I am not a bot, nor a Russian asset, nor a paid gun: I am a regular citizen like you.
This story needs to be told. This is not a story about Tulsi Gabbard, this is a story of all of us who have supported her over the years.
It all started when we saw someone who could sacrifice they political career to do the right thing. Yes, Tulsi stepping down her vice-chair position AND her ad in support of Sanders sent shockwaves to those of us tired of politics as usual.
Her reasons to support Sanders, of non-intervention, and using those resources at home were a wake up call to many of us. You can simply go to the comments of that video and look at what people realized back then. These are not paid operatives, these are not “russians”, these are not bots. These are people who wanted peace and recognized integrity when they saw it.
Not a month later, on April 21st 2016, the Facebook group: Run Tulsi Run was born.
“Run Tulsi Run (RTR) was founded on February 28, 2016 after Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D) resigned from the DNC. RTR was conceptualized in March as the foundation for a truly people powered movement to help propel Tulsi Gabbard to the White House.”
Personally, I didn’t discover them until November 13th when Hillary Clinton lost. This is what I said when I changed my profile picture in Facebook.
“Why did I change my profile picture? Because I don’t condone riots. Because just as with Bernie’s defeat I understand what drives the “other” side.
We won’t be caught unprepared. We should not push a weak candidate. We ought to find common ground. And we must do what is best for America.
Tulsi Gabbard is such a person. Google her, follow her, and once you are convinced: Promote her. This is a person of integrity, morals, courage, compassion, intelligence, and strength.
Four years may look like a long time. It is not. First we need to convince her to run, and then rally behind her. Because that’s democracy.”
As time went by, more and more people started to join forces from across the political spectrum. On May 2nd 2017, Caitlin Johnstone wrote this article to recognize the grassroots movement supporting Tulsi. She verbalized the sentiment of Tulsi supporters when she said:
“Clear-eyed rebels everywhere seem to have looked at one another and gone, “F**k this. Let’s lift up that lady they’re all scared of.””
We pushed, we pushed, and we pushed, and finally Tulsi answered the call. Each one of us, in our own way, pushed Tulsi to run. We all have our own skills, priorities and socio-economic background. Yet, we experienced first hand the Aloha spirit that Tulsi talks so much about. We welcomed people who voted for Trump with open arms, we welcomed people who voted for Bernie, and for Hillary, for Jill Stein, and those who abstained because they could not find a candidate they could support.
We experienced first hand Tulsi’s ability to inspire everyone to work together through her policies, ideas and character. Her actions during all these years confirmed that our hope was not being misplaced. This is why when she decided to run, she had a core group of dedicated volunteers who have been preparing for years.
This is why we have more content than any other candidate, with the exception of Bernie. This is why this “little campaign” was able to raise the 65 thousand individual donors in a relatively short time, considering Tulsi is constantly smeared. This is why we are so passionate about her candidacy, because Tulsi is not running for her. She is running for us. We asked her, and she answered the call.
Those who are not familiar with her story, would hear “Service before self” and think it’s just another good-sounding slogan. No, it is real, it is what we have witnessed. It is the reason Tulsi is running.
Leadership is not taken, it is granted. And we have granted Tulsi the mantle of leading our country to a brighter future. Having someone, who from the top, inspires people to be better, to aim higher, to fight for peace, and help others.
We are not into hero worshiping, we have done our homework, we have vetted Tulsi every step of the way, and as long as she continues to be a fearless servant to the people of this country, she will have our support.
And by the look at her actions, we can tell, we will be supporting her for a very long time.