Suddenly, the ex-Congresswoman from Hawaii seems to be everywhere, shape-shifting, gaslighting, and raising questions about a Trump-Gabbard ticket abound
Like the current state of literature, politics has become a game of image and social media, two afflictions that go hand-in-hand. As the great Mexican essayist Angelina Muñiz-Huberman writes in her spectacular collection "Arrhythmias": "The kingdom of the skin: of what’s on the surface, of the obvious. Forget the guts: what you don’t see doesn’t exist. Therefore, does God not exist? No, not right now. Too complicated." Gabbard is the epitome of the contemporary sphinx, neither her religious beliefs (if, indeed, she has any), her political positions, nor her vision for the country are clear. What is clear is her Instagram ready makeup, her shiny hair and teeth, her pretend-feminist white suit, and her enigmatic smile. She is all skin and no guts and, if only for that reason, her success seems almost assured.
Gabbard is part of a new breed of politicians, who are motivated less by ideology and policy, and more by the symbolic and economic profits that are available in the political arena. To use Weber’s distinction, people like Trump, Andrew Yang, Marianne Williamson, and Herman Cain seek/sought to live from politics rather than to live for politics. And, rather than a Trump/Gabbard ticket (in which Gabbard would be entirely eclipsed by the orange Mussolini), I could imagine a better fit would be Gabbard/Yang or Yang/Gabbard (in whatever “party” Yang is now fronting).
As a Bernie endorser in 2016, Gabbard quickly pivoted toward Trump post-election (initially, interviewing at Trump Tower for a position in his administration). To prove her MAGA bona fides, she then voted against impeachment (delivering her equivalent of the Gettysburg Address on the floor of the House); and then found herself in a Twitter kerfuffle with Hillary Clinton, who had portrayed her as a Putinophile. Like many in the Trump circle, Gabbard launched a frivolous lawsuit (against HRC), which came to nothing. Even though it never went to trial & she would never have seen a penny or ruble out of it, Gabbard would never have wanted to submit to a deposition (much like Trump). Too many skeletons would have fallen out of her closet (e.g., Assad, Modi, etc.).
I don’t know that Gabbard’s reappearance is an audition for Trump 2024 or simply an effort to keep her brand in public view, which would enhance whatever fundraising scam she decides to launch. As long as big money can be made from running for some office, there will be people like Gabbard to try their hand at political entrepreneurialism.
Like the current state of literature, politics has become a game of image and social media, two afflictions that go hand-in-hand. As the great Mexican essayist Angelina Muñiz-Huberman writes in her spectacular collection "Arrhythmias": "The kingdom of the skin: of what’s on the surface, of the obvious. Forget the guts: what you don’t see doesn’t exist. Therefore, does God not exist? No, not right now. Too complicated." Gabbard is the epitome of the contemporary sphinx, neither her religious beliefs (if, indeed, she has any), her political positions, nor her vision for the country are clear. What is clear is her Instagram ready makeup, her shiny hair and teeth, her pretend-feminist white suit, and her enigmatic smile. She is all skin and no guts and, if only for that reason, her success seems almost assured.
Gabbard is part of a new breed of politicians, who are motivated less by ideology and policy, and more by the symbolic and economic profits that are available in the political arena. To use Weber’s distinction, people like Trump, Andrew Yang, Marianne Williamson, and Herman Cain seek/sought to live from politics rather than to live for politics. And, rather than a Trump/Gabbard ticket (in which Gabbard would be entirely eclipsed by the orange Mussolini), I could imagine a better fit would be Gabbard/Yang or Yang/Gabbard (in whatever “party” Yang is now fronting).
As a Bernie endorser in 2016, Gabbard quickly pivoted toward Trump post-election (initially, interviewing at Trump Tower for a position in his administration). To prove her MAGA bona fides, she then voted against impeachment (delivering her equivalent of the Gettysburg Address on the floor of the House); and then found herself in a Twitter kerfuffle with Hillary Clinton, who had portrayed her as a Putinophile. Like many in the Trump circle, Gabbard launched a frivolous lawsuit (against HRC), which came to nothing. Even though it never went to trial & she would never have seen a penny or ruble out of it, Gabbard would never have wanted to submit to a deposition (much like Trump). Too many skeletons would have fallen out of her closet (e.g., Assad, Modi, etc.).
I don’t know that Gabbard’s reappearance is an audition for Trump 2024 or simply an effort to keep her brand in public view, which would enhance whatever fundraising scam she decides to launch. As long as big money can be made from running for some office, there will be people like Gabbard to try their hand at political entrepreneurialism.
What do I think? I can't. The whole thing is an out of control nightmare.
Tulsi's recent shift from fake Hindu to fake Christian is noteworthy.