Showing posts with label Michele Bachmann. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michele Bachmann. Show all posts

That's My Representative...
Comments
Aren't we proud here in the 6th District of Minnesota? While Democrats came to the floor yesterday prior to the debate on Health Care legislation for simple procedural statements, our very own Michele Bachmann tripped over herself to object to each and every one. In some cases objecting before the speaker had even opened their mouth. Ah, the pride we feel about our freedom loving representative:



Interrupting the legislative process is not something new for Bachmann. Let us hearken back to when she was in the Minnesota State Senate:



You gotta love her definition of freedom...
Category: , ,
��

Mob Rule
Comments
By Taxpayingliberal

Michelle Bachmann held a press conference on the steps of the Capital last Thursday. It was called a press conference because she failed to get a permit for a rally. Freedom loving Americans won’t allow legal technicalities to get in the way of their right to threaten anybody they see as un-American. This press conference was made to show the power of the mob.

Bachmann loves the mob. It’s this mob that gives her power and she feeds it and it feeds her. The mob is mindless, angry, and confused and in it Bachmann feels that the mob can give her the power that the democratic system has denied her. The mob sends her money and brings her fame. The mob is followed by TV cameras and Bachmann was made for TV. In Congress her vote is meaningless. She has yet to author, co-sponsor, or sign onto a single meaningful bill, a failure by any definition of the word.

But on the street she has power. The mob shouts that the President is both a Marxist and National Socialist and Bachmann smiles and tells them they are “beautiful” and they love her for it. The mob says the President is not an American and Bachmann tells them that they need to be armed and dangerous and they have been waiting years to hear that. The mob says the President is both a Muslim and part of the Jewish conspiracy and Bachmann tells them to go forth and spread the word.

Bachmann didn’t create the mob, that job was done by others most notably Fox News. But Bachmann saw that the mob had no leader and that opportunity was hers for the taking. History is filled with examples where the mob elevated the leader to power. The signs that the mob is carrying show two examples of the mob giving power, Hitler and Mao. The fact that they are using the same technique that elevated these tyrants is lost on them but not on her.

A mob feeds on hate and Bachmann is a master at channeling their fears. Turning the mobs anger towards minorities is her stock and trade and she wouldn’t be standing here today if she hadn’t mastered it. The teabaggers are the mother lode of modern mobs. It’s the first corporate sponsored mob in history since the 3rd Crusade. She’s brought them here under the pretext of opposing a bill. But she knows that they are here for a very different reason. They are here because they fear the future. They say they are here because the future will be controlled by a god hating Muslim, Jewish, Rev. Wright Christian, Maoist, Nazi, new world order liberal. They are really here because of racism. And in Bachmann's home district there is no problem with that.

Bachmann and her mob have no equal. There is no effective response to the mob because the opponents dismiss the mob. They continue to cling to the hope that sanity and reason will prevail and it’s that hope that allows the mob to grow unchecked. “Bachmann is crazy” they say, yet she has not lost an election since her first for school board many years ago. Bachmann knows that she will find plenty of demons for the mob to hate and feed on while her opponents will bank on moderation to inspire their campaigns. In the end as Bachmann knows, hate is her best bet to win.
Category: , ,
��

Demanding Apology From Bachmann...
Comments
Representative Steve Israel is calling on Representative Bachmann to apologize for the use of Holocaust imagery during the rally she organized against health care reform on Thursday, November 5th.

