Video of the Evita moment, when Rep. Bachmann reveals herself to the crowd on the balcony. Life imitates art; I drew this as a panel in my comic book biography of Bachmann long before it happened.
The video gives you a good idea of what American government would like if the tea party guys ran it. Lots of shouting over the leaders so that even the guys that you like can't be heard. The government of the Planet of Apes looks like Plato's Republic in comparison. It's the "Axis of Eedjits!" At one point Rep. Steve King of Iowa promises that they will dismantle Washington, D.C. so that it no longer threatens the nation. Christ!
Next:
Bachmann caught lying, again, this time about abortion:
(CONTINUED)
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) had quite a year. In 2009, she stepped even further to the forefront of the conservative movement. She appeared frequently on Fox News and right wing radio and often headlined conservative rallies. She was nominated for Lie of the Year and featured on Keith Olbermann's World's Worst Person segment 10 times. The only people Olbermann featured more frequently were nationally-known figures like Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Lou Dobbs and Bill O'Reilly.
While there were many candidates for her most astounding moment, the jaw dropper was her behavior at a anti-healthcare reform rally in Colorado. She thought nobody would be paying attention as she was so far from DC and her home district.
"This cannot pass," the Minnesota Republican told a crowd at a Denver gathering sponsored by the Independence Institute. "What we have to do today is make a covenant, to slit our wrists, be blood brothers on this thing. This will not pass. We will do whatever it takes to make sure this doesn't pass."
So join me at the intersection of Bizarro Blvd and False Witness Lane for an in-depth review of 2009 for Michele Bachmann.
Good story in the Washington Independent, but they told it in the wrong order:
1) Khalid Sheikh Mohammend ("KSM"), self-proclaimed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, is scheduled to be tried in a federal court in New York.
2) The Washington Independent reports the fact that the right to be tried in a U.S. federal court on federal charges has never been "reserved" for U.S. citizens.
It's historically been a "right" accorded to anyone who commits a crime on U.S. soil. Thus everyone from a U.S.-born citizen to an illegal alien who commits a federal crime in the United States gets tried in federal court.
3) Congresswoman Michele Bachmann:
"The decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York City and give him all the benefits and perks reserved for American citizens is a slap in the face of the 9/11 victim's families, the American people, and the men and women who risk their lives to defend our liberties each and every day."
Got that? Bachmann says that "following the law" now constitutes a slap in the face for the American people, the 9/11 victim families, and our troops.
And she lies (again) when she tells her audience that the right to a trial in a federal court is "reserved for American citizens."
A lawyer...who lies about what the law is.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is what it takes to be a hero to conservatives.
The only way Michele Bachmann would agree to do an interview in the City Pages was if the questions were submitted to her in writing, in advance.
This guarantees that there will be no candor, intentional or unintentional. (When I worked at the Dump Bachmann blog, I was offered the same "questions in advance" interview deal by Al Franken's campaign manager. I turned it down, because it's no journalistic coup, and because there's no real point in scoring a "questions submitted in advance" interview with a politician. It has the same journalistic value as receiving a written response to a letter to your congressman.)
I think I do understand this. The CP wants to sell this "interview" as a big score. It's not, but they want to sell it that way. And the CP understood some time ago that Bachmann was hot copy. So they want to pretend that they've got this "interview" that no one else got, this big coup--so they gave her this "yeah, yeah, sure, we'll submit the questions to you in advance so you won't be caught offguard like when Sarah Palin was doing the Katie Couric thing."
So it's not really an interview at all, you see. It's the CP trying to pretend it's an interview ("the complete interview", they call it in the title. And it's a way for Bachmann to get unchallenged spin into the CP, in the guise of an interview. Anyway: here is the link, if you wish to read it.
An issue that's tailor-made for "Michele Bachmann, White House aspirations demagogue":
Bachmann backs "God" at Capitol
Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Eric Cantor (R-Va.) are ganging up to block a lawsuit seeking to scrub "In God We Trust" from the wall of the new Capitol Visitors Center.
In all, 41 House Republicans have signed onto to an amicus brief opposing an attempt by the Madison, Wisc.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation to remove the inscription, which also includes the words "one nation under God."
That's from Politico. Notice how Bachmann gets top billing in the headline, not the supposedly senior Boehner or Cantor. (The publicity strategy is working, working...) (continued)
Last night on the Sean Hannity Show, Michele Bachmann asked Americans to join her on a march into the United States Capitol to protest the proposed health care reform bill. That's right, and open invitation to a national audience to show up on the Capitol steps, on Thursday at "high noon," Washington D.C. time. Michele hopes that a mob will invade the halls of Congress and make their opposition known to her elected colleagues. (You can see the video below, in the post.)
