Bachmann Overcomes "Anti-American" Gaffe to Win Re-election to Congress
Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota overcame her own game of "Hardball" last night—and fought nationwide voting trends—by holding onto her House seat. Barely.
By all estimates, it shouldn't have been a tough election. Bachmann won the 2006 election by an 8 point margin. Her district—which stretches from St. Cloud, southeast to the Wisconsin border, but excludes the city of St. Paul—voted for George W. Bush in double digits—twice. And Bachmann faced off with little-known Democrat Elwyn Tinklenberg, 58, a former mayor and state transportation commissioner.
But in a mid-October television appearance on MSNBC's Hardball With Chris Matthews, Bachmann remarked that Barack Obama "may have anti-American views" and that the media should examine Congress to determine which members are "pro-America or anti-America." Pundits lambasted her for McCarthyism; many voters were infuriated. Her campaign quickly went from cakewalk to catastrophe. In the 10 days after the Hardball interview, her opponent raised $8.1 million from donors nationwide after taking a year to raise $1 million.
Bachmann fought back. In an open letter on her website, she blamed the flap on a "spin machine in serious overdrive." And she pushed her stances on several issues close to conservative hearts—her fight against earmarks, her push for a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, and her fury with the $700 billion bailout.
"Her views are in line with the people in the district," says Michelle Marston, Bachmann's spokesperson. "She has an agenda that's theirs."
Ultimately, voters agreed. But they didn't forgive her easily. She won by a slender 3 points.
Reader Comments
Love America? Then add 4 trillion to debt!
Your kids pay it:
W took the deficit from about 6 trillion to about 10 trillion.
Please see www.treasurydirect.gov
(The'a a gubmint site we pay for) to see if that's about right.
Nice gift to your kids!
If you voted for Repubs, you're responsible. Maybe it's about time you started explaining taxation, deficits, and national fiscal health.
Oh, wait! The press is doing it for you now.
Your kids thank you.
Give it up
If the left is that Anti- American, why are Americans voting for them, why are they winning? This angry politics is not working anymore, give it up.
Yep
You're right, Beale. The other aspect of this centers around the notion that if you don't talk to the N. Korean or Iranian leadership directly then you are exhibiting a narrow-mindedness and in their head, being anti-American in the process.
I've experienced this line of thinking first-hand. It shows me how naive the (mostly) young and idealistic left-minded voters can be about our enemies. It illustrates a willingness to cozy up to our recognized enemies and to believe that all we have to do is talk with them and the world will be ok. Folks, they want to kill us. We are the country they love to hate. They will not rest until we are gone. Pacifism only serves to display weakness. Period.
The scary part is people do not have to understand the issues. They don't have to understand the true nature of this world and there are countries working hard right now to ensure we do not see another morning. They just have to show up and push a button.
Meanwhile the silent majority remains silent and don't show up to vote because they have jobs and other responsibilities. The loud and left-wing media rants long and hard and often enough on the fringe issues to the point where we believe they are the issues we need to pay attention to.
It's called misdirection.
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