Bachmann turns to overdrive - "I never called all liberals anti-American"

StrictlyRockers

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Tue Oct-21-08 06:01 AM
Original message

Bachmann turns to overdrive - "I never called all liberals anti-American"

Edited on Tue Oct-21-08 06:22 AM by StrictlyRockers

http://www.politico.com/

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14777.html

"I never called all liberals anti-American"

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) said on MSNBC�s �Hardball� Friday that Barack Obama may have �anti-American views� and that the news media should conduct a �penetrating expos� to determine whether members of Congress are �pro-America or anti-America.�

Politico asked Bachmann what she meant.

Last Friday, all the liberal special interests from California to Vermont found a new outlet for their energy, their frustrations and their money. That would be in defeating me.

In a matter of 48 hours after I participated in an interview with Chris Matthews on MSNBC�s �Hardball,� more than $640,000 from donors across the country flooded into my opponent�s campaign. Almost to a one, these are people who never would have considered voting for me if they lived in Minnesota. In fact, most of them have probably never voted for a Republican. These are strong supporters of Barack Obama who want to see more liberal policies enacted in Washington.

These are not people who know anything about my policy views. They don�t know anything about my record of reaching across the aisle on issues ranging from support for small business to foster care improvements, an issue near and dear to my heart as a former foster mother to 23 troubled teens. Or about my record of standing up to my own party when the occasion calls for it � such as opposing the $700 billion Wall Street bailout � and standing up to members of the other party when they try to push through tax hikes or limit personal liberty.

These are not even people who know anything about my opponent or his positions on the issues � though they are willing to donate to him based on a few minutes of listening to the political echo chamber.

They have been riled up by a spin machine in serious overdrive as we come down the homestretch to Election Day.

Despite the way the blogs and the Democratic Party are spinning it, I never called all liberals anti-American, I never questioned Barack Obama�s patriotism, and I never asked for some House Un-American Activities Committee witch hunt into my colleagues in Congress.

What I did was ask legitimate questions that Minnesotans have been asking me: What does Barack Obama mean by change?

He sounds good when he talks about hope and change � there�s no denying that. But what types of policies would come from an Obama White House? He hasn�t had a long record in office, but what we do know is that he�s been rated the most liberal senator. Beyond that, we have to look for other ways to discern the substance behind his pretty platitudes.

Why isn�t it appropriate to ask about the formative relationships he�s had? The types of relationships that may have influenced Barack Obama�s views on public policy and on government decision making? Why is the media more intent on learning the type of plumbing license Joe the Plumber has than on exploring the obvious questions about Barack Obama�s formative relationships with people such as the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers � people with views far outside the mainstream, where most voters find themselves?

For at least two years, the American people are potentially looking at a liberal policy agenda dominating Washington from both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. In fact, it�s conceivable that the Democrat majority in the Senate could be large enough that the traditional minority right to filibuster would be entirely eviscerated. So why isn�t it appropriate to ask what that policy agenda would look like?

Of course, none of these points has been noted in any subsequent media reports of the interview. It�s like a political version of the children�s game of telephone. I make a statement in an interview. Chris Matthews distorts it � as he is paid so well to do. The liberal blogs contort it even more. The speaker of the House and other Democrat leaders utter absolute lies about what was said in the interview. Then the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee picks it up and runs with it, buying $1 million for negative ads so that they don�t have to talk about the issues.

And it�s the issues that the voters in Minnesota�s 6th District want to talk about. Everywhere I go, people ask about the $700 billion Wall Street bailout, and they want to know why we�re saddling taxpayers with generations of debt to pay for risky decisions by Wall Street financiers. There�s a clear distinction between my position on this bailout � I opposed it both times it came before the House � and that of my opponent, who says he would have supported it.

The Democrats don�t want to talk about the pocketbook issues that are really on the minds of Minnesotans. Those voters were concerned about how much it cost to fill their tank with gas this summer, but that pales in comparison to how much it might cost to heat their homes this winter.

They want to know how they�re going to pay their mortgage and their grocery bills. Again, my record and my opponent�s are clearly different when it comes to the family budget. I�ve always stood up for lower taxes and against wasteful government spending.

But when you can�t win on the issues, you steal the election with a couple of lies and $1 million worth of mud. And the media reports and Democrat responses to my interview on �Hardball� have been echoing the outright lies of the liberal blogs. Is it really any wonder people are so cynical about politics?

She just realized how badly she screwed up. If you weren't mad enough at Bachmann already...listen to her backpedal and spin and twist and dissemble here. It's a very, very lame attempt to try to cover up what she said. Darling, we have you on video saying that stuff. You were spewing that vile witch hunt filth on Hardball for fifteen minutes. You aren't doing yourself ANY favors with this sorry attempt at spin.

In fact, after the first two opening paragraphs where she whines that people are sending money to her opponent because of what she said, she starts right into outright lies and distortions. Pretty much everything she says here is a lie. For instance:

1) "These are not people who know anything about my policy views." WRONG! We pay attention. We do research. Many of us have a firm grasp on what at least some of your policy positions are. I can name several right off the top of my head. Anyway, we do know what you're all about, both from your record and from listening to you speak, and we don't like it one bit.

2) "These are not even people who know anything about my opponent or his positions on the issues � though they are willing to donate to him based on a few minutes of listening to the political echo chamber." What echo chamber? We donated to Elwyn after we heard YOU speaking YOUR WORDS, sans any "echo chamber" you may try to invoke now.