This would be a big score for Michele personally, if a large number of the tea baggers and the town hall meeting screechers take her up on this invitation. Very good video, from Michele's point of view--because she's nuts and thrives on proto-fascism.
Now there are some issues here. First of all--we (you, me, Michele) live in a representative democracy. There are instances in which Americans opposed to a government policy show up at the capitol to protest that policy. But here we have an elected official going on television to organize a mob of her own in order to influence the course of legislation by intimidating her colleagues.
In the proto-fascist universe of this elected official, it's okay to do that--to organize a mob to intimidate your colleagues in office into doing your will.
(Keep reading after the jump and watch the video, this is good stuff, classic crazy extremist Bachmann...continued)
A good article from the Boston Globe describes how the census became an obsession for conspiracy theorists around the country.
Our own Michele Bachmann rates a paragraph:
Over the summer, Representative Michele Bachmann, a Republican from Minnesota, provided possible recourse, declaring a kind of info-blockade. In June, she told the Washington Times that she planned to answer only the first question on the 2010 form, which asks how many people live at your address. Bachmann claimed, incorrectly, that the Constitution authorized the Census to count people and nothing more. The other queries, she said, were overly intrusive. Later, during an interview with Fox News's Glenn Beck - who has taken up census concerns as a favorite story - she mentioned that it was census data that aided the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
But the evil genius behind the census, according to the right wingers quoted in the article, is none other than Barack Obama. (continued)
Separation of church and state is a myth, you know. That's what Michele Bachmann told folks at a fundraiser for the controversial youth ministry, You Can Run But You Cannot Hide:
"[Public schools] are teaching children that there is separation of church and state, and I am here to tell you that is a myth. That's not true," Bachmann said at the group's 2006 fundraiser in Minneapolis. "And they explain to children in the public school system what a myth that is. And that's what I love about this ministry ... We want kids to come to the truth and that's why this ministry is so absolutely vital. We need them in every public school classroom across the state to tell young people, You Can Run But You Cannot Hide."
The quote is a few years old, but it's back in the news again because Bachmann's planning to appear at another fundraiser for YCRBYCH this year.
(continued)
Ladies and Gentlemen, a lot will be written about Michele Bachmann's Bachmann MotorMouth Overdrive "Forum" yesterday at Lake Elmo - as well there should!
One of the cruxes of the entire conservative movement, aside perhaps from an unhealthy obsession with the 2nd Amendment, is their purported adherence to the 10th Amendment:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Now I don't necessarily share their passion for the 10th Amendment nor do I believe that it definitively proves their strict constructionist states rights beliefs but it is their belief none the less. Any true conservative will swear by the 10th Amendment and use it as a cudgel against any supposed deviation from the ideas of strict constructionism.
So, given that Bachmann is supposed to be a "rock ribbed conservative", it would stand to reason that she too believes in this principle of strict constructionism and the 10th Amendment, right? WRONG. Today at her town hall forum on health care reform she completely tossed out the amendment even going so far as to suggest "erasing the boundaries" around each of the states in order to create so called competition in the health insurance industry. (LitLoC.com)
Bachmann's "Big Eraser" plan apparently caught Political Muse's attention, too. Political Muse has Bachmann's "Big Eraser" plan on a YouTube; it's the Bachmann quote I used earlier today. Except, Political Muse has it on a YouTube showing Bachmann used the "Big Eraser" fairy tale story TWICE. So, go look!
Dusty Trice was also at the "Forum" with a camera (big surprise there - NOT!!!) and has a whole bunch of footage - like 10 (count 'em - 10!) YouTubes of the "Forum." As Dusty says: "You're not going to want to miss her stupid Brett Favre joke!" So, go look!
Some days, Republicans believe in a quaint notion called "state's rights." For instance, Texas Republicans believe in the primacy of state's rights regarding the death penalty, even if it invovles executing the mentally retarded. Other days, not so much - like with California and medical marijuana, approved by California voters in 1996.
George W. Bush used to be the prime example of a Republican that believed in state's rights (except when he didn't). As Texas Governor, Dubya relished Texas' sovereignty and eagerly affirmed each and every death penalty he could. As President, Dubya's administration frequently ignored California's sovereignty by frequently raiding medical marijuana distributors.
