Some interesting notes from reporter Doug Grow of the MNPost blog, who attended the first "Bachmann actually showed up" debate in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
Grow writes of Bachmann:
Even those who don't agree with her political points of view would acknowledge that she comes across far different in this sort of format than when she does right-wing talk radio or TV.
Sometimes when Minnesota political reporters send back their coverage, you have to kind of interpret it to make out "what they are really getting at" (like when Lassie's barking madly about something, and Timmy has to figure out what she means.)
What Grow is trying to tell the readers here is that...
(CONTINUED)
What Grow is trying to tell readers here is that Bachmann tends to display her most hateful views (eg, that Obama is a "tyrant and "economic Marxist," that her Dem opponents are "radicals" and "leftists", etc.) when she is in front of audiences that are predisposed to believe that sort of thing.
She doesn't display that face when she's talking to constituents who may or may not disagree with her. (This may be why Ken Avidor of Dump Bachmann says that he watched the debate and found it boring.)
...Bachmann and Clark disagreed on just about everything. (Independence Party candidate Bob) Anderson, it should be noted, lines up closely with Bachmann on most issues.)
That is worth noting, since Anderson's always refused to participate in a cross-endorsement plan to hand the election to Bachmann's Dem opponent and "get her out of there." Whatever he claims about opposing Bachmann: Anderson prefers "Bachmann in office" to "any Dem taking her place."
In his analysis, reporter Grow identifies himself as one of the observers who believe that Anderson's candidacy contributed to Bachmann's re-election last time around.
Anyway:
When the subject of the (Bachmann/Clark) attack ads was brought up at the conclusion of the debate...
Bachmann told the audience of more than 500 that she agrees that the ads have gone too far.
"I know it's difficult to watch them," she said. "I don't like to watch them either."
This was the low point in the debate for Bachmann. There was a groan in the room. Even her most ardent supporters understand that Bachmann might have something to do with the tone of the Bachmann ads.
And...
Bachmann spoke of a 2007 visit to "a window manufacturer in Stillwater" where she was told that the biggest concern of employers was "uncertainty." She clearly was referring to Andersen Windows, and Clark was able to point out that because of stimulus money, Andersen is enjoying huge business.
Bachmann did not respond.
Even though Clark won that particular exchange, she seems to have blown an opportunity there. The blogs have been full of Bachmann's letters seeking Obama Dem stimulus funds for her district.
Bachmann apparently acknowledged that the stimulus funds she says "don't create jobs" would have created at least 3000 new jobs in her district. Clark could have cited that in connection with the Andersen windows anecdote to point out that Bachmann's stance against the stimulus has cost her constituents jobs and contributed to the highest home foreclosure rate in Minnesota.
That kind of stuff is small potatoes to people who recognized that Bachmann's a nut and a hater, and an inspiration to the present generation of nuts and haters in conservative politics this election cycle. But Clark has made Bachmann's non-performance for the people of the district the lynch-pin of her campaign against Bachmann. (That was also the strategy of the "close, but no cigar" Tinklenberg campaign against Bachmann in 2008.)
This debate was nominally about "business issues,"
and Grow noted that the attendees in St. Cloud were largely pro-Clark and anti-Bachmann. Bachmann's performance on improving the economic quality of life in the district is non-existent. So any "Clark fail" to turn an anti-Bachmann moment into television fodder in the last days of the campaign--is a pretty significant fail.
And oh yeah... according to reporter Grow: Bowser from the fifties doo-wop revival group Sha-Na-Na is a big Clark supporter; very anti-Bachmann.
Somehow, I don't think that by itself is gonna be enough to "put Clark over." But bless you, Bowser, for speaking out in your bass voice. Every time I think this story can't get any weirder...
http://www.minnpost.com/...
ACTION LINK: To Tarryl Clark... more debates coming up, needs to get keep those ads running...
http://tarrylclark.com