News of this series of Bachmann statements (made during the course of a single interview) was published yesterday. I suppose that by tomorrow morning you will be able to find headlines about these statements in news outlets all over the country.
But we need a copy of this particular Bachmann grand slam for the archives here, so...
Michele Bachmann, from an audio recording of an interview given to an attendee of the GOP Youth Convention, July 22:
Transcript follows...
INTERVIEWER: I may be putting the cart before the horse here, but assuming the Republicans win the House back this next cycle: how do you feel about the chances for a little oversight and a little accountability now that the Republicans would have the subpoena power, how aggressive do you--
BACHMANN: Oh, I think that's all we should do...I think that all we should do is issue subpoenas and have one hearing after another. And expose all the nonsense that is going on. And it's very important when we come back that we have constitutional conservative leadership because the American people's patience is about this big...
...So we have to make sure that we do what the people want us to do because one thing that you should is that the most dramatic story that's happened in the last 18 months is that the federal government - before 18 months ago, the private economy was 100 percent held in private hands. But today 65 percent of the economy is now held in government's hands - either in direct ownership or in control we're talking about. So we got to unravel that and we got to get the private sector back to being private and the government back to being government.
...This is the year - this is it. All of our chips are on November. If we don't get it back and then starve the beast - the House, we have the power of the purse - so we can starve ObamaCare. We don't have to fund any of these programs and that's exactly what we need to do - defund all of this nonsense and then unwind it.
So: you got that? The Republican agenda next year, as Bachmann sees it: take back Congress, defund Obamacare in order to kill it, reverse "the government takeover of 65 percent of the economy that started when the Obama administration came into office"--and devote the entire focus of the United States Congress to a never-ending investigation of Republican political opponents.
These are the priorities: nothing in there about cleaning up the oil spill, nothing in that agenda about the war in Afghanistan, the occupation of Iraq, the war on terror around the world, nothing in there about controlling energy prices, nothing in that agenda about the economy and job creation. Instead: all investigations of Republican political opposition, all the time...the kind of government you see from corrupted "republics" in Central and South America and various failed democracies throughout the world.
Proto-fascism; in this case using the power of law and government to demonize, harass and stop any significant political opposition.
You think she's "just" a nut because she adopts this stand publicly? She's not "just" a nut: as of July 22 forty other members of Congress have signed up to join her Tea Party Caucus (that's up five from the total listed two days ago.) A British newspaper just identified her as the queen of the American right; she's got more money than any other member of Congress for re-election--and that money is being sent in in small amounts by people from all over the country who agree with her.
The agenda she's talking about is nuts, and she is nuts (as I've always maintained)-- but if you think that a nut must be irrelevant in politics simply by virtue of the fact that he/she is a nut: I would direct you to the history books to check out that opinion. Don't tell me that that can't happen here--it's happening here. She's announcing that it's happening here.
This will hurt her, because it will send money into the Tarryl Clark coffers. But it will help her as much as it will hurt her, because she is advocating what tens of millions of Americans believe should happen. They will be proud of her for advocating what they want. Bachmann represents them, and she has the support of a national conservative evangelical machine that is so powerful that it is able to veto Republican presidential candidacies.
If she wants, she can back up on the statements, she can evade or change the subject when she's asked about the statements in follow-up--but it doesn't matter: her supporters and mentors know that she means it. They know that this is how Michele Bachmann would change American government if she and her mentors and supporters are ever given the chance to do so.
What can I say; this is the story, this is why I devoted all these years to covering the career of this particular politician and the political movement that mentored her. It's horrible and fascinating. McCarthy on a pedestal, McCarthy sober and successful, McCarthy proceeding under the banner of Christ, nationally popular and on the rise...
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-BP) launched her House Tea Party Caucus today. The event went swimmingly with many non-white faces involved to disprove the liberal complaint that the Tea Party movement are just a bunch of crackers. While the event went great, one aspect didn't:
Now of course this is a very special day for Michele Bachmann, and her office must have gotten caught up in all the hoopla when it posted a list of 29 inaugural members on Bachmann's website this morning. As FrumForum reports, Bachmann hadn't collected all 29 permission slips yet.