Then yesterday, along comes Michele Bachmann, giving the guy she "enjoys a great relationship" with, a run for his money on ignoring state's rights. Here's what Michele Bachmann said yesterday, at her Lake Elmo "Forum":
"We could do this: there's a law right now at the federal level that says that states can, in effect, draw boundaries around their state and insurance companies don't have to compete with other companies outside of their state. This drives, this jacks the cost of healthcare way higher than what it would need to be. If we took a big eraser, and erased those lines, of each state's boundaries, and allowed people to buy health care anywhere in the United States...in other words, if we, if we allowed more competition among insurance companies, rather than less competition, we would see more insurance products, cheaper prices, and people could buy what they want." - Rep. Michele Bachmann, Lake Elmo, MN, August 27th, 2009
"If we took a big eraser, and erased those lines, of each state's boundaries..."
O
M
G.
What other issues does Michele Bachmann feel states shouldn't control; other issues to pull out a "big eraser" and obliterate state borders?
And that's before examining her claim of being consumer friendly.....
Let's take what Bachmann said, replace "insurance" with "credit cards", and see how it reads...although not an exact analogy, you'll get the picture of how Bachmann's "insurance" plan just might work out - for "insurance" guys like Billion Dollar Bill McGuire!
"We could do this: there's a law right now at the federal level that says that states can, in effect, draw boundaries around their state and credit card companies don't have to compete with other companies outside of their state. This drives, this jacks the cost of credit cards way higher than what it would need to be. If we took a big eraser, and erased those lines, of each state's boundaries, and allowed people to get credit cards anywhere in the United States...in other words, if we, if we allowed more competition among credit card companies, rather than less competition, we would see more credit card products, cheaper prices, and people could buy what they want."
Yeah, "right."
Barry Goldwater has got to be spinning in his grave, over what Boy Blunder and Bachmann MotorMouth Overdrive have done and said. And Michele Bachmann has once again proven that GOP does indeed stand for GreedOverPrinciples.
First: Bachmann ditched her last "town hall forum" event after ten minutes, refusing to take any questions from constituents.
Tomorrow she will hold another public event--but this time Bachmann press representatives have assured reporters that she will be taking unscreened questions from constituents.
So be there, tomorrow, in Lake Elmo to see if she follows through on this very promise of public, on-the-record interaction with constituents. The details and other Bachmann news after the jump:
(continued)
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) went off the deep end again on healthcare reform. She appeared on the Sean Hannity Show on Fox News last night. This latest example of her craziness centers around her misinterpretation of the Constitution. It seems that if it doesn't explicitly state something, it is unconstitutional. By this moronic logic, since the constitution doesn't say anything about "national takeover of healthcare", it must be unconstitutional.
Here's the libertarian side of her crazy ignorance coming out:
"It is not within our power as members of Congress, it's not within the enumerated powers of the Constitution, for us to design and create a national takeover of health care. Nor is it within our ability to be able to delegate that responsibility to the executive."
Bachmann, however, is wrong about both the contents of the health care plan and the requirements of the Constitution. There is nothing in any of the health care bills under consideration which resembles a "national takeover of health care." Conservatives like to use this language when referring to the public health option. Like other insurers, the public option would collect premiums from people who choose to buy into it, and then spend those premiums to insure these participants.
Had Bachmann bothered to read Article I of the Constitution before going on Fox, she would have learned that Congress has the power to "lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises" and to "provide for....the general welfare of the United States." Rather than itemizing specific subject matters, such as health care, which Congress is allowed to spend money on, the framers chose instead to give Congress a broad mandate to spend money in ways that promote the "general welfare."
(Think Progress)
The insanity never ends. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is the energizer bunny of crazy. She provided her scary crazy on a Saturday right wing radio show. Then did her stupid crazy routine today.
"I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us 'having a revolution every now and then is a good thing,' and the people - we the people - are going to have to fight back hard if we're not going to lose our country. And I think this has the potential of changing the dynamic of freedom forever in the United States."
Stupid Crazy
After about the third time she asked, I would have asked her where in the Constitution it says the desk he is sitting at should be wood. And then asked her to tell me where in the Constitution it says he has to wear clothes.
There are a whole host of things not specifically listed in the Constitution- a wide wide world of government activities- but that doesn't mean that engaging in those activities is "unconstitutional." Geithner's actions do not derive their authority directly from something written into the Constitution several hundred years ago, but from the authority that Congress granted him when they passed the respective bills. In fact, the very reason we have things called "Constitutional Scholars" is because everything isn't spelled out verbatim in the Constitution.
(Balloon Juice)
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) had quite a year. In 2009, she stepped even further to the forefront of the conservative movement. She appeared frequently on Fox News and right wing radio and often headlined conservative rallies. She was nominated for Lie of the Year and featured on Keith Olbermann's World's Worst Person segment 10 times. The only people Olbermann featured more frequently were nationally-known figures like Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Lou Dobbs and Bill O'Reilly.
The crazy that just never stops
