Interesting, interesting...As of July 30, the Bachmann campaign reports that 51 members of Congress have joined her Tea Party Caucus. It's supposed to reflect the mission and values of a "grass roots" political reform movement. So what kind of "grass roots" people give bucks to the members of Bachmann's congressional Tea Party Caucus?
...according to an analysis of campaign finance data by the Center for Responsive Politics, the top contributors to the congressmen who have joined are health professionals, retirees, the real estate industry and oil and gas interests.
Okay...the oil and gas interests and the real estate lobby: well, that's the despised special interests all the way. But:
(CONTINUED)
"Health professionals"--that sounds like doctors and nurses, that could be considered "grass roots." But that the AMA supported Obamacare; that's been a notorious stumbling block for opponents. I wonder if the category "health professionals" includes people who don't actually practice medicine, but make big bucks off it anyway?
You'd think retirees would be loathe to support a movement that identifies ending public health care as one of its goals. But the article offers an explanation for the presence of "retirees" on the donors list--and, oddly enough, the explanation comes from a tea party spokesperson:
As for retirees, (Sheila Blakely, a spokesperson for the National Tea Party Patriots) said their support reflects fears that health care might be rationed under the new reform plan and ""They support people who they think will stop that from coming to pass."
So I guess the "death panels" politics of terror did catch on big with some older folks. Well done, Sarah and Michele.
One more from the same article:
For the oil and gas industry, "the average Tea Party caucus member received more than $25,000 from the oil and gas industry, compared to about $13,000 for the average House member and $21,500 for the average House Republican," the (Center for Responsive Politics) said.
They're in touch with the "grass roots," see? And ATT, Honeywell, and the American Bankers Association are the top donors--"grass roots" organizations, all.
http://www.politicsdaily.com/...
Next:
This is very funny. I haven't listened to Rush Limbaugh's show for a few years now. (I listen to conservative broadcasting on the radio all the time, but it can't be Rush or Hannity or Beck or any of the countless knockoffs. Because I have to listen to evangelical conservative radio, because I do this Bachmann story. I have to, the evangelical conservative political movement is sort of like Michele's "Batcave." You should listen to the current affair talk radio on the evangelical station in your radio market, too. If you listen to the kind of right wing propaganda that is going out every day all over the country in Jesus' name: your eyes will pop out while you're driving, and you'll see road conditions better.)
Anyway, this is video of Rush Limbaugh. He's talking about how "certain REPUBLICANS" are crucifying Bachmann and Palin and Angle, etc.--trying to disown them. And whose fault is that? Well, it's ours (of course) for pointing out that these candidates say and do stupid stuff. It's the media's fault, for reporting when these candidates say and do stupid stuff.
But surprisingly, he also says it's the fault of some influential REPUBLICANS--who are ashamed that Bachmann, Palin, Angle, etc. say and do stupid stuff, don't seem qualified.
And Rush is telling his listeners that us, the media, and the pseudo-Republicans who think Bachmann's nuts are operating together to stop these candidates--who would, in Rush's opinion, really be kicking ass at the polls and in the leadership if only the pseudo-Republicans, media, and all of the people who realize that Bachmann really is nuts and unqualified and says and does stupid stuff--would give them a chance.
Like I said, it's funny. And at the end, Limbaugh says he's going to name the names of the Republicans who aren't really Republicans--but he doesn't. That's just an unveiled threat, at this point.
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Rush slams Republicans for fighting against Sarah Palin, Sharon Angle, Michele Bachmann
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By the way, it's obvious but we must note: Limbaugh would back Michele Bachmann on presidential ticket in a heartbeat. That's probably been the case for some time now. Rush and his nationwide syndicate of disinformation would back her, even though she hasn't gotten through a single conservative reform in ten years of elected office. She speaks the rhetoric and she's popular with the right: that's all you need these days to qualify as "leadership material" on the right.
Also: Rush would like her because even though she's identified with the tea party, she's not necessarily with the people who are in the tea party. She's perfect for Rush precisely because she has no principles. Q.V.: her rhetoric, prior to the creation of the tea party brand, was one of slavish adulation for the big spending, big government Bush/Cheney White House and the big spending, big government DeLay/Hastert GOP Congress. Yes, even when she was a state legislator back here in Minnesota, she sang the praises of the big government, big spending pre-tea party Republicans--as did Rush. She's perfect for him; no conservative principles at all is the secret to being a career conservative, it's all about meeeeee.....
But like the rest of America, Limbaugh didn't know who she was when she entered Congress almost four years ago. In 2006, she announced (as a freshman member of Congress) that there was in existence a secret plan to divide Iraq with Iran and create a new terrorist state there. That news made Rush's broadcast, but he misidentified Bachmann as a Democrat because he didn't want to attribute that stupid, patently false conspiracy theory to a conservative Republican. (True story; I am not making this up.)
ACTION LINK: You gotta try to take her out. If we don't give it our best shot: she gets bigger, not smaller, and the base she's built grows--nationally. Please help her opponent, Tarryl Clark.
http://tarrylclark.com