Category: , ,
��

The Bachmann Top Ten...
Comments
5:34 PM | Posted in
The Week Magazine, which if you have never heard of it is worth a look, has compiled a Top Ten List of Michele Bachmann moments in response to the recent glowing review by George Will:

1. On ethnic riots in Paris (November 2005): On the face of it, Bachmann observed, “multicultural diversity … sounds wonderful. But guess what? Not all cultures are equal. Not all values are equal. And ... those who are coming into France, which had a beautiful culture, the French culture is actually diminished, it’s going away.” Watch

2. On evolution (October 2006): Bachmann provoked viewers by claiming that a significant portion of the scientific community rejects the theory of evolution: “There are hundreds and hundreds of scientists, many of them holding Nobel Prizes, who believe in intelligent design.” Watch

3. On Terry Schiavo (October 2006): Bachmann provoked ridicule by describing Terry Shiavo, who lived in a permanent vegetative state, as “a woman who was healthy. There was brain damage, there was no question. But from a health point of view, she was not terminally ill.” Watch

4. On anti-Americans in Congress (October 2008): “I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out: Are they pro-America or anti-America?” Watch

5. On the threat of a ‘global currency’ (March 2009): “I’m very concerned about the international moves they’re making, particularly … moving the United States off the dollar and onto a global currency, like Russia and China are calling for.” Watch

6. On the effects of greenhouse gases (April 2009): “Carbon dioxide is portrayed as harmful. But there isn’t even one study that can be produced that shows that carbon dioxide is a harmful gas.” Watch

7. On Democratic presidents and swine flu crises (April 2009): “I find it interesting that it was back in the 1970s that the swine flu broke out under another, then under another Democrat president, Jimmy Carter. I’m not blaming this on President Obama, I just think it’s an interesting coincidence.” Watch

8. On the threat posed by the U.S. census (June 2009): “I think there is a point where you say enough is enough to government intrusion.… Does the federal government really need to know our phone numbers?” Watch

9. On the government bailout of GM (June 2009): The congresswoman famously called the Obama administration a “gangster government.” Watch

10. On health-care reform’s potential to dupe parents (October 2009): “Does that mean that someone’s 13-year-old daughter could walk into a sex clinic, have a pregnancy test done, be taken away to the local Planned Parenthood abortion clinic, have [her] abortion, be back and go home on the school bus? That night, mom and dad are never the wiser.” Watch


Well readers, is it accurate? What would you include in a Top Ten List of Bachmann Moments?
Category:
��

The Photo Op Representative
Comments
6:00 AM | Posted in
This coming Monday in St. Cloud we will see the re-opening of the De-Soto Bridge and as such there will be elected officials on site to get their photo taken and take some level of credit for its creation:

The event starts at 8 a.m. Attendees are encouraged to gather at the Kelly Inn parking lot.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, DFL-Minn., and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., will attend with other local officials.

The DeSoto Bridge closed March 20, 2008, after the discovery of bends in the gusset plates. Construction of the Granite City Crossing bridge that replaces it is near completion.

While I don't begrudge most politicians their photo op, there is a certain level of outrageous hypocrisy for Michele Bachmann to be anywhere near this bridge or ANY transportation project for that matter.

Way back in 2007, I detailed a case in which Bachmann appeared to give the Clear Lake Fire Department a check after having voted against the bill in which the funds were authorized. Prior to that, there was the incident in which she voted to adjourn just before the House of Representatives was to take up the emergency funding measure for the I35W Bridge. Add in the fact that Bachmann voted against the transportation bill from last year and you begin to see how showing up to take a photo next to a bridge you had no role in funding or building is the essence of hypocrisy.

Yet, it doesn't end there because we also have to remember that when the City of St. Cloud and the Chamber of Commerce came calling for help in building a new bridge, Bachmann told them she would not help to obtain the necessary funds. So, with all of her other media appearances we really must come to the conclusion that the 6th District has nothing more than photo op representation.
Category:
��

Send A Message To Bachmann
Comments
I noticed today that Representative Bachmann sent out a fundraising blast (obviously because she was scared into it by the fundraising numbers of Tarryl Clark):

Send them a message they simply cannot ignore. Make a contribution today to the woman that drives the Left CRAZY. Please give what you can to show Washington that Michele Bachmann stands for the Constitution and she stands for the People! Help her stand strong against the Left’s march toward socialism!


As a member of the left I can assure you Representative, you don't drive me CRAZY. It's more like the look you get from people when you have done something so monumentally stupid that they can do nothing but stare in disbelief.


Anyway, my thought is, why aren't we countering this Bachmann fundraising drive by holding a Tarryl Clark fundraising drive? Come on people, you can visit either the Act Blue page set up for Clark or you can go directly to her website. We cannot allow this Bachmann fundraising push to go unanswered...
Category: , , ,
��

Bachmann Out Big City Liberals Clark
Comments
6:25 PM | Posted in ,
Are you kidding me? Is the new Brodkorb drone over at Minnesota Democrats Exposed REALLY trying to tell us that the location of a fundraiser gives us a clue as to the ideology of the person for whom the fundraiser is held?

Tonight, Tax and Spend Liberal Senator Tarryl Clark is holding a fundraiser outside of the 6th District. The fundraiser will be at Sweeney’s Bar which sits squarely in the 4th District.


Well...


I guess Michele Bachmann just out big city liberaled Tarryl Clark because just days ago SHE held a fundraiser outside her district in the 5th district. THAT'S RIGHT, Bachmann held a fundraiser in the MOST LIBERAL district in all of Minnesota!
Category: ,
��

An Open Letter To Michele Bachmann
Comments
4:46 PM | Posted in
Let me begin by saying that there are few people out there who enjoy a good obsessive crusade more than I. Being able to demonize and tear down another person, organization, or entity is truly one of the most enjoyable and noble pursuits one can engage in. In fact, I have placed entire cities on a blacklist for simply annoying me on a visit (Do you hear that DULUTH? Don't think I have forgotten). So I can totally relate to your obsessive hatred of ACORN for, you know, just existing. Imaginary potential threats really are the worst although are a somewhat easier target...

I couldn't help but wonder, though, after reading your third email in six days whose primary subject was the ACORN menace and how you are working to keep them from killing my family and I in our sleep that perhaps you are becoming a little TOO obsessed with an organization which doesn't seem to have much of an affect on the day to day lives of people in the 6th district.

Now if you were obsessing about things like the foreclosure rate here in the 6th which just happens to be the highest in the state or maybe even the economy in general I wouldn't have a problem but it seems to me that crusading against ACORN really does nothing for your constituents. Interestingly, it does seem to help further your career amongst the conservative talking heads on radio and television but that couldn't possibly be the reason for this crusade, could it?

So, Michele, if you could perhaps find some time to obsess about things that might actually improve the lives of your constituents we would be eternally grateful.

Thank You,

A Constituent
Category:
��

Pawlenty Pardons For Cash?
Comments
8:00 AM | Posted in ,

What’s Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s relationship with convicted money launderer and Tom Petters associate Frank Vennes Jr.—and why did he want him pardoned?


By Karl Bremer


If Tim Pawlenty decides to run for President of the United States, at some point he’s going to have to explain his relationship with campaign contributor, Tom Petters associate and convicted money-launderer/cocaine-and-gun runner Frank Vennes Jr.


This relationship is especially relevant in light of Pawlenty’s recent donation of nearly $86,000 from his defunct gubernatorial campaign fund to Minnesota Teen Challenge (MnTC), a controversial Christian chemical dependency program that was once closely affiliated with Vennes and allegedly lost millions on account of that affiliation.


Like his Republican cohorts Norm Coleman and Michele Bachmann, Pawlenty’s connections to Vennes are intertwined in several ways: campaign con tributions, a request for a presidential pardon for Vennes’ federal crimes, and now, MnTC, where Vennes and Pawlenty’s wife, Mary, served on the board of directors together.


