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Vetting: Tulsi Gabbard
“Vetting” is a series of essay that will provide in-depth analysis of the records of the more overlooked 2020 Democratic candidates.
I first heard the name “Tulsi Gabbard” in passing right after the 2016 election. But I felt no need to find out exactly who Tulsi Gabbard was until she announced her presidential run earlier this year.
That said, exactly who is Tulsi Gabbard?
Tulsi Gabbard was born on April 12, 1981 in American Samoa. After a highly unconventional childhood in which she was mostly homeschooled, Gabbard, at age twenty-one, became the youngest person ever elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives.
Before she was elected to the Hawaiian House, however, Gabbard and her father, Mike, co-founded the Healthy Hawaii Coalition, an organization that sought to educate children about their impact on the environment. As part of her duties, Gabbard dressed up as a character she called “Water Woman" and, using grant money, performed sketches in elementary schools across Hawaii. In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, Gabbard and her father started another organization, Stand Up For America, a non-profit that worked to promote patriotism.
After being elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives, Gabbard (who then used the name “Tulsi Gabbard Tamayo”) was assigned to the Committee On Higher Education…
