like her.
In addition to her understanding that there are biological differences between men and women, she sounded the alarm about the left's "KGB-style" surveillance of conservatives after the Capitol riot, defended Kyle Rittenhouse, and acknowledged that obsessing about race is divisive. One could say that in many ways, she sounds more like a conservative.
This is why Gabbard, who has since changed her party affiliation from Democrat to Independent, has been floated as a possible running mate for Donald Trump — including by Trump himself.
Gabbard was included on Trump's shortlist for his potential running mate, along with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), and Gov. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.).
Naturally, Gabbard's inclusion on the list didn't go unnoticed.
Newsweek reported on Thursday:
Tulsi Gabbard's odds of becoming the 2024 Republican vice-presidential candidate surged with a leading bookmaker after Donald Trump said she was on his short list during a Fox News town hall on Tuesday,. The U.K.-based Betfair slashed the odds on Gabbard being the GOP's 2024 vice-presidential candidate from 35/1 (2.8 percent) on Monday to 22/1 (4.3 percent) on Wednesday following Trump's comments on Tuesday. [...] She is followed by Ramaswamy, who went from 7/1 to 13/2, and Representative Elise Stefanik who moved from 7/1 to 8/1. The next three in the Betfair rankings before Gabbard, who is in seventh place, are Scott, Nikki Haley, and Ben Carson. Between Monday and Wednesday, Scott's Betfair odds went from 12/1 to 9/1, Haley's moved from 13/1 to 10/1 and Carson shifted from 11/1 to 14/1. Unlike the others who have either dropped out or didn't run, Haley is still standing against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination.
I previously explained why a Trump-DeSantis ticket will never happen, and now I feel compelled to point out that Trump won't pick Gabbard either.
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On its face, I can see why people might find it a formidable unity ticket, but it's not a good idea. Tulsi may be an Independent, but she was a Democrat, ran for the Democratic Party presidential nomination, and achieved a lifetime conservative score of 10% during her time in Congress, according to Heritage Action for America.
That's impressive considering that the average House Democrat is 1%, but is that someone I want as vice president when we could potentially have another evenly divided U.S. Senate after the 2024 elections? Not at all.
I'm all for working with sane Democrats since they can be allies in pursuing shared objectives, and the Republican party should be open to embracing them. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that we should be placing them in positions of power.
While Republicans need to engage with reasonable Democrats, it's crucial to recognize that, above everything else, Trump will pick someone who is loyal to him and his agenda. Trump, known for prioritizing allegiance, just can't possibly see someone like Gabbard as the ideal choice for a vice president.
Despite applauding her for being a rational former Democrat, she does not align with the specific needs and priorities of Trump or the Republican Party. There may be a place for her in the administration somewhere but not vice president.