The campaign cash connection
Vennes and his family have contributed thousands of dollars to Pawlenty’s gubernatorial campaigns. Kimberly V ennes (Frank’s wife), Gregory Vennes, Stephanie Vennes (Gregory’s wife), and Colby and Denley Vennes, who have shared an address with Frank and Kimberly, each donated $2,000 to the Pawlenty for Governor Committee in 2002. Frank, Kimberly, Gregory, Stephanie, Colby and Denley Vennes each contributed $250 to Pawlenty in 2004 and $2,000 apiece in 2006.


The presidential pardon connection
Coincidentally, the same year the Vennes money started to flow into Pawlenty’s campaign coffers, Pawlenty’s name appeared in a request for a presidential pardon for Vennes sent by Senator-elect Norm Coleman.


In a letter dated December 20, 2002 and sent to “President George W. Bush c/o Karl Rove,” then-Senator-Elect Coleman said he was “well acquainted with Frank [redacted portion] and that I want to join “my friend, (former Minnesota GOP Chairman) Ron Eibensteiner and Governor-El ect Tim Pawlenty in urging President Bush to grant Frank Vennes a Presidential Pardon. ”


The roles of Pawlenty and Eibensteiner in seeking a pardon for Vennes are unclear. A Freedom of Information Act request did not turn up pardon letters from either one, and Pawlenty’s office did not immediately respond to requests for an explanation.


The pardon Coleman, Pawlenty and Eibensteiner sought was for Vennes’ conviction in 1987 on federal charges of money laundering, cocaine distribution and illegal firearms=2 0sale, to which he pleaded guilty and no contest.


Vennes was sentenced to five years in Sandstone (MN) Federal Correctional Facility, where he reportedly “found God”, and was released in 1990. Follo wing his release from prison, Vennes filed a petition for a pardon, which has never been granted.


The Minnesota Teen Challenge-Tom Petters connection
Vennes was a board member of MnTC as recently as 2008. Pawlenty’s wife, Mary, also sat on MTC’s board of directors during at least a portion of the time that Vennes served on the board.


But that organization now stands to lose millions of dollars as a result of MnTC’s investments Vennes allegedly steered to his associate, Tom Petters, in Petters’ alleged multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme.


Vennes is alleged to have been a facilitator, or conduit, used by Petters to lure primarily Christian organizations into investing in Petters’ companies through Metro Gem—one of Vennes’ companies—or through the Fidelis Foundation, which served as a fiscal agent for Minnesota Teen Challenge. Among those investors was Minnesota Teen Challenge, which allegedly lost $5.7 million in investments in Petters companies.


On Sept. 24, 2008, federal agents raided Vennes’=2 0$5 million Shorewood home on Lake Minnetonka and his $6 million oceanfront hom e in Jupiter, Fla., in connection with the Petters investigation.


A ccording to the federal search warrant, Vennes was alleged to have hauled in more than $28 million in commissions for his role in luring five investors to pony up $1.2 billion in Petters’ alleged giant Ponzi scheme. On Oct. 6, the assets and records of Vennes, Petters, Petters’ companies and other Petters associates were frozen by a federal judge, and many seized assets of Vennes and Petters have been sold off to compensate victims of the alleged fraud.


Still, the multimillionaire Vennes has not yet been charged with any crimes in connection with the Petters case. Nor has he been named as a defendant in any20of the lawsuits filed against Petters and hi s associates by alleged victims of the fraud.


Vennes’ ‘dirty money’
Michele Bachmann received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Vennes and his family and also wrote a letter of request for his presidential pardon. However, she retracted it after Vennes became embroiled in the Petters scandal.


Bachmann initially donated a portion of her campaign contributions from the Vennes’--$9,200—to MnTC in an apparent attempt to wash her hands of it. However, MTC returned the check to Bachmann, calling it “dirty money.” Bachmann later sent the money to another organization affiliated with MnTC.


Similarly, after the Petters scandal broke, Coleman donated $14,600 to the Boys and Girls Club in October, which represented the amount of money Tom Petters had donated to his campaign in this election cycle.


