Democrats should have picked Tulsi Gabbard for VP

This last week, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Haw.) has shown once again why the Democrat party really should have picked her for Vice President instead of Kamala Harris.

Although her name wasn't as well known when she ran, one thing is known now: In the last few weeks she's sponsored multiple pieces of legislation that offers support for women, babies, and small businesses, respectively.

Some could say she's the ultimate feminist feminists should love but don't, because feminism has too often become synonymous with leftism and extremism.

Gabbard introduced a bill to "clarify" Title IX and ensure there is a fair playing field for females looking to play competitive sports. If passed, the "Protect Women's Sports Act" will boost Title IX protections and ensure they continue to be based on biological sex, essentially banning transgender athletes, or males who "identify" as females, from participating in athletic programs for women and girls on school and college campuses nationwide.

In a statement, Gabbard stated why her legislation is necessary. "Title IX is being weakened by some states who are misinterpreting Title IX, creating uncertainty, undue hardship and lost opportunities for female athletes. It is critical that the legacy of Title IX continues to ensure women and girls in sports have the opportunity to compete and excel on a level playing field."

As expected, transgender advocates didn't react to the news of this legislation well.

"Tulsi Gabbard is now introducing a blatantly transphobic piece of legislation aimed at trans and non-binary young people," civil rights activist and transgender person Charlotte Clymer tweeted.

"Remember when Tulsi Gabbard tried to convince us she was an LGBTQ ally? We knew she was a liar, a fraud," tweeted Zeke Stokes, former chief programs officer of LGBTQ rights organization GLAAD.

Gabbard's legislation comes on the heels of a rise in transgender males—biological males who identify as females—vying to compete against females in high school and collegiate sports. In one high profile case about the issue, three biological female track athletes sued the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference because they changed their guidelines to let males who identify as female compete in girls' athletic events. The all star athletes, Selina Soule, Alanna Smith, Chelsea Mitchell, and Ashley Nicoletti, claim the policy is a slap in the face to the original purpose of  Title IX.

She hasn't stopped there. Gabbard introduced two pieces of legislation showing just how pro-life she is: One that would impose criminal penalties on doctors that don't work to save the lives of babies who survive abortions and another that would ban abortions for fetuses capable of feeling pain unless the mother's life is severely at risk if she does not receive an abortion.

In a statement to National Review she said, "There was a bill previously introduced entitled the 'Pain Capable Unborn Child Act' that I felt that I needed to oppose because it did not include an exception for severe irreversible health consequences. My legislation includes that exception."

Gabbard also introduced a bill to help relieve small businesses and help them survive during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She tweeted, "Small businesses are struggling due to this pandemic & government-mandated restrictions. Big tech & big box retailers are seeing windfall profits & will emerge from this crisis stronger than ever. I intro'd HRes 1267 to prevent crisis profiteering & help small businesses survive."

With this slew of legislation, Gabbard shows she is a politician who is informed, empathetic, resourceful, and confident. In other words: the ultimate feminist, the person she likely has always been.

Feminism, the movement to ensure women have full equality under the law and socially, should support a woman's right to fair play, the right to life, the ability to support small businesses, and more.

In theory, they should support her because her work embodies the very thing they aim to protect, yet they do not because feminism has become synonymous with leftism which has become so extreme, they do not support common sense, empathetic measures for women, children, and the economy.

It's unfortunate that Gabbard, who vied for the Democrat presidential nomination in 2019, was not taken seriously despite legislation that shows a solid record of centrist ideas, military service, and an ability to articulate complicated ideas clearly. That she is a true feminist, in the original sense, would have been just a boon, but still, that would have been a better message than the far left ideas Kamala Harris supports.