Michele Bachmann has a stalker. It's a stalker that doesn't move and says nothing. It only sits on her desk and reminds her that she has two weeks until the Ames Iowa Straw Poll. Most people don't get stalked by a calendar, but Bachmann feels its presence every time she enters her office.
Time is not a luxury for Representative Bachmann; it's a currency she lacks.
After months of chasing headlines that appeal to voters on the far right, she now has to embrace ideas that will appeal to moderate voters in an equally vocal way. She has to show the moderate members of the Republican Party that she can represent their interests as well as the Tea Party's. Unfortunately, many of the positions she has taken, like her refusal to compromise in the debt ceiling debate, are opposite of the desires of many in the center of the Republican Party. It's hard to turn a "no" into a "qualified no" in only two weeks.
Assuming Michele Bachmann has a chance to get back to the center fast, how does she do it?
She needs to do three things well:
- First, walk back from her hard right positions, if only a little.
- Next, get an organization in place to show she's serious.
- Finally, learn to polish her message so that it will reach the most people.
Bachmann was one of two candidates to sign "The Marriage Vow" from the fundamentalist Christian group The FAMiLY Leader. The other candidate was Rick Santorum, whose candidacy is an afterthought in this election cycle. Bachmann needs to spend some time explaining exactly what she supported in the document and why. One gets the sense that Bachmann's foot rests uneasy near the precipice that is her mouth. She's only one gaffe away from alienating a large segment of reasonable people who don't support intolerant positions. She needs to step away from these positions enough to put people at ease with her.
She needs to spend some time in Iowa rallying support for her cause, but she also needs to get a strong organization in place there. A straw poll is an excellent opportunity to show that one is a serious candidate. It's also an excellent opportunity to look like someone who is overexposed to television cameras and microphones, but has no real support. The verdict on the Bachmann campaign is two weeks away.
In many ways, Bachmann's messaging resembles a sledgehammer. That's a fine tool for demolishing things, but it isn't employed in building things. If she wants real grassroots support, she'll need to do some building. Saying no is acceptable, but people also want to know when a candidate will say yes. She will need to eliminate that perception if she hopes to stay competitive in the Ames Iowa Straw Poll. If she fails, it will invite bigger candidates into the race.
Can Michele Bachmann come back to the center enough to win?
She probably has made it too far to the right to be a real challenger in this election cycle. Her base will see her obstinate positioning as a good thing. That base isn't big enough to win the Republican nomination for president. Her best hope is to use this run as a step to a more prominent office like a senator or governor. It was a nice try, but the weights necessary to balance the scale aren't available.
Do you support Bachmann's campaign?
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Comments: 48
I find your analogy to be pretty close to the mark, with the exception of Michele Bachmann's next step being that of a Senator or a Governor.
It would be my opinion that although she has been re-elected three time to the House of Representatives by her districts constituency, I find it hard to believe that she can now go any higher in her political career. Her last election was backed by big business only in order to assure that the Republican Party held on to that seat in the House, not because she was so desired as a candidate.
Since her last re-election in 2010, she has been so ignorantly lacking in knowledge of the many issues to which she has commented on, that even her staunchest of conservative supporters will think long and hard before returning her to office for a fourth time, much less electing her to a higher office.
It is true that she has an unshakeable fan club base of extreme far rightwing ideologues. However, as a result of her having gone so far to the right to establish that base, there is not even the slimest of chances of her now being able to appeal to a broader electorate. The type of broad base which is required to win an election.
With the now published knowledge of both her and her husband virtually being wards of the federal government (she via a paycheck, he via his private business, both via government healthcare insurance) her hardline stance against federal assistance and entitlement programs, makes her out to be nothing less than a hypocritical ethically devoid liar. Characteristics which are not what most voters are looking for in a candidate.
Still further, with the reported extreme religious beliefs followed by both her and her husband, a form of religion which is far from the normal organized biblical teachings, she will also loose many of the centrist conservative voters within her party. Additionally, her continued assertion that homosexuality is an abomination, abortion is murder and federal assistance programs are nothing more than handouts, will be far less than helpful in appealing to established conservative voters and in fact, I believe, will assure her loss in the primaries.
Michele Bachmann is akin to Ron Paul, they are both extremist in their individual ways. They both have a fan club base which has kept them in office. But neither can broaden their base to any significant degree because of their extremist views.
I may well be proven wrong, only time and the primaries will answer the question.
A person who is a "Patriot" may be the personal trait you look for in a presidential candidate, but for more inquisitive voters, patriotism is secondary on a candidate's resume'. Job qualifications and personal character traits being more important when making their choice for the candidate who will garnish their vote for the highest office within our country's government.
The average voter chooses knowledge of Congressional protocol, political professionalism, Constitutional knowledge, Congressional experiance, honesty in performance and exceptional ethical standards of character as being the main criteria on a resume' by which a candidate is viewed as being suitable for the presidency. All character traits and resume' qualifications which Michele Bachmann sorely lacks.
A candidate having those traits will also guarantee the voters that the candidate is a patriot of both the country and the Constitution in personal sentiment. Patriotism alone, is far from enough qualifications to hold the office of President of The United States.
That is so ridicules in principle that it is not even laughable, but more so, it is summarially incomprehensible as a ligitimate statement.
Michele Bachmann is a far right political ideological extremist, harboring an even further right religious beliefs and mindset, as well as a mentally and informatively inept politician. Nothing even close to being "an Independent Right Leaner" as you say you are !!!
When over 60% of the country was begging the President not to pass Obamacare, I don't remember Mitt Romney or Tim Pawlenty or any of the other potential contenders fighting to try to stop him. Oh they might have made an appearance or 2 on a Sunday morning chat show, but Michele Bachmann was at the forefront. She was the tip of the spear. She was our courageous voice in Washington. Organizing rallies, voicing opposition, debating the issue in detail, informing the public, and persuading voters to help her to fight this travesty. Even now, hers is the strongest voice promising this law's repeal. While others stood on the sidelines and studied the polls, Michele Bachmann showed herself to be a leader. She is what this country needs, and she will be the next President of the United States.
I have read some outrageously inaccurate comments many times here on Gather News. However, your comment which I paraphrased below, is so unconscionably far away from being a truthful statement, that it can only be assumed that you were attempting to be viewed an outlandish comedian and not a serious commentor.
"Michele Bachmann is as mainstream in this country as the American flag, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. It is Barack Obama, the Democratic Party, and the liberal media who are out of the mainstream".
Mainstream "Really" Mainstream, how idiotic can one be ???
actually I think you are right. Take this for example.
Sunday night while addressing a relgious group in Iowa Mz Bachman stated that she would NEVER vote to raise the debt ceiling. now most people would take that as she is being fiscally conservative but what I think she really meant was this:
I miss 40% of the votes anyway and since I am not in DC to vote but instead out campaigning odds are I wont vote for it. And if elected president I get rid of that pesky voting job anyway.
1) She voted against TARP ------- The Bill passed
2) She voted against the Simulus Package ------- The Bill passed
3) She voted against Health Care Reform ------- The Bill passed
4) She voted against National Debt Increase ------- The Bill passed
5) She voted against the Education Science Reform Act ------ The Bill passed
6) She voted against the Cut Spending - Maintain Existing Limits Act --- The Bill passed
7) She voted against the Budget Control Act ----- The Bill passed
8) She voted against the Cut Cap & Balance Act ----- The Bill passed
It would appear that her voting record in Congress demonstrate that Michele Bachmann is on the loosing side of all issues, which would indicate that she is out of touch with the other 436 Congressman and common sense. It would further indicate that she is not serving her constituency very well.
Further:
1) She and her siblings all receive Farm Subsidy government paychecks but voted against the program in Congress
2) She and her husband receive government Health Care Insurance but she voted against the program in Congress
3) She and her husband business receives medicare and medicaid benefits but she voted against both programs in Congress
4) She and her husband received a government home loan, but she voted against the program in Congress.
5) She was a government employee as a tax consultant for the IRS Washington D.C. Office, but she believes that the rich should not pay their fair share of the U.S. tax burden
Looks like Michele Bachmann thinks all such government programs are good for her, her husdand and her siblings, but she does not want any other Americans to have the same privilages to receive such programs benefits
Still Further:
1) Michele Bachmann believes that her liberties are guaranteed under/by the U.S. Constitution, but she does not believe that such liberties apply to anyone who is a homosexual.
2) She claims that she believes in freedom of religion in America, but she demonizes the head of the Catholic Church as being the Anti Christ on earth.
3) She claims that she believes in the science and recorded history of her religious faith and biblical teachings, but she denounces any science that declares anything outside of her faith's teachings.
4) She claims that she believes in the articles of the U.S. Constitution, but she continuously misquotes and misrepresents those very articles in her public speaking and to the news media
5) She claims to follow and believe in the laws of our country, but she continuously ignores those laws pretaining to a womans right to choose and refers to such decisions by women as committing murder
NOTE: When you make a statement on Gather News, you are opening yourself and your candidate up to factual scrutiny.
You forgot that Bachmann and her husband took out a Fannie Mae loan to finance their house, but Bachmann has called for the destruction of fannie mae/freddie mac.
See #4 under the title "Further" I worded it as a home loan instead of FM/FM loan
You missed the point, Michele Bachmann does not want anyone else to be able to get a mortgage loan as she did. She wants the federal funds for the lending program to be eliminated and the program to be shut down. In other words, I got mine, but I don't want you to get yours.
If that is the kind of person who you want representing you, (screwing you) then by all means, support the hypocritical idiot. But, don't attempt to shout her virtues to the rest of us, we know her for the true hypocrite that she is.
The presence of the Minnesota Congresswoman, he predicted, will be soaked up by GOP activists because "she fills an enthusiasm gap in California.''
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To you, Michele Bachmann is " total energy, a rock star, she will ignite, she will soak up, she will fill a gap" Now those are attributes which call for a resounding indorcement for someone you want to represent you in Congress.
With that frame of mind by conservatives such as you, it's easy to see how Barack Obama was elected in 2008 and will be re-elected ion 2012
However, the sane voters of America are looking for a political candidate who will be able to properly represent them in Washington politics, they are not looking for a "Rock Star"
Keep up the good work Jennifer, the more you say, the better as a Democrat I feel about the President's re-relection prospects.
Lucas also says that his mother is “a true believer” and that she pours herself wholeheartedly into the causes and initiatives she takes embraces. The most astounding element of my conversation with Lucas, coincidentally, was his overwhelming openness to discuss practically any subject. It is this quality that the young doctor sees in his mother as well. When admitting that “everyone is calculated to some extent,” he says his mother truly “believes in the cause”:
SOURCE: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/fact-based-true-believer-lucas-bachmann-describes-his-mom-in-exclusive-blaze-interview/
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It would appear that both Michele Bachmann and you are unaware that we are currently involved in three (3) wars !!!
My God, where have you people been, what planet are you presently on ???
Bachmann continued: “I know how to deal with turning the economy around because I’ve dealt with that as a federal tax lawyer. I understand the devastation of high taxes on employers. And I also, from the point of view, of being a small business employer myself, I’ve created jobs.”
"Number one will be competence on the issues. And experience on the issues. And I will have a preference for people in the private sector," she said. Among her other criteria: officials who love the Constitution and practical people “who figured out how to make something work.”"They are there ...to let me know what their advice is," Bachmann said.
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"Mr. President, I'm not sure what voice you're listening to, but I can assure you that the voice of the American people wasn't the voice that compelled Washington to act," she said in a statement after the president announced a deal with congressional leaders Sunday night. "It was you that got us into this mess, and it was you who wanted a $2.4 trillion blank check to get you through the election."
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Michele Bachmann, during her 2 1/2 terms as a Congreewoman in the House of Representatives, has introduced a total of 46 Bills of Congressional Legislation for consideration by the full House of Representatives.
Unfortunately, for both her and you, her authored Bills were so far out of the normal realm of sane and appropriate legislation that 44 of the 46 never got a single co sponsor and were immediately killed upon reading on the floor of the House without being sent to any committee for study.
The 2 Bills which did get co sponsors were killed the day after they were sent to committee because the Bill's content and context were inapproriate in substance and principle and would therefore be non supportable by the House members.
Conclusion:
Michele Bachmann as a Congressional Legislator has a record of 46 Bills introduced with 44 Bills killed on the House floor and 2 killed in committee.
Now if Michele Bachmann is what you consider to be a good Legislator and are supporting for the POTUS, I can only ask, "Where are men in the white coats" Such illness is known as the three monkey syndrome. i.e. hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.
Michelle Bachmann isn't going to be the nominee: she's not even going to be on the ticket.
I'm not so sure of her not being on the Republican ticket as a candidate.
Even with all the myriad of known ills of Bachmann as a person and as a politician, Gather members such as Jennifer McDonald still thinks she walks on water.
It's amasing and scary.
"Jennifer McDonald" is a troll, and I wouldn't be surprised if he/she/it wasn't being paid by the Koch brother or the Bachmann campaign.