This is surprising. Since Bachmann is uninterested in anything legislative, you'd think that the 4 staffers assigned to communications would get this right. You'd think that since this kick-off was so important, they could've gotten the few legislative staffers to help in the follow through.
Then again ... Bachmann has never really been known for her follow through.
It's funny, but also kind of sad. It indicates that Bachmann voters are fervent supporters of someone who's a self-promoting con man whose done absolutely nothing for them. (Even from a conservative standpoint, she's used her office to achieve nothing but self-promotion.) This was made by The Friends of Tarryl Clark.
The focus is on her career in Congress--they might just as well have added the years she spent in the state legislature. Nothing significant achieved, ever: just conservative/evangelical talk radio rhetoric.
...a ten year career in elective office at the state and federal level, a national reputation and fan club, the highest media profile of any politician representing Minnesota...a chronic economic crisis facing her district since before she came in to office... and...
...she's delivered nothing.
The press is starting to catch on, slowly. There was the profile in the Washington Post the other day, and then we got this:
An independent analysis of her staff by AOL News confirms that at the end of 2009, Bachmann had just two legislative staffers out of a staff of 17, according to public records. At the same time, Bachmann's media staff at the end of 2009 included a communications director and two press secretaries.
The situation remains unchanged. According to her office, Bachmann still has only two full-time staffers dealing with the myriad legislative issues that come up before Congress.
(Mr. Clinton said) political messages are now able to reach those who are both "serious and seriously disturbed." He will be delivering the keynote address Friday at an event about the Oklahoma City attack being sponsored by the Center for American Progress Action Fund and the Democratic Leadership Council.
Mr. Clinton pointed to remarks like those made Thursday by Representative Michele Bachmann, the Minnesota Republican, who when speaking at a Tea Party rally in Washington characterized the Obama administration and Democratic Congress as "the gangster government."
"They are not gangsters," Mr. Clinton said. "They were elected. They are not doing anything they were not elected to do."
True. But the "gangster government" charge against her Democratic colleagues has been a regular feature in Bachmann's rhetoric over the past year. And Bachmann is as aware as anyone that lending credence to that smear can get innocent people killed. She knows that audiences who hear that smear include "the serious and the seriously disturbed."
Next:
Minnesota Rep. Betty McCollum's criticizing Bachmann for the "gangster government" crack, too.
(CONTINUED)
Rep. Michele Bachmann has accomplished nothing for her districts in the nine years that she's been in politics. That's State Senate and Congress. I mean this literally. I'm not considering resolutions as accomplishments. I'm not considering media appearances as helping her district (cuz often they're embarrassing). Zilch. Nada. Zippo.
However, her perfect record is in danger.
You might disagree with her about her contention that there needs to be a new bridge over the St. Croix river at Stillwater, but you have to admit that she's actually trying to accomplish something. She might actually do some work for her district.
Republican U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann says she will ask Congress to intervene in the ongoing dispute over a new bridge across the St. Croix River near Stillwater.
(MPR)
But have no fear, people. Her immaculate record of accomplishing absolutely nothing for the people in her district will probably remain pristine. Which Democratic Committee Chair would even listen to her at this point?
Good article contributed to Dump Bachmann by Karl Bremer. It's all about how much time Bachmann has spent doing election war chest fund raising at parties (lots) versus how much she's actually done for the voters she's supposed to be representing in Washington (comparatively nothing.)
The number of parties that Bachmann has thrown and attended in D.C. is contrasted with the number of similar events organized by other Minnesota reps in Washington. Michele wins when it comes to the partying contest--probably because she hasn't ever spent the time necessary to produce significant legislation, and never spent any time on her district's economy.
Oddly enough, none of the Bachmann social events listed by Bremer seem to be for the benefit of veterans or our people in uniform. That's strange, because in the years since the outbreak of hostilities Bachmann claimed to have been a big fan of our men and women fighting overseas. But none of the parties listed seem to have been in their honor: instead they seem to "Washington insider" things featuring other Republican, lobbies like the NRA, etc.
Dan Burns caught this in the St. Cloud Times, in an interview that appeared dated February 14th:
Q: Name three bills or amendments that you have gotten passed that are the most beneficial to the people of the 6th Congressional District.
