Note: This “Moore to the Point” commentary aired on NewsTalkSTL on Wednesday, October 12th. Audio included below.

Former Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard announced Tuesday morning that she was leaving the Democratic Party. The news isn’t terribly surprising given the evident growing rift between Gabbard and the party elites. She’s been a frequent critic of the direction the party has taken, most notably, the divisive wokeness, the push to let biological males compete in women’s sports, and the authoritarian impulses on full display throughout the pandemic and in the weaponization of the Justice Department.

Gabbard’s not embracing the Republican Party or becoming a conservative, mind you. She still seems to hold dear a number of traditionally liberal policies. Presumably, she’s landing squarely in the Independent camp — and that may serve her well in her budding media career.

Gabbard is far from alone in distancing herself from the Democrats – we’ve seen a number of high-profile notables do the same thing. Joe Rogan, Elon Musk — even Bill Maher has voiced his dismay with some of the over-the-top progressive idiocy we’ve seen of late.

Of course, there are some former Republicans who’ve done the same thing in reverse – Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger come to mind. I know we aren’t exactly trading them like ballplayers, but from where I’m sitting, I’d say we’re getting the better end of that deal.