tagged w/ Michele Bachmann
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Fox News' Sean Hannity responded to Jon Stewart Wednesday evening after the Daily Show host called out the network for using old footage from a larger September 12, 2009 "Tea Party' protest to illustrate a much smaller health care rally on Capitol Hill last week.
Speaking directly to the camera, Hannity said that it pained him to admit it, but Stewart was correct.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/12/hannity-jon-stewart-was-r_n_354887.htmlFox News' Sean Hannity responded to Jon Stewart Wednesday evening after the Daily... more
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Did a rally geared at saving government resources actually misuse them?
Could be, at least technically. Rep. Michele Bachmann's House home-page shout-out to tea party types for her Nov. 5 rally on the West Front steps may have violated the letter of the administration committee's rules on the use of official, taxpayer-funded websites.
Here are some highlights of Bachmann's e-release, posted on Nov. 2:
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Bachmann Calls on the American People to Bring the Town Hall To Washington
"This is the deciding moment and the people need to make sure their representatives know where they stand."
WHAT: Health Care “House Call” on Washington Press Conference
WHO: Republican Members of Congress
Actor Jon Voight, Radio Host Mark Levin and others.
WHEN: Thursday, November 5, 2009 from 12:00-2
WHERE: West Front of the U.S. Capitol (House Side)
“The American people need to stand up again and make sure that Congress hears them this time. Speaker Pelosi is putting her bill on fast track to a vote — and it remains to be seen if the House will even get a chance to vote on the commonsense Republican alternatives. The people need to make a House Call on Washington this week and tell their Representatives to vote no to a government takeover of one-fifth of our economy. This is gangster government at its worst."
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The Committee on House Administration rules on the use of official resources seem pretty explicit on prohibiting precisely this kind of announcement, presumably because it blurs the line between members' right to publicize constituent town halls and their use of the franking [or Webbing] privilege for party- or movement-building purposes.
Bullet point No. 3 in the Web "Content" section of the rules says member sites:
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May not include grass-roots lobbying or solicit support for a member's position.
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UPDATED: Bachmann's press secretary didn't directly answer my question but wrote: "Rep. Bachmann's website encourages the American people to exercise their right to petition and ensure their voices are heard, what ever their position may be."Did a rally geared at saving government resources actually misuse them?
Could be,... more
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Thousands of Tea Party activists descended on Washington Thursday to protest the trillion dollar health care bill and government spending, holding signs protesting Barack Obama’s agenda while aiming chants of “you work for us” at the Capitol building.
The gathering was organized by local Tea Party groups around the country, who are arriving in Washington this morning by the busload. Conservative leaders in Congress, led by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), have taken to the airwaves to encourage the activists to show up on the Capitol steps and demand meetings with members of Congress. The crowd grew to about 10,000 by noon – a significant gathering for a weekday but far less than the 9/12 protests earlier this fall. Bachmann has promised to lead some protesters to a press conference inside the Capitol to express their opposition to the health care bill in person to members of Congress.
Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio), actually invited the thousands of protesters to go into the House buildings to try to meet their member of Congress after the rally.
"I invite you, when the rally's over, to travel in those halls, look at the walls, find your (member) and walk in," she said. "Let them know how you feel about this bill."
Given the security of the Capitol complex, that might create a logistical nightmare, so it’s not clear how many of the protesters may actually enter House office buildings.
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) was a surprise guest speaker this afternoon, holding up a copy of the Constitution as he rallied the protesters. Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) demanded: “Madam Speaker, throw out this bill,” while some protesters chanted “burn the bill.”
Conservative leaders like Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council showed up, along with celebrity conservatives Jon Voight and John Ratzenberger have also joined the protesters.
Voight invoked Rev. Jeremiah Wright in his speech, saying “the lies and deception are blatant... Maybe it was the 20 years of sub-conscious programming by Rev Wright to damn America."
They arrived as early as 8:30 a.m., by bus, car and plane — from Bluffton, S.C., Des Moines and Dorris, Calif. — to rally with conservative lawmakers and possibly roam the halls of Congress. Dozens of Republican lawmakers gathered shortly after noon to offer a prayer, say the Pledge of Allegiance and rally the crowd.
