This morning:
"My name is Michele Bachmann. I stand here in the midst of many friends and many family members to announce formally my candidacy for president of the United States... I am not one of those want you to believe the tea party movement is just the right-wing fringe of the Republican party but I am here to tell you, nothing could be further from the truth."
Here's the problem: Michele Bachmann is right. And it doesn't matter one iota that she may be insane.
Michele Bachmann is right because the Tea Party movement has been allowed to define itself and create its own universe. It has become a movement defined by the well justified fear that our economy is in big trouble.
There are far, far too few good jobs, and far too few even crappy jobs. The middle class is in big trouble.
Let's say this again: the problem is JOBS.
People don't care if the Tea Party is the carefully orchestrated voice of corporate America. Nobody gives a damn that the solutions proposed by Bachmann and her ilk are exactly what got us into this mess.
During the time of the Black Death, people would spend their last dime on snake oil.
And when there are no jobs, people will flock to an attractive candidate who channels fear and points to the heavens and the flag, and says, "We can take our country back!"
All they know is: things are not getting better. Bachmann flashes her smile and pedals her snake oil:
The problem is taxes! Cut taxes, especially on corporations! Get rid of the estate tax! Cut spending! Get rid of all regulation! THIS WILL CREATE JOBS!
And where are the Democrats, and Obama? From the lead editorial in the June 27th issue of The Nation:
It’s already too late for Obama to engineer an economic turnaround. Even if he proposes major new legislation, the GOP is sure to block it. Cynical Republicans are quite aware that what’s bad for the economy is good for them, so disregard their pious claims. They are determined to make things worse by cutting government spending, although the economy desperately needs more aggregate demand. Even more bizarre, Obama is collaborating in this effort, making nice with enemies who have their hands on his throat.
Karl Rove and his Crossroads group is about to launch a multi-million dollar advertising blitz.
The ad, which is called "Shovel Ready," begins with video footage of Obama saying the economy is growing at "a good clip."
An announcer than says: "Unemployment up 25 percent. The national debt up 35 percent. The price of gas up 104 percent."
Rove understands perfectly how to exploit what The Nation clearly recognizes as a growing credibility gap:
The longer Obama persists in claiming things are on the right track, the more he damages his credibility. Severe economic distress is what defeats incumbent presidents.
The solution? Again, from The Nation:
An emergency recovery agenda would change the subject from deficit reduction to comforting citizens in desperate circumstances. It would also reanimate the possibility of Congressional action. Do Republicans want to oppose these humane measures? Very well, let’s have some roll calls. Suddenly, they would face hard choices. Let’s test their coldblooded convictions with the public.
Michele Bachmann should not be "misunderestimated". