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 Right, it seems to be a very tightly controlled party.  I heard something recently about the actual way the parties operate in Congress being different.  Like, Democrats give those with leadership roles more power to punish those who don’t vote as instructed, in contrast to the Republicans, who are a bit more of a free-for-all.  Now, I can’t find the details, though.  Of course, that only would have affected Gabbard, not RFK.  They are using weird, unfair primary rules against RFK Jr., which is why he seems to be leaving.

If there is a party that actually allows people to run in a fair primary and then vote their consciences when elected, I think we should all pour into that party and help shape it.  I can’t guarantee that that’s the Republicans, but it’s definitely not the Democrats.

What would you have thought if Tulsi had stayed in Congress one more term and gone out in flames?  I think would have been the best thing to do.  Sure, she would have been “punished,” but that doesn’t mean prison.  She could have made speeches on the floor of Congress, been interviewed as a sitting Representative, etc.  That would have been it – her career as a Democrat would have been over – but that’s the case now, anyway.