Gov. Pawlenty’s office did not immediately return requests for information about Pawlenty’s relati onship with Vennes or whether he intended to return any of Vennes’ campaign contributions.


However, one other question remains: Would a President Pawlenty grant Frank Vennes Jr. the pardon he believes he deserves?


Karl Bremer is a Stillwater writer and can be reached at saintcroix@aol.com.
Category: ,
��

Bachmann Abandons 10th Amendment...
Comments
1:00 AM | Posted in ,
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.



But what about the commerce clause, you ask, which allows the federal government to regulate interstate commerce? Well, that depends on whether or not you define health insurance as "interstate" or "intrastate". This leads to a bit of a sticky wicket for conservatives such as Bachmann. Why? Because part of their new claim is that due to its "intrastate" nature, health insurance cannot be regulated by the federal government (HOORAY 10th Amendment). However, if you turn health insurance INTO interstate commerce then suddenly the federal government will have the authority to regulate. To make matters worse for conservatives, they believe that given the absence of any mention of health care or health insurance in the Constitution there is no authority to make ANY law regarding it so Bachmann shouldn't even be able to create such a provision. Perhaps Bachmann or someone in the conservative movement should have thought this one through a little more rather than just parroting Anne Coulter...
Category: ,
��

Clark At Netroots Nation
Comments
A source of mine at Netroots Nation sent a picture of Tarryl Clark visiting PNC Park in Pittsburgh:

Clark has been at Netroots Nation building national support for her potential run against Representative Michele Bachmann.
Category: , ,
��

Bachmann: I'm A Victim, Please Donate
Comments
1:08 PM | Posted in
Just received a fund raising email from Michele Bachmann. It looks like the victim card will be put to extensive use during this election season:

Dear Friend:
Last month, I appeared on Sean Hannity's show on Fox News Channel. I was talking about the Democrats' latest scheme to pick the taxpayer's pocket to pay for a $1.5-billion slush fund for ACORN.

Before getting into the meat of this terrible new anti-taxpayer proposal, Sean Hannity said that he considers me "the second most hated Republican woman," second only to Governor Sarah Palin.

With Governor Palin taking a well-deserved step out of the spotlight, it appears that I may be absorbing even more of the liberals' scorn.
And, I'd really appreciate your support so that I can defend myself against their attacks. Click here to make a donation!

I'm out there every day speaking the truth about their attempts to guide this nation into socialism:
  • Their government-run health care proposal that will put government bureaucrats in between you and your doctor and end up rationing care -- and the most vulnerable will suffer first and most.

  • Their cap-and-trade national energy tax that will drive up energy costs for every American and send our jobs overseas.

  • Their spending spree that has pushed the national budget deficit over the $1 trillion mark for the first time in our history. We're already closing in on $2 trillion and there's no end in sight to their spending.

  • Their dozens of White House czars with power over your lives and futures and absolutely no accountability to Congress or the people.

  • And, speaking of unaccountable -- when are they going to open up the Fed's books to the public?

  • Their political patronage to groups like ACORN -- doling out billions of your tax dollars and partnering with them to collect your private information for the Census.
But just as they did with Sarah Palin, the more I talk about the issues, the more they attack with below-the-belt personal hits. In fact, yesterday, a Minnesota paper gave a full column to a hit piece on one of my kids!

Can you help me to defend against these attacks? Click here to make a donation!
I'll tell you the truth: Their sticks and stones will not stop me from going out and speaking the truth about their bad policies! And, your support really helps!

God bless and thank you for your support.
Sincerely,

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann

From the Urban Dictionary:

Palinize: To smear or mock someone using falsehoods, baseless accusations or unsubstantiated character assassinations for the purpose of blocking them from achieving a goal.

To exaggerate the truth or lie by omission.

To attack a person for his or her conservative values by focusing an inordinate amount of attention on a single example of that person falling short (or being perceived as falling short) of the values they espouse.