A: I was involved in a foster care amendment to support and encourage people in foster care. It is a very important issue. Sen. Mary Landrieu, (D-La.) and I are working on the Haiti situation. We are trying to put together initiatives so that children can actually go into homes and not stay in institutions their whole life. I was able to pass this resolution honoring people in foster care. I am in the deep minority in Congress and a fairly new freshman, so I don't have substantive bills that I have passed. I would love to. The very first bill I introduced was the Health Care Freedom of Choice Act.
In other words--nothing. Ever since she was elected to Congress, nothing for the Sixth District, which she's supposed to be representing. But wait, there's more...
(CONTINUED)
Michele Bachmann's held legislative office for nearly ten years--what are her legislative achievements?
What game-changing laws has she managed to draft and pass? What conservative reforms has she managed to implement, after ten years in the Minnesota and US legislatures?
If you can't say, don't feel bad. Michele can't say either. From the St. Cloud Times:
In an interview...that will appear in Sunday's St. Cloud Times... (Bachmann) acknowledged that she has few legislative accomplishments, saying she is in her second term and in the minority.
True--but after nearly ten years in two different legislatures--nothing of note at all? Nothing worth mentioning, even?
No surprise to Bachmann watchers, but perhaps a surprise to conservatives who look to her for hard work, leadership and results. Her career really has been "all about the demagoguery."
http://www.sctimes.com/article...
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Crazytown) is notorious for making inflammatory statements and pushing conspiracy theories. As for doing the actual work she was sent to St. Paul and Washington DC to do, she's just not that into it. It's not just that she has one of the worst attendance records in Congress, she doesn't do much of anything while she's there.
Granite City Crossing will open to vehicle traffic Thursday, when another slate of events is scheduled during the evening downtown. St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis said Monday that there is no set time for the bridge's opening and that it will open when the state Department of Transportation finishes the last of the remaining work.
"It's a very nice bridge," [truck driver Frank] Danzl said, after a walking trip over and back with Kleis, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann and local legislators. "I'm just glad (the construction) is over."
Dozens of politicians, local business leaders and interested residents huddled in a corner of the Best Western Kelly Inn parking lot for the dedication ceremony.
(St. Cloud Times)
This bridge is a classic example. After the I-35W bridge fell in Minneapolis, MNDOT examined all the bridges in the state. They closed this one.
Much has been said about Rep. Michele Bachmann on this blog in relation to her inability to do anything for her constituents. Maybe because she's absent so much. Maybe because she believes that political grandstanding is more important than looking after her constituents.
On the other hand, consider Rep. Keith Ellison. He's the complete opposite in so many ways. African-American. Honest. Muslim. Hard-working. Sane. Thoughtful. Everything Michele is not. He does the people's business in Washington, DC. Here's yet another example of Keith's good work:
Congressman Keith Ellison (D-Minneapolis) secured a $750,000 appropriation for the City of Minneapolis to build a new Emergency Operations Center in a bill approved by the House today. The funds were included in H.R. 2892, the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill for FY 2010.
The bill is expected to easily pass the Senate and will be signed into law by President Obama. The current Operations Center was used to coordinate the local, state, and federal emergency response to the August 2007 collapse of the Interstate 35W Bridge in Minneapolis.
"Thirteen people were killed and over 100 people were injured when the 35W Bridge collapsed two years ago," Ellison stated. "We now know that the rapid response of the region's first responders saved countless lives. One of the key lessons learned from the bridge collapse is that a well-organized emergency response with state of the art equipment can save lives," Ellison said.
"Minneapolis was able to respond so well to the catastrophe of the 35W Bridge collapse because we had invested in emergency preparedness training and technology. Even though our response to the collapse was considered excellent by all accounts, we know that maintaining our ability to respond to disasters requires ongoing preparation and investment. This federal funding for a new emergency operations center will help us to stay prepared and we are very thankful for Rep. Ellison's efforts to secure this appropriation," Minneapolis Mayor, RT Rybak stated.
(Ellison press release email)
Brian Falldin's challenge for a Republican to find one positive, tangible thing that Michele has gotten done for her district in DC still stands unanswered. Would Michele ever deliver something like this?
