Aloha,

Earlier tonight I spoke with my friend Van Jones about the challenges we face and the future of our country.

He asked me bluntly whether I'll run for president, and I told him straight: I've decided to run and will make a formal announcement next week.

There are many reasons I'm offering to serve you as President — to ensure every American gets the healthcare they need, to bring about comprehensive immigration reform, to make sure we have clean water and clean air for generations to come, to fix our broken criminal justice system, to end the corrupt influence of special interests in Washington, and so much more.

But the main reason I'm running has to do with an issue that is central to the rest — war and peace. I look forward to talking with you more about this in the coming days.

When we stand together, united by our love for each other and for our country, there is no challenge we cannot overcome.

Aloha,

Tulsi

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I received this email from Tulsi Gabbard’s office tonight. No, we don’t know each other. I signed up for her updates over two years ago because of my interest in her. We’ve talked about her over the years within this committee of correspondence, always on a positive note as I recall.

As I’m sure you remember, she left the DNC leadership in 2016 because of their high-handed treatment of Bernie Sanders. She caused quite a stir for meeting with Bashar Assad when she visited Syria in early 2017. She is still an Army major in the Hawaiian National Guard and advocates for a strong defense, including a robust ballistic missile defense. Not unusual considering she represents Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District. As a Progressive, she calls for an end to all our overseas wars including Syria and Yemen. But I think she’s more of a Teddy Roosevelt Progressive

Before delving into her politics, I recommend an article Tulsi wrote back in October 2017 entitled “My Spiritual Journey.” I think it says a lot about her and her upbringing. She is definitely a committed member of the Hawaiian ohana. In my few short years there, I was most impressed by this spirit. I saw it in my neighbors in Mililani Town, my friends and counterparts in Company C, 1/299 Infantry (HI ARNG) on Maui and in the pig hunters/pakalolo growers of the Koolau Mountains. I think the DC swamp can use a little more aloha spirit. Shaka, brah!

TTG

https://medium.com/personal-growth/my-spiritual-journey-3762df64ee51

https://gabbard.house.gov