3) "They have been riled up by a spin machine in serious overdrive as we come down the homestretch to Election Day." Total horseshit. There is no spin machine involved here. This happened as a direct result of listening to YOU speak in YOUR OWN WORDS. We, the very powerful liberal blogosphere, then decided to donate to your opponent. The only "spin machine" involved in this is coming from you, here in this piece.

4) "Despite the way the blogs and the Democratic Party are spinning it, I never called all liberals anti-American, I never questioned Barack Obama�s patriotism, and I never asked for some House Un-American Activities Committee witch hunt into my colleagues in Congress." Bullcrap. That is exactly what you did, all three of those. Except you said the media should handle the job instead of a House Un-American Activities Committee. And you didn't actually say "all liberals", you said far-left liberals.

5) "What I did was ask legitimate questions that Minnesotans have been asking me: What does Barack Obama mean by change?" No, I'm sorry, that's not what you did. I've listened to it twice. You never said anything like that.

6) "He sounds good when he talks about hope and change � there�s no denying that." Finally a sentence that is not a lie! And do you know WHY he sounds so good, hmm?? BECAUSE HE'S RIGHT!! And you and your party are wrong!

7) "Why isn�t it appropriate to ask about the formative relationships he�s had?" Because it's not what the people want to hear about. It's not real political discourse. We want you to debate substantive issues and reach for consensus. We are not interested in the kind of BS that always seems to devolve into negative personal attacks on a candidate's character. And anyway, Barack never had any kind of a "formative relationship" with William Ayers. It's ridiculous. You are doing the same thing again, even here in this attempt at an apology, by using language like "formative relationship". As Colin Powell said, it's despicable, and you need to stop it. And he WAS referring SPECIFICALLY to YOU yesterday when he was talking about the Congressman from Minnesota who has been going around saying how we need to investigate all Congressmen to see if they are pro-America or not pro-America. He said we have got to stop this kind of NONSENSE!

7) "It�s like a political version of the children�s game of telephone. I make a statement in an interview. Chris Matthews distorts it � as he is paid so well to do. The liberal blogs contort it even more. The speaker of the House and other Democrat leaders utter absolute lies about what was said in the interview. Then the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee picks it up and runs with it, buying $1 million for negative ads so that they don�t have to talk about the issues." I'm sorry, but no one is contorting your words. There is no need to. You said it. It's on video. You're really messed up if you think denying it is going to help you now. Oh, and thanks for the GREAT NEWS about the DCCC making the $1 million advertising buy in to compliment the $1 million that we are going to send El's campaign this week.

8) "But when you can�t win on the issues, you steal the election with a couple of lies and $1 million worth of mud. And the media reports and Democrat responses to my interview on �Hardball� have been echoing the outright lies of the liberal blogs. Is it really any wonder people are so cynical about politics?" OMG! ZOMG!! No! What? What!? GDI! No!
:nopity::nopity::nopity::nopity:
Where is that donation page again?
http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18660

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14776.html

Bachmann turns to overdrive
By DANIEL LIBIT | 10/20/08 7:53 PM EDT

Rep. Michele Bachmann�s call for a media investigation into �anti-American� members of Congress may have been the macaca � or McCarthy � moment of 2008, but it has also given the Minnesota Republican something she�s been angling for since arriving in Congress two years ago: the national spotlight.

To be on Bachmann�s press e-mail listserv these last few months is to see her determined, deliberate march to the top of the cable news booker list. It�s Bachmann on Larry King, Bachmann on Bloomberg, Bachmann on Cavuto, Bachmann on O�Reilly, Bachmann on CNBC�s �Squawk Box.�

Bachmann, Bachmann everywhere.

The congresswoman has been on national cable news shows at least 23 times since the beginning of September, a scheduled guest of Larry King�s on seven occasions.

�She is very good at what she does,� explains Michelle Marston, Bachmann�s chief of staff, who is on leave to serve as the congresswoman�s reelection campaign spokeswoman. �Once we got her on these national media outlets and she could show how well she presents the conservative argument and how she can put a fresh face and perspective , they started calling her back.�

A Minnesota GOP operative close to Bachmann casts the congresswoman�s love for the camera in a less positive light.

�I think that she�s a media hound first and foremost,� said the operative. �That has been her biggest goal from Day One: to be in the media spotlight, to be a representative who is the spokesman for the Republican Party � and she�s made that a very concerted effort, to be in the spotlight as much as possible.

�Why would Larry King want or Chris Matthews want to have her on? Precisely because of what happened on Friday.�
<...>

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/10/michele-bachman.html

Rep. Michele Bachmann works to undo self-inflicted political damage

Chances are, your weekend was better than Michele Bachmann's

As a first-term congresswoman, the Republican from Minnesota likely would have been campaigning anyway. The surprise -- for her and those who had been watching her race -- was that she found herself on the defensive, trying to explain away controversial comments she made Friday night in what became a notorious appearance on MSNBC's "Hardball".

Interviewed by host Chris Matthews -- which meant, as a conservative, she was operating without a net -- Bachmann said of Barack Obama, "I'm very concerned that he may have anti-American views." She then went on to call for a "penetrating expose" by the media into the levels of patriotism among her colleagues on Capitol Hill.
<...>

Link to the interview she did on Sunday, 10/19/08, for WCCO TV in Minnesota.
http://wcco.com/election/michele.bachmann.obama.2.844079.html

Please, oh please, oh please can we unseat this wingnut two weeks from today? Oh please Lordy, let this happen!

http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18660