The Tinklenberg story is bigger than the Joe the plumber story

[eleny]

It's thousands of Dems acting overnight with small dollars amounting to an avalanche of donations to help try and unseat Bachman.

I expect that Keith and Rachel will be on it come Monday. But Tweety will no doubt try and grab credit for giving Bachman enough space and audience to show her true self thus mobilizing the fund raising for Tink. Whatever. This is huge. :D

[tridim]

1. Tweety deserves major credit IMO.

:shrug:

What we need is for this story to move beyond MSNBC.

[VespertineIconoclast]

2. Agreed. n/t

[Quixote1818]

3. I agree. He kept giving her rope and she kept wrapping it around her neck

nt

[Lisa0825]

5. I agree. He got her to vocalize her extremist views herself,

without him even needing to spin it. She can't deny the words that came right out of her own mouth. Tweet has been doing a great job this season!

[eleny]

6. I didn't see the segment but read the many posts here angry with him

In retrospect, if he was doing it on purpose, then he deserves the kudos. Thanks for replying!

[Hamlette]

13. he was clearly doing it on purpose. He was trying to get her to say liberal = un American

and she basically fell right in his trap. (Which is how she is spinning it today I've heard.)

[eleny]

15. Thanks a million...

I'm going to find the video. Yesterday, I got the impression here that he was being nice to her and I couldn't deal with it. You know how he can play both sides from one minute to the next. Now I see that he was handing her the rope.

[Matariki]

18. He was clearly disturbed by what she was saying.

[eshfemme]

16. Yes, I believe that Tweety was doing it on purpose too.

Note that he was one of the few journalists who were pretty explicit about trying to get the Republicans to admit that their harping on the Ayers issue was all trying to claim that Obama = terrorist. Remember when he just fucking RIPPED Eric Cantor a new one for trying to avoid labeling himself as a Republican? But Tweety kept getting stonewalled with lies and denials despite all the logic and evidence he brought to bear so it's no wonder he learned to be a little more subtle about getting these fuckers to show their true faces.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

4. You're right - this is a big story

Tinklenberg is probably a complete unknown to most people, but this isn't about him. It's about drawing the line at what Bachmann said and flatly rejecting it on a national level in the most effective way the net roots can. I expect Matthews to take some credit on Monday and keep this amazing story going.

[eleny]

7. I didn't give a large amount. Probably like many others

But little by little it all added up and now Tink has a fighting chance right when he needs it most.

It's the "ordinary" people being extraordinary - raising up the window and shouting with their wallets that we aren't going to take it.

Btw, she was also on Larry King last night. One of 4 guests commenting on the issues. Not a peep of the earlier rhetoric that she spouted on Hardball. I think she got the message.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

9. I think Katrina VandenHeuvel also deserves some credit

She correctly framed the statements of Bachmann when she came on Tweety's show right after her by describing them as McCarthyite and as a proposal to return to the House on UnAmerican Activities investigations. Bachmann had every opportunity to put on the brakes but plunged into the void. She didn't have to suggest that liberal members of the Congress should be investigated to determine whether they are pro-American or not.

[eleny]

11. I hope she returns as a guest Monday to discuss this as well as Tink

[Pisces]

8. I emailed Ben Smith, Andrew Sullivan, and Crooks and lIars that there should be

a huge follow up story on what an activated society can do!! This is huge. I hope Bachmann is crying the blues on Nov. 5th.

[dtotire]

10. If She Is Defeated on Nov. 4

We should e-mail Chris Matthews and thank him for letting Bachmann expose herself.

[eleny]

12. I'll do it, too

[Matariki]

14. Not "grab credit" - he deserves credit.

I was angry at first watching that - thinking why the hell are you letting her get away with that stuff unchallenged. But my anger turned to admiration as he masterfully let her hang herself. He did a fantastic job of drawing her out.

[eleny]

17. I understand that, now

Please see my response #15 above. :D