Here's another reason it's tough getting Bachmann out of that congressional seat: the local media coverage of her.
Last night Bachmann announced a public forum in St. Cloud, so a bunch of people showed up there to attend to today.
The estimable Larry Schumacher of the St. Cloud Times reported that Bachmann spent a grand total of ten minutes at her own forum, and left without taking any questions from the constituents.
This is from the AP in St. Cloud and local broadcaster WCCO. It's their announcement of the event, published this morning in advance of the event:
Aug 25, 2009 7:56 am US/Central
Bachmann To Hold 2 Public Forums
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP)
Constituents of Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann have two chances this week to discuss pressing issues with her, including a public forum on health care.
The 6th District Republican will be in St. Cloud on Tuesday to tackle questions about Social Security....
This is what journalists call "crap" reporting--this announcment that constituents would have "a chance to discuss pressing issues with her"--when in reality they would have no chance at all to do that. It's crap reporting because the journalists involved shouldn't sucker their audiences into believing that, when the record shows that Bachmann chronically avoids taking or answering live questions from unscreened constituents in a public venue. (Bachmann pioneered the use of "teletownhalls" in Minnesota--which allows elected officials to screen constituent questions as they are asked and ignore them if the question would embarrass the politician.)
The AP and WCCO are not the only offenders here. Other news venues have announced Bachmann "no questions" events as if they were town halls. Calls to Bachmann press reps this weeks resulted in their assurances that Bachmann would be taking and answering live questions from contituents this week at her Lake Elmo forum on Thursday. But I will believe it when I see it. She's suckered reporters, editors, newsbroadcaster, audience members and constituents to many times in the past to take her word for it.
She does not want to take a question on an uncomfortable topic from a constituent--she's taken great pains to avoid such a situation for years, and the local media who report on her should have gotten wise to that a long time ago.
Here's a bit of video from Keith Olbermann. He and his guests are
making wise guy comments about how Michele says she'll run for
president if God calls her to do so.
This was just posted last night, but the title given to the YouTube
video is a bit misleading. The clip is entitled: "Countdown with Keith
Olbermann-Michelle Bachmann ran for Congress because "God" told her
to."
Now, it is true that Michele has claimed publicly that God called on
her to run for her current seat in Congress.
(continued)
But that particular claim isn't mentioned in this Olbermann video clip.
Yes, it is true that Bachmann claimed that on many occasions in her
life the Lord has spoken to her directly, one on one, and told her
what she should do. She has claimed publicly that she is personal
contact with God, sometimes even conversing with Him. Here are
excerpts from Bachmann's recorded testimony for Jesus Christ at the
Living Word church on October 14, 2006:
Bachmann: And then the Lord showed me that I needed to go to college,
and so I went to college...
...And the Lord then led me to this man, stand up, darling, this is
Marcus Bachmann, my husband (applause).
Led me to him, and showed me that this was also part of my calling.
That my calling was to marry this man.
And I tell you that, because, I hate to disappoint you, darling, but
it wasn't a big romantic surge that led us to each other. It was His
Word.
We were praying one night, a girlfriend and I, not Marcus, and the
Lord gave each one of us the same, exact vision. And it was this: It
was a picture of me, marrying this man, in the valley where his
parents have a farm in western Wisconsin.
And we got that word, we were praying in the Spirit, I'd been baptized
in the Spirit, we were praying in the Spirit and the Lord showed us
that, and I just said, "Well, Lord, that's really strange, I'll just
put in on the shelf."
And I put it on the shelf, put it in His hands, and said: "You make
the calling sure."
I had no idea: at the same time, the Lord was speaking to my husband,
and He showed my husband, he was repairing a fence on the farm where
he worked, and the Lord showed him in a vision that he was supposed to
marry me.
...And during those dorm years, when I was busy studying, the Lord put
in my heart, that if I would be diligent and I would be steadfast, He
would take me to law school. And I thought, law school? I have no
interest in going to law school. But I put that in His hands and I put
in His plan, and I put it in His hands, and pursued that, and
eventually He did, He took me to law school.
And I went to the first Christian law school that there was in the
United States, down at Oral Roberts University, where they taught the
law from a Biblical worldview.
And from there, my husband said "Now you need to go and get
post-doctorate degree in tax law." Tax law? I hate taxes. Why should I
go and do something like that? But the Lord says: Be submissive,
wives, you are to be submissive to your husbands.
And so we moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia, and I went to William and
Mary, to law school there, for a post-doctorate degree in tax law, and
I pursued this course of study. Never had a tax course in my
background, never had a desire for it, but by faith, I was gonna be
faithful to what God was calling me to do through my husband, and I
finished that course of that study.
...And in the midst of all this, as if we didn't have enough to do, He
called me to run for the Minnesota State Senate. I had no idea, and no
desire to be in politics. Absolutely none.
...And even though we were not successful getting (same-sex marriage)
on the ballot, guess what? Although we were attacked, the message
remains the same. As Pastor Mac (Hammond) has said: He is the same
yesterday, today and forever. And His word will always be true, that
He created them male and female, and that he brought them together,
and that's what marriage will be.
And in the midst of that calling, God then called me to run for the
United States Congress.
And I thought, what in the world would that be for. And my husband
said œYou need to do this." And I wasn't so sure. And we took three
days, and we fasted and we prayed. And we said "Lord, is this what you
want, are You sure? Is this Your will?" And after, along about the
afternoon of day two, He made that calling sure.
And so you see--it's not unusual at all for Bachmann to get these
calls from the Lord, according to Bachmann.
Someone should really get this info to Keith Olbermann, it will give
him some context.
