(Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
Greg Sargent
reports Michele Bachmann's campaign is defending its physical treatment of ABC reporter Brian Ross:
The Michele Bachmann campaign is now defending its conduct during yesterday’s widely-reported episode involving Brian Ross, in which Bachmann aides aggressively pushed and shoved the veteran ABC News reporter to prevent him from asking her about her migraines.
In an unapologetic statement given to The Post, a Bachmann campaign spokesperson said that Ross was overly aggressive and that he “jumped on stage and rushed towards us,” suggesting that this justified the aggressive response from Bachmann aides.
But as Greg argues, the Bachmann campaign's defense is absurd; eyewitnesses say Ross did not rush the stage, and video from the scene backs up their account.
Meanwhile, Politico has picked up the Daily Caller story, and is pushing it hard:
While Bachmann sought to put the matter to rest with a statement denying that migraines interfere with her ability to work or with her ability to serve as president, more evidence surfaced raising questions about her condition.
In confirming several incidents first reported Tuesday by the Daily Caller, a conservative online publication, POLITICO found new details of the effect migraines have had on Bachmann’s performance and their pervasive impact on her congressional office.
This can't be good for Bachmann's image with the public, but the only question I care about is whether this helps or hurts her in the primary. She was already unelectable in the general, and this only means she'd lose by even more if she wins the nomination. But the GOP base hates the "liberal" media and if they think she's under unfair attack, it will make her more attractive to Republican primary voters, not less. So this whole affair could end up helping her primary campaign while simultaneously boosting the Democrats in the fall. As Markos puts it, "Win-win!"