But wait, did she just admit that she DID, in fact call members of Congress Anti-American?
Category:
��

Politico: Bachmann v. Clark
Comments
An article appeared in Politico on Friday describing Michele Bachmann as public enemy number one for Democrats now that Sarah Palin has left office. Further, it analyzes the upcoming race between either Maureen Reed or Tarryl Clark. Yet, there are a couple problems in the article from my vantage point:

First, by describing Bachmann as a "public enemy" Politico is simply playing into the meme set up by conservatives that this person is under attack which only solidifies her base of support and can be a boon for her fro a fund raising standpoint. While I would like nothing more than to see Bachmann defeated and replaced by an effective, less controversial representative in Washington DC, I refuse to fall into this trap of calling her my enemy. Her votes and her policy positions which do nothing to help the people of her district are the enemy and NOT her personally.

Second, there is the complete lack of substance in the quotes by supposed Democratic officials:

Ask Democratic officials in the state about Bachmann, and they can barely contain their anger.

"She is a bizarre news story of the month every month," said Brian Melendez, chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.

"Michele Bachmann is just nuts," said Jeremy Powers, a local DFL chair in Bachmann's district. "She is just an utter embarrassment."

And some Democrats — Powers included — don't hesitate to compare Bachmann with the aforementioned Palin, another conservative lightning rod who speaks with an upper-Midwestern accent, is the mother of a large family, and touts a stridently socially conservative agenda that Democrats regard as outright right wing.

"She is so principally and diametrically opposed to the core principles that we have," Donald McFarland, a Minnesota-based Democratic strategist, said of Bachmann. "She is further to the right than Attila the Hun."

"She's the poster girl for the radical fringe element," added Brian Smoot, who served as political director at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee last campaign cycle.

Really? Given all of the horrible policy positions Bachmann has taken (from her opposition to SCHIP to her bizarre battle against the census that even fellow Republicans have rebuked her over) the best you can come up with is to call her names like Attilla the Hun? Do you understand that since this article came out I have read several conservative blogs who have used this as evidence that poor Michele Bachmann is being attacked and needs help?

Go ahead and talk up the reasons why potential candidates are right for the district:

But Democrats say Clark — who still faces a primary challenger in Maureen Reed, a physician who ran for lieutenant governor in 2006 on the Independence Party ticket — presents the party with its best shot of taking out Bachmann since she first ran for the House in 2006, because she already has proved that she can win in a Republican-leaning St. Cloud Senate district.

"She's proven she can win in areas where Republicans are strong," said McFarland, the Minnesota-based Democratic strategist. "Tarryl Clark is the ticket."

"I've run in an area that people didn't think could be won by a Democrat," Clark told POLITICO this week.



But please, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, stop this completely ineffective strategy of hurling insults at Bachmann without adding so much as a single reason why she is wrong from a policy perspective.
Category: , ,
��

Bachmann - A Look Back
Comments
8:37 PM | Posted in ,
The number one story on Countdown with Keith Olbermann was the departure of Elwyn Tinklenberg from the DFL endorsement race in the sixth district. While it would have been nice for him to mention the two remaining contenders, he did provide an interesting look back at some of the not so brilliant statements made by our current representative:

Category: ,
��

Creating Useful LTEs
Comments
10:55 AM | Posted in , ,
Expressing an opinion in the local newspaper letter to the editor section is a time honored tradition that I enjoy partaking in from time to time. While I would not consider myself an expert on writing and developing these letters, I do know what makes for a completely ineffective letter.

Such is the case with this particular letter in the St. Cloud Times today:

We recently returned from a trip to the Middle East along with people from 16 other states. Several well-informed people asked me if I lived in the area that Michele Bachmann supposedly represents in Congress.

Then they said she is a “laughing stock” in the nation and must be and embarrassment to me! They said she talks but doesn’t seem to know the facts and that her sponsors must want people to be confused and not pay attention to the facts.

