Who cares why Tulsi Gabbard is still running for president?聽 I know I don鈥檛.聽 And neither should you.

Time to quit wondering, complaining, or caring about Gabbard. It鈥檚 time to see her as the isolate and as the irrelevant, minor political figure she has become.

We need to quit wasting time trying to figure her out. That cheapens our politics by making her a celebrity.

All we are doing by making those 鈥渄emands鈥 about her needing to explain this or do that is keeping her on a pedestal she no longer deserves.

So, enough with the inflated mystery about why she is 鈥渞eally鈥 running for president. She鈥檚 not going to tell you anything useful anyway.

Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard bought a van so that she can criss-cross the country while she campaigns. Nick Grube/Civil Beat/2020

She is not big on obligations. Tulsi has refused to carry out the only important ongoing obligation she has to the people of Hawaii when she refuses to resign her congressional seat, toting up the worst absentee record in the House of Representatives.

Hawaii鈥檚 voters used to have a decent relationship with Gabbard, but she鈥檚 changed. As a result, this relationship has now become toxic. Let鈥檚 not stay in this now flawed relationship because we naively think we can change her back.

The fundamental thing to understand about Gabbard is that she has become an isolate with a tight, closed and inaccessible political and social network. An impenetrable, closed circle.

Isolated people with closed off networks make decisions that make sense to the people within them but often not to anyone else.

The essence of her isolation problem is not really what she believes. I think people misunderstand, and maybe are a little prejudiced, when they criticize Gabbard for her religious beliefs.

The problem, which in fact goes a long way toward explaining Tulsi鈥檚 unwillingness to go deep about why she is running, is that she has a network of advisors and confidants that has cut itself off from the rest of us.

She has made herself virtually inaccessible to Hawaii鈥檚 media. Nick Grube, the reporter Civil Beat sent out to talk to one of her main political advisors, practically had to reenact the Lewis and Clark expedition to get to the place where the guy lives, somewhere on the shores of an isolated lake in the state of Washington.

Results of this solitary journey to the wild? Nada, no interview, no information. Remember, this is a key campaign maven we are taking about. Who ever heard of an isolated political consultant that no one knows anything about?

As far as Hawaii is concerned, Tulsi Gabbard’s campaign slogan should be 鈥渘o comment.鈥

And that鈥檚 the best it鈥檚 going to be.

There has always been more than idle curiosity about what Gabbard is really up to. The furtive mystery woman.

Now, though, it鈥檚 time to give it up, time to quit playing ulterior motive detective. Just let the mystery be.

If you don鈥檛 believe her past public statements about why she is running, well fine. But that is all you are going to get.

As far as Hawaii is concerned, Tulsi Gabbard’s campaign slogan should be 鈥渘o comment.鈥

Looking for her ulterior motives is like using a divining rod. It鈥檚 not about really finding water. It鈥檚 all about the suggestive imagination of the searcher.

As for discovering her 鈥渞eal鈥 reasons 鈥 a Fox News gig, a third-party run, whatever 鈥 just stop it. That鈥檚 how we think about celebrities.

That鈥檚 the sports talk show approach: what is Tom Brady really thinking about staying with the Patriots, what does Lebron James really think of his coach?

That 鈥渞eally thinking鈥 focus subverts the way we need to think about politics. The continuing focus on Gabbard makes politics way too much about discovering motivations and digging up inside dope, way too much about probing for personality rather than looking at issues.

Far from being a celebrity, it鈥檚 time to see Gabbard for what she鈥檚 become 鈥 no longer relevant to Hawaii.

More power to her if that鈥檚 how she wants to be. But doing that is her way of saying good-bye to Hawaii.

So let鈥檚 get off our high horse about her and say what in effect she has already said to us and what we need to say to her.

As in that old song by the Weavers — you know, the one about how鈥檚 it鈥檚 been good but now it鈥檚 time:

So long, it’s been good to know ya
So long, it’s been good to know ya
So long, it’s been good to know ya
What a long time since you鈥檝e been home
And I’ve gotta be driftin’ along

Right now, we all have more important things to worry about. Far more important things.

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About the Author

  • Neal Milner
    Neal Milner is a former political science professor at the University of 贬补飞补颈驶颈 where he taught for 40 years. He is a political analyst for KITV and is a regular contributor to Hawaii Public Radio's His most recent book is Opinions are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Civil Beat's views.