Bachmann's got a forum event in St. Cloud, Minnesota today that local media have been describing as "a town hall meeting." These "forum" events are not town hall meetings. At a town hall meeting, you get to ask the questions you want to ask, on the topics of your choosing. At one of Bachmann's forums, she determines the topic and may announce that she will not be taking questions at all.
Today's was a "drive-by" forum, in that I received an announcement that it was going to take place less than 24 hours before it happened. Nonetheless, our friends the local media are spinning the praises of Bachmann for her accessibility to voters:
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Aug 25, 2009 7:56 am US/Central
Bachmann To Hold 2 Public Forums
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) ―
Constituents of Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann have two chances this week to discuss pressing issues with her, including a public forum on health care.
The 6th District Republican will be in St. Cloud on Tuesday to tackle questions about Social Security. The seminar is geared toward women and Bachmann says she'll be joined by an official from the Social Security Administration.
On Thursday, Bachmann heads to Lake Elmo for the health care forum. She'll be accompanied by Congressman Michael Burgess, a fellow Republican from Texas who has a background in medicine...
This story is from a broadcast station WCCO, by way of the AP. Notice that the date on the story is today. That's also the day of the forum that they are praising Bachmann for holding. In other words: they are breaking news of the existence of the forum to their audience, on the very same day that the forum is being held. And praising her for holding the event without any advance notice.
You see what we're up against when we're trying to beat Bachmann here in the 6th district, from the Minnesota AP and local broadcasting?
Here's a bit of video from Keith Olbermann. He and his guests are making wise guy comments about how Michele says she'll run for president if God calls her to do so.
Someone put this particular clip up on YouTube last night, but the title given to the clip was a bit misleading. The clip is entitled: "Countdown with Keith Olbermann-Michelle Bachmann ran for Congress because "God" told her to."
Now, it is true that Michele has claimed publicly that God called on her to run for her current seat in Congress.
But that particular claim isn't mentioned in this Olbermann video clip.
Yes, it is true that Bachmann claimed that on many occasions in her life the Lord has spoken to her directly, one on one, and told her what she should do. She has claimed publicly that she is personal contact with God, sometimes even conversing with Him. Here are excerpts from Bachmann's recorded testimony for Jesus Christ at the Living Word church on October 14, 2006:
Bachmann: And then the Lord showed me that I needed to go to college, and so I went to college...
...And the Lord then led me to this man, stand up, darling, this is Marcus Bachmann, my husband (applause).
Led me to him, and showed me that this was also part of my calling. That my calling was to marry this man.
And I tell you that, because, I hate to disappoint you, darling, but it wasn't a big romantic surge that led us to each other. It was His Word.
We were praying one night, a girlfriend and I, not Marcus, and the Lord gave each one of us the same, exact vision. And it was this: It was a picture of me, marrying this man, in the valley where his parents have a farm in western Wisconsin.
And we got that word, we were praying in the Spirit, I'd been baptized in the Spirit, we were praying in the Spirit and the Lord showed us that, and I just said, "Well, Lord, that's really strange, I'll just put in on the shelf."
And I put it on the shelf, put it in His hands, and said: "You make the calling sure."
I had no idea: at the same time, the Lord was speaking to my husband, and He showed my husband, he was repairing a fence on the farm where he worked, and the Lord showed him in a vision that he was supposed to marry me.
...And during those dorm years, when I was busy studying, the Lord put in my heart, that if I would be diligent and I would be steadfast, He would take me to law school. And I thought, law school? I have no interest in going to law school. But I put that in His hands and I put in His plan, and I put it in His hands, and pursued that, and eventually He did, He took me to law school.
And I went to the first Christian law school that there was in the United States, down at Oral Roberts University, where they taught the law from a Biblical worldview.
And from there, my husband said "Now you need to go and get post-doctorate degree in tax law." Tax law? I hate taxes. Why should I go and do something like that? But the Lord says: Be submissive, wives, you are to be submissive to your husbands.
And so we moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia, and I went to William and Mary, to law school there, for a post-doctorate degree in tax law, and I pursued this course of study. Never had a tax course in my background, never had a desire for it, but by faith, I was gonna be faithful to what God was calling me to do through my husband, and I finished that course of that study.
...And in the midst of all this, as if we didn't have enough to do, He called me to run for the Minnesota State Senate. I had no idea, and no desire to be in politics. Absolutely none.
...And even though we were not successful getting (same-sex marriage) on the ballot, guess what? Although we were attacked, the message remains the same. As Pastor Mac (Hammond) has said: He is the same yesterday, today and forever. And His word will always be true, that He created them male and female, and that he brought them together, and that's what marriage will be.
And in the midst of that calling, God then called me to run for the United States Congress.
And I thought, what in the world would that be for. And my husband said œYou need to do this." And I wasn't so sure. And we took three days, and we fasted and we prayed. And we said "Lord, is this what you want, are You sure? Is this Your will?" And after, along about the afternoon of day two, He made that calling sure.
And so you see--it's not unusual at all for Bachmann to get these calls from the Lord, according to Bachmann.
Someone should really get this info to Keith Olbermann, it will give him some context.
Next: Bachmann mentioned in the New York Times, cited for spreading false information about the President's health care advisor.
Bioethicist Becomes a Lightning Rod for Criticism
By JIM RUTENBERG
Published: August 24, 2009
WASHINGTON — Few people hold a more uncomfortable place at the health care debate’s intersection between nuanced policy and cable-ready political rhetoric than President Obama’s special health care adviser, Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel.
Largely quoting his past writings out of context this summer, Betsy McCaughey, a former lieutenant governor of New York, labeled Dr. Emanuel a "deadly doctor" who believes health care should be "reserved for the nondisabled" — a false assertion that Representative Michele Bachmann, Republican of Minnesota, repeated on the House floor...
By the way--spreading lies is called "false witness," if you're Christian (as Michele is always professing to be.)