"Can you hear us now!" the protesters chanted from the foot of the Capitol, as they awaited the arrival of their heroine — Bachmann. The crowd also chanted “we want Michele!”
"She's very brave," said Nancy Holmberg of Dorris.
"Palin/Bachmann 2012," came a shout from the crowd. The crowd is also chanting Speaker Nancy Pelosi's name and demanding that she come address them on the steps of the Capitol.
more at link...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20091105/pl_politico/29183_1Thousands of Tea Party activists descended on Washington Thursday to protest the... more
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UPDATE:Thousands arrived to rail against health care reform on Capitol Hill Thursday.
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) shook hands among the protesters.
"This is too great," he said.
Outside, Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) led crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance -- which he said drives the liberals crazy.
Akin apparently botched the actual pledge.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/05/michele-bachmann-tells-su_n_346640.htmlUPDATE:Thousands arrived to rail against health care reform on Capitol Hill Thursday.... more
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In a conference call Wednesday night with bloggers and activists for the advocacy group Americans for Prosperity, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) called on protesters to “scare” members of Congress into killing the proposed health care reform bill.
If the protesters succeed in scaring lawmakers, Bachmann said that it could cripple efforts to restructure health care for a decade.
“Nothing scares members of Congress more than freedom-loving Americans,” Bachmann said.
She said that members were frightened by the August town hall meetings, but “then they came back to Washington, and they got back in the bubble and Speaker Pelosi put the hammer down on the Democrats.”
Bachmann said that last week, as it appeared a House bill could pass, “I was near despair.”
Last Thursday, she said that in desperation at the prospect of health care legislation passing, she happened upon the idea of a spontaneous meet-up of opponents of the bill on the steps of the Capitol.
Republican organizers are planning for activists to go into the House office buildings and the U.S. Capitol and confront members directly after a press conference at noon.
“Don’t bring your pitchforks,” Bachmann said, “bring your video cameras.”
Bachmann expressed confidence that such efforts would stultify the Democrats’ efforts.
“I think that will absolutely scare these members of Congress so much that Pelosi will not get the votes and it will kill the bill. I think it could be dead for 10 years. Why won’t we? Why won’t we go for broke?”
Last Thursday, Bachmann said she appealed to Republicans but “the conference didn’t pick it up.” The following day, she decided to take matters in her own hands and made her plea directly to Fox News viewers on Sean Hannity’s program. On Saturday, Bachmann said she received a call from actor Jon Voight who offered to join her in Washington, followed by a similar call from conservative talk-show host Mark Levin.
Bachmann reasserted a claim that Pelosi was considering tightening security in preparation for the activists, which she warned "would be a huge mistake."
"What's scary is that Rep. Bachmann will go to any length to protect the profits and abusive tactics of the insurance industry by working against meaningful health reform," said Kristie Greco, communications director for House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.).
“You can turn the anger on her,” Bachmann said. “It is not Michele Bachmann’s fault” if the activists are angry tomorrow – “it is Speaker Pelosi’s.”
Bachmann declined to answer a question on the conference call about the news that her chief of staff, Michelle Marston, was resigning.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29165.htmlIn a conference call Wednesday night with bloggers and activists for the advocacy... more
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Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann maintains one of the largest press operations in Congress. Her staff goes out of its way to "place" the Republican firebrand on television and radio talk shows.
Appearing on CNN's "Larry King Show" the other night, she argued that Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck are the new voices not just of the Republican Party but of America.
King kept noting that the actual appeal of Beck -- the hot new "star" of the right -- and his compatriots is miniscule when compared with the potential audience. "They're talking (to) about one percent of the population," observed the veteran cable host. "They had no effect on the election... Would you want them to be the voice of the Republican Party?"
In fact, only the grand old man of right-wing talk radio, Limbaugh, can stake a reasonable claim on a listenership that exceeds 5 percent of the population. And even by Limbaugh's wildest estimates of his appeal, his listenership does not account for 10 percent of the voting-age population.
