From Politics Daily:
Michele Bachmann: No Evidence Black Lawmakers Were Harassed
Posted:
03/29/10
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) told a crowd at a Duluth, Minn., rally over the weekend that there is no evidence that several black lawmakers were harassed by conservative protesters on Capitol Hill in the days leading up to the health care reform vote.
Black lawmakers, including civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), reported that they had been spat on and slurred by protesters demonstrating against the health reform bill last week.
"Democrats said that they were called the 'N word,' which of course would be wrong and inappropriate. But no one has any record of it. No witness saw it, it's not on camera, it's not on audio," she said. "They said that they were spat upon. No one saw it."
http://www.politicsdaily.com/...
Liar! Here's the video. Not only did people see it happen, the people around the man who spat refused to speak up and condemn him. At about 0:58 in the time code, shortly after the spitting incident, someone in the tea party crowd yells out Bachmann's name.
(CONTINUED)
So, yes, this is what the tea party stands for, this is who the tea party includes--and this is what Michele Bachmann lies about, in order to keep the flames of hatred going:
Next:
The editor-at-large of the conservative National Review Online, quoting Tim Pawlenty's endorsement of the leadership of Michele Bachmann. This author likes the idea of Pawlenty for Prez, she thinks he could be the Republican Obama!:
Obama’s a good comparison, too, when you consider Pawlenty’s remarks about Bachmann, who was in attendance at the dinner. He called her "one of the finest leaders in our country," but he didn’t leave it there. "She has guts. She has brains. She has integrity. She has determination. She has persistence. She has the skills, ability, and passion to change this country. . . . My face just lights up when I see her." This was politically smart, because Bachmann is popular among many conservatives. But such a full-throated endorsement was not exactly playing it safe. Bachmann has been known to open a can of worms or two — an interview she did on Hardball nearly cost her her House seat. One gets the impression the term "thrown under the bus" wouldn’t be used quite as often in a Pawlenty era.
"Opening a can of worms" is apparently the National Review's euphemism for "going on national television to accuse fellow members of Congress of holding anti-American views."
The author is right, though. Pawlenty wasn't playing it safe when he gave that "full-throated," effusive endorsement to an extremist who's been caught lying, over and over again, and accusing the President himself of being an anti-American. Long before the passage of health care reform Bachmann was telling conservatives that President Obama had been "practicing tyranny"; the guys at tea party rallies who carry signs with Hitler moustaches painted on Obama's face are the target audience for that--and those crowds love just love her.
Pawlenty may regret his public "fan club"-style support for Bachmann, but he's been in there with the national evangelical conservative political movement a looong time. He can hardly be expected to turn his back on Bachmann, a fellow protege in the same movement.
http://article.nationalreview.com/...
Next:
I often tell people that one reason to keep such a close watch on Bachmann is that what she's talking about this week, is often what other Republicans (supposedly senior to Bachmann) will be talking about next week.
And so it goes with the GOP's new "repeal the health care reform bill" strategy. She'd started a resolution to repeal the HCR bill even before it became a law. And now supposedly senior Republicans are getting on her bandwagon. I'm talking about Senator John McCain, Senator Mitch McConnell, Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Governor Charlie Crist of Florida...gettin' on board! There's a "Repeal It" pledge going around, see the link below.
And the next generation of Republican candidates, the ones running this year--are doing the same.
(GOP candidate Ed Lynch, running against Dem Rep. Jim Wexler in Florida) would sign the "Repeal It" pledge, he said, and he’d also co-sponsor legislation Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) has introduced to repeal the Patient Protections and Affordable Care Act. "I’m a big supporter of Michele," he said.
One problem: These guys can promise repeal all they want in the upcoming election cycle, but they won't be able to repeal jack as long as Barack Obama's in office. So what all these Republican are actually promising is promising that they will continue to promise to support repeal, even though it's not even a remote possibility...for years.
You can bet against repeal ever happening, because once voters see how HCR works it will be "political career suicide" to vote repeal (as it would be a vote to "repeal" Medicare and Social Security.) But you can also bet that you will hear an incredible din of "repeal" noise from the right until the voters learn that the HCR bill benefits them.
So I look forward to the day when I can bury the "stop HCR!" issue in my Bachmann "number one, top priority, earthquake issues" graveyard--alongside the graves of "stop gay marriage!" and "stop CFL lightbulbs!" etc.
Footnote: if you are a conservative Republican politician, for Christ's sake do not point out the fact that repeal is a political impossibility in this upcoming election cycle! Or this will happen to you:
Before the health care vote, on March 9, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told a reporter that Republican voters would understand if the GOP couldn’t repeal health care reform right away... After the vote, on March 23, Cornyn appeared to support "non-controversial stuff" in the reform package. The blowback from the conservative base was immediate and immense. If it was a preview of what Republicans can expect before and after the midterms, it didn’t look good for Cornyn.
"Make no mistake about it," clarified Cornyn. "I fully support repealing this Washington takeover of health care."
Cornyn's terrified "clarification" was so abrupt that it set off the "eat s**t publicly" smoke detector on the Senate floor. Watch Bachmann, Senator Cornyn, so you will know in advance whether or not your opinion is permissible. And your breath will smell better, too.
http://washingtonindependent.com/...