Bachmann Fights Back
| Wed Oct. 22, 2008 7:51 AM PDT
With her career in jeopardy because of her McCarthy-esque comments on Hardball, Rep. Michele Bachman (R-MN) is in full spin mode. She's telling everyone who will listen, "Chris Matthews laid a trap, and I walked into it." And she's trying to raise money off of the episode. Here's an email she sent to supporters:
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Nazi. Psychopath. Deranged. Mentally ill. Disgusting human being. Bitch.
I apologize for the rude language. But, these are just a few of the names that my staff and volunteers have been called over the past 24 hours simply because they work for me.
Ever since my appearance on MSNBC's Hardball on Friday night, my office has received calls from all across the nation - California, Illinois, Georgia, Texas, Oregon, Vermont, and elsewhere. Some of the calls have been respectfully disagreeing with my statements on the show. Most, unfortunately, are full of hate and anger and language like that above - and worse.
And, they're putting their money where their mouths are.
My opponent has told the media that the Far Left has donated more than half a million dollars in the 24 hours following the show.
Click here to let them know that we're not going to stand for their lies.
...Chris Matthews did what Chris Matthews is paid big bucks to do: Twist my words and set them up for full-fledged distortion when his next guest came on. And, when the liberal blogs got hold of little clips of my appearance, the spin machine really kicked into overdrive.
...And, that is what is inspiring hard core leftists from all across the country to send more than half a million dollars to my opponent.
Here, again, is the quote that got Bachmann into the most trouble: "The news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look. I wish they would. 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? I think people would love to see an expose like that." You know, I'm not sure that needs twisting from Chris Matthews or the liberal blogs (hi!) to make it inflammatory. It's pretty damn inflammatory on it's own.
Comments
David Corn did a great job on Hardball today. Take a look: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/27328295#27328295
"Pro-American" and "anti-American" are just stupid ways to categorize something as complicated as a belief system. Bachmann argues essentially that anyone who disagrees with her version of what America should be is against the country. Very arrogant, and it brings to mind an analogy.
In a way, our country is the child of each of us. Now, if we become aware that our child is bullying people in the schoolyard, neglecting their studies, and refusing to do their chores, what do we do? According to Bachmann, a "good" parent would stand behind the erring child without criticism and without trying to redirect him (or her).
It is of note that inevitably, the childhood bullies that I have seen as my children and foster children have grown up come from Republican parents. Seems like from top to bottom, a portion of the party just can't fathom that they or their children are capable of any wrong-doing or in need of any loving correction. It mystifies me.
Spot on
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed Jul. 1, 2009 6:07 PM PDT.
In retrospect, her comments and interpretation by Matthews were dead-on. Obama has spent a considerable amount of time and effort mired in policies which, in his own words, were not meant to improve the economy but to promote fairness for some undefined meaning of the word fairness.
He has shown himself unable to voice support of allies nor to criticize avowed enemies. As such an articulate individual, one cannot merely attribute this to Obama being dumb, or merely to currying favor.
In the meantime, unemployment is reaching double digits, credit is still frozen, the administration has completed its fire-sale buyouts of the auto industry and is now working on overt legal micro-management of the health, energy, and building construction industries... while the economy falters. He has made it clear that his agenda involves, in his words, continued "sacrifice", yet has failed to show in any way that the level of suffering he is imposing artificially is in any way justified or will have anything other than a bad outcome. He appears in his actions to be rather less thoughtful than was generally supposed, and much more driven by a set of dogmatic beliefs.
So I think in retrospect, Bachmann had a reasonable thought process. Obama is anti-American because he places his own personal agendas ahead of the interests of the country.
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