Here, courtesy of the keen observers at Think Progress is a snippet of the conversation:
KING: Would you want the Limbaugh, that crowd -- would you want them to be your voice as the Republican Party stands in this country?
BACHMANN: Well remember it's who the American people are referring to Larry. And the American people are looking to voices like Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Glenn Beck...
KING: I just told you -- it's 2 percent of America (that regularly tunes in to Bachmann's favorite programming). It's 2 percent!
BACHMANN: If you look for a critical mass, that's the movement, that's the direction that the critical mass is going. And the American people are very smart people.Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann maintains one of the largest press operations... more
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The Young Americans for Liberty sponsored an event at the University of Minnesota that brought together the odd pairing of Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Ron Paul (R-TX). Bachmann solicited Paul for the event, hoping that his presence would help her attract support from young conservatives and libertarians.
Writing for The Daily Beast, Maureen O’Connor notes that the event melded two “wingnut worlds“: “the fanatically religious Bush-era neocon, a flag-waving patriot who likens gay sex to bestiality and fantasizes about lobbing nukes at Iran” and the libertarian “Ron Paul Revolution.” Indeed, for Bachmann, the presence of Paul created numerous awkward moments, particularly as the Texas congressman sermonized at length about his isolationist views.The Young Americans for Liberty sponsored an event at the University of Minnesota that... more
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Here she goes again Michele Bachmann was saying that Americorps is a gateway to communisim. Bullshit! My daughter was in Americorps when she got out of the University and was tutoring 5-10 year olds in Northern California. It was a good start for her and she appreciates what they stand for Helping People! GOD FORBID WE HELP PEOPLE!
Now she finds out that her own Son joined Americorps. HaHaHa! At least her son has a heart!Here she goes again Michele Bachmann was saying that Americorps is a gateway to... more
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Sarah Palin has jumped on the trolley to Toonerville. In the Twit's latest Tweet, she suggests health care reform means the Waffen SS will be kicking down the door to euthanize her elderly parents and kill her Down Syndrome baby.Sarah Palin has jumped on the trolley to Toonerville. In the Twit's latest Tweet,... more
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Some would say awarding a Looney Award to Michele Bachmann is like kicking a quadriplegic whilst they're down. I suppose there's some truth to that, but she always makes it so damned easy. This time she links the 2010 census to Japanese internment camps.Some would say awarding a Looney Award to Michele Bachmann is like kicking a... more
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How did Rep. Michele Bachmann win this? We still don't know. Did her voters see her ridiculous statements? If they did, we officially feel sorry for their neighbors. Another two years of God-loving craziness. What can she say next? We can't even predict.
Here is the final tally:
Bachmann: 46%
Elwyn Tinklenberg 43%
Bob Anderson 10%
All precincts are in
The Star Tribune has a report on the race and a video of her party.
Bachmann credited her victory to her vote against the $700 billion financial rescue package and her campaign to open up restricted areas for oil drilling to bring down the price of gasoline.
She said that wherever she went, "those two issues people appreciated," she said.
At least we will have more insanity to report on for two more years. What are we most looking forward to? Bachmann planting a huge one on Barack Obama (lips or cheek?) when she can get her hands on him.
Posted by Emily Kaiser at November 5, 2008 9:15 AM
How did Rep. Michele Bachmann win this? We still don't know. Did her voters see... more
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Here we see Michele Bachmann apologizing for her words made on Hardball about wanting to see a 'probe of the media on anti-American senate members.' While at the same time saying that she was the victim of a 'trap' set by Chris Matthews. So it wasn't her fault, it was the journalist who laid a trap for her to make outlandish remarks taken completely IN context. Here we see Michele Bachmann apologizing for her words made on Hardball about wanting... more
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Eight years ago I was certain that I would never see another politician as incoherent and incompetent as George W. Bush.
Eight weeks ago the GOP proved me wrong and I became convinced that never again would I see a politician as dumb as Sarah Palin.
Well, eight days ago, the Republican Party once again proved me wrong, when freshman Minnesota Congresswoman, Michele Bachmann, appeared on MSNBC's 'Hardball' with Chris Matthews and did her best Joe McCarthy impression - calling for a widespread investigation into members of Congress who, she thinks, may be anti-American.
Had Rep. Bachmann's McCarthyist outburst been the first incident of it's kind, maybe it could have been explained away with the old she-does-so-many-interviews excuse, in which her campaign would have explained that she does hundreds and hundreds of interviews and she never goofs up like she did in this particular case and it is just a shame that her unfortunate remarks came at a time when she had such a large audience.
If no pattern had existed, true, maybe the national media would still be all over her for the ignorance and stupidity she displayed on 'Hardball', but the voters in Minnesota's 6th District may have given her a break. After all, they have watched Michele Bachmann for two years now and have a pretty good sense of who the real Michele is.
Sadly for Michele Bachmann and the Republican Party, a pattern does exist, and many Minnesotans who live in her district seem to finally be picking up on it.
In the week since Bachmann's 'Hardball' debacle, her Democratic opponent, Elwyn Tinklenberg, has closed a double digit gap in the polls and now leads Bachmann by three - plus cash is flowing into the Tinklenberg campaign at an astounding rate.
But the truly amazing thing here is not that Tinklenberg has closed such a big gap in such a short period of time, it's that Michele Bachmann ever had any lead at all, let alone a 13-point lead at one point in this race.
Before Chris Matthews exposed Rep. Bachmann as a McCarthyist at heart, the people of Minnesota's 6th District seemed to be giving her a pass on all of the controversy, inflammatory remarks and astounding ignorance that marked Bachmann's first term as a Congresswoman - not to mention her fanatical love of George W. Bush.
So what made the people of MN-06 wait so long to finally reject Michele Bachmann?
My theory: it was the three-strikes-and-you're-out policy.
Of course, Bachmann has made far more than three gaffes in her short political career, but last Friday's 'Hardball' rounded out what I'll refer to as "Bachmann's Big Three" - three comments that stand out as monuments to stupidity. Why don't we go through them chronologically here?
Find out what they are here: http://stonecipher.typepad.com/the_stonecipher_report/2008/10/three-strikes-and-michele-bachmann-is-out.htmlEight years ago I was certain that I would never see another politician as incoherent... more
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Rep. Michele Bachmann caught the national spotlight recently when she told MSNBC's Chris Mathews that Barack Obama "may have anti-American views."
Although Bachmann's statement may have come as a surprise to people outside of her home district in central Minnesota, she has a history of making statements that are inflammatory, controversial, questionably informed and that require further explanation. Up until now, the most famous of those was her assertion that there was a plan already in place to partition Iraq and give half of it to Iran. She later said her comments had been "misconstrued," but did not elaborate.
One comment that she has never explained was made in a debate she had while running for Congress the first time in November of 2005. Prompted by a question on the rioting in France and Europe at the time, Bachmann said "not all cultures are equal, not all values are equal," letting it be known that she thought that people of the Muslim faith had an inferior culture to that of the United States and the West.
Watch this for bigotry of the highest orderRep. Michele Bachmann caught the national spotlight recently when she told... more
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Former Secretary of State Colin Powell told reporters after his appearance on Sunday's "Meet the Press" that his decision to endorse Barack Obama was driven, in part, by comments like those made by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.). Bachmann said Friday that the media should investigate members of Congress to see if they were "pro-American" or 'anti-American."
"This business, for example, we've got a congressman from Minnesota who's going around saying, 'Let's examine all congressmen to see who is pro-America and whose not pro-America.' We've got to stop this kind of nonsense and pull ourselves together and remember that our great strength is in our unity and our diversity," Powell said.
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell told reporters after his appearance on... more
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In an television appearance that outraged Democrats are already describing as Joseph McCarthy politics, Minnesota Rep. Michelle Bachmann claimed on Friday that Barack Obama and his wife Michelle held anti-American views and couldn't be trusted in the White House. She even called for the major newspapers of the country to investigate other members of Congress to "find out if they are pro-America or anti-America."
In an television appearance that outraged Democrats are already describing as Joseph... more
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