Tulsi Gabbard, while a much finer Democratic candidate than her competition, is still not the best available option for libertarians.
As one of the more moderate Democrats hoping for a presidential bid in 2020, coupled with her entertaining attack on Sen. Kamala Harris, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has garnered the attention of many young libertarians. However, many of her policies are still just as bad as those of her Democratic colleagues.
Libertarians should be wary of the congresswoman, as she believes all American citizens should be given “free” healthcare and a “free” college education. This does not speak to the libertarian mantra of wanting to get rid of taxes and government intervention. Even worse, these policies encourage higher taxes!
While Gabbard is no Bernie Sanders, she does not exactly have what libertarians desire. She still wants Medicare for all and free college tuition with no way of paying for either. Libertarians support limited government, something Gabbard’s policies clearly oppose. She is a very charismatic and respectable female politician. However, she is far from what any true libertarian should covet.
Gabbard has shown she wants what is best for her country and not just catering to the desires of Democratic voters. Democrats would want nothing more than to silence President Donald Trump, as well as impeach him. She has backed free speech, saying:
“I will stand up for every American’s right and freedom of speech, no matter how strongly I may disagree with that speech. This freedom is the First Amendment of the Constitution for a reason and I will do all I can to stand up for it.”
The same could not be said for radical liberals, but that does not mean Gabbard warrants the vote of libertarians.
Gabbard drew libertarian fans for her anti-war rhetoric and her desire for immigration reform, but she also endorsed the continued use of drone strikes on terrorist organizations in Syria. This makes her a lesser of two evils, as opposed to actually being a libertarian.
Voting for the lesser of two evils is how this country ended up with Trump, someone libertarians initially were on board with, but have since jumped ship. The presidency will not be any better under Gabbard. In fact, she might just be worse, given the likelihood of raising taxes to pay for free healthcare and tuition. Trump, on the other hand, lowered taxes during his time in office.
For libertarians, it should not be worth it to elect an anti-war, pro-immigration reform candidate with an amazing attack on Harris in return for higher taxes and more government regulation. Voting for Gabbard would be a disservice to the Libertarian Party, something no libertarian should want to be a part of.
With Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard becoming a hot commodity among libertarians, they should know what they would be getting themselves into should they elect her. Unfortunately for them, they will not like the results.
Landon Mion
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