My answer was the 6th District and Stearns County conservatives don’t care what the rest of the country thinks of them and their representative! They really did vote that woman into office twice.

How embarrassing! Is she stupid? No, she is just singing the song her sponsors want her to do. Voters need to understand she does not stand for us, the people. Her sponsors are big business and coal and gas interests.

... Don’t hold your breath thinking she will support the North Star commuter rail project, affordable health insurance or cutting emissions.


I mean no offense to the writer of this particular work because I am certain she meant well. Unfortunately, if her wish is to see Michele Bachmann defeated (which I wholeheartedly support) then she has taken precisely the wrong tack.

Sure, she embarrasses many in the 6th District and across the country but don't just leave it at that. Tell the people specifically WHY she embarrasses her district and people across the country. Rather than end with a brief sentence about Northstar or Health Care Reform or Climate Change legislation. Give a detailed account of her embarrassing or ill informed statements on these particular issues. It will not help our cause to continue labeling Bachmann an embarrassment or stupid or a liar if there isn't ample documented evidence to back up those assertions. The letters that don't do these things only serve to solidify support FOR Bachmann as they come off as mere personal attacks. She thrives on playing a victim as evidenced by her fund raising emails:

They are reduced to hurling insults and flinging mud at those of us who are standing tall and saying: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

So, by all means, flood the St. Cloud Times and other 6th District newspapers with letters opposing Michele Bachmann but be sure that when you do it is carefully crafted and filled with the facts and ample sources to ultimately prove that this representative has done little or nothing to improve her district.
Category: , ,
��

An Open Letter To 6th District DFLers
Comments
With yet another election cycle upon us, it is time once again to choose a candidate for the 6th District that can compete and win against one of the more infamous conservative representatives anywhere in the entire country today.

If the rumors I am currently hearing are true, we will find ourselves with a three way race between perpetual candidate Elwyn Tinklenberg, Dr. Maureen Reed, and current Assistant Senate Majority Leader Tarryl Clark. So, who would you choose?

With Tinklenberg you have a candidate who received national attention and loads of national money after Bachmann opened her mouth and denounced Obama and "certain members" of Congress as Anti-American. Couple that with what appears to be the addition of a big name campaign manager which Tink hopes will seal the deal and you have an organization which could be tough to beat for the DFL endorsement. Yet, for all of his national attention I am not hearing a lot of local excitement about another Tinklenberg v. Bachmann race. Are the rank and file interested in a different direction?

In Dr. Maureen Reed you have a moderate former Independence Party candidate who has been bringing in staggering amounts of campaign cash since she announced her candidacy. With all of that cash, can Reed overcome the advantages currently held by the Tinklenberg Campaign? Given the support in the DFL community for health care reform which includes a public option, how will the Reed noncommittal stance play throughout the caucuses?

Finally, there is the potential entry of Senator Tarryl Clark. At this point it is all hearsay but my anonymous sources tell me that at a recent Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation meeting she was asked and said that she "hadn't announced" but this source also said it was "pretty clear". Clark has proven that she can compete and win having been elected twice. More importantly, she won handily in the more conservative half of her district whose current representative is the ultra conservative Steve Gottwalt. With all of these electoral advantages, could Clark overcome the current money disadvantage she would have coming into the race?

At this point in the process I am not putting my endorsement on ANY candidate (I made that mistake before). So, 6th District DFLers, what are you looking for in 2010 that will defeat Michele Bachmann? Have you decided on a candidate? If yes, what makes your choice the answer to flipping the district blue?

Category: , , ,
��

Bachmann Gets Auto-Tuned...
Comments
4:39 PM | Posted in ,
If you have never heard of Auto-Tune The News, check them out HERE. In the meantime, here is their latest installment which includes our very own Michele Bachmann:

Category: ,
��

Maureen Reed: $230,000 In 8 Weeks
Comments
From the inbox this morning, it appears as though potential 6th District candidate, Maureen Reed, has raised over $230,000 in roughly 8 weeks:

Congressional Candidate Maureen Reed announced today that she raised over $230,000 in the first eight weeks of her campaign. Reed’s announcement sets a sizzling pace for DFL fundraising in the Sixth District Congressional race.

“When I talk to residents in the sixth district, it’s clear they are ready for a change and want a candidate who has the energy, commitment and dedication to improve their lives,” said Reed. “When folks see a way they can change things for the better, they are generous with their time, energy and money. I am grateful that so many people believe I am the person who will change things for the better.”

Reed added that after traveling the district and talking to numerous people from all walks of life, she found that people “…want business expansion, job growth, increased home ownership and lower health care costs, and that’s exactly why I’m running for Congress.”

Maureen and her husband, Dr. Jim Hart, have lived near Stillwater for almost 30 years. They have volunteered with the Washington County Medical Reserve Corps for several years. As a member of the Medical Reserve Corps, Maureen was part of a team that provided medical care to victims in the aftermath of the I35W bridge collapse.

In addition to practicing medicine in the Twin Cities, Maureen served as President of Aspen Medical Group and Medical Director of HealthPartners, and chaired the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. Dr. Reed was born in southern Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota undergraduate and medical schools.

Reed is challenging incumbent Michele Bachmann and seeking the endorsement of the DFL and the Independence Party. The campaign will file its official results with the Federal Election Commission by July 15.

Reed continues to bring in impressive fundraising numbers. Time will tell whether those numbers translate into endorsement and a competitive race with Bachmann...
Category: , , ,
��

Birther Movement & Michele Bachmann
Comments
11:22 PM | Posted in , ,
The Birthers, a small collection of conspiracy theorists desperate to delegitimize the Presidency of Barack Obama have been busy creating their own citizen grand jury with the hope of bringing charges against the President and presumably removing him from office.

You wanted the BIG time Obama — well, you got your wish from the Patriots at American Grand Jury. 172 Grand Jury members worked night and day for 10 days in session to hand down the presentments against our arrogant Usurper.


While I would not normally post on something as ludicrous as this motley collection of fools, it seems as though they have been in contact with our very own Michele Bachmann. Apparently, Bachmann was issued a "presentment" by the group:

5:44pm Presentments delivered to Senate Minority Leader McConnell, TX Senators Hutchinson and Cornyn, Ron Paul, and Michelle Bachmann [Emphasis Mine]


It begs the question: Why Bachmann? While the others hold some high level position or another, Bachmann stands out as a relatively low level Congressperson. Do these people believe that Bachmann is a sympathetic ear? IS Bachmann a sympathetic ear?

I sent off some emails and will update accordingly...
Category: , ,
��

Fact Check: Bachmann "FLAT WRONG"
Comments
10:10 AM | Posted in
Michele Bachmann has been on a tear lately about ACORN and the census and the potential role ACORN might play in that census. Apparently, according to Bachmann, the census will be used to round people up and throw them into internment camps much like the Japanese in World War II.

Well, FactCheck.org did a little digging and had this to say about the rantings of my tinfoil hat representative in Congress:

ACORN "will be in charge of going door-to-door and collecting data from the American public," said Rep. Michele Bachmann in mid-June.

...

And Bachmann is flat wrong about ACORN going door-to-door and gathering data. Being "partners" with the Census Bureau doesn't entail as close a relationship as one might think. For the most part it involves getting the word out that it's important for everyone to participate in the decennial event that helps determine where federal money goes and how House of Representatives district boundaries are redrawn. [Emphasis Mine]

I long ago moved from being outraged by anything Michele Bachmann does or says and have reached the point where I view her as a mere caricature. My question to Bachmann supporters persists: Is this the best you have to offer to represent conservative values? Doesn't she just make "conservative" more synonymous with "crazy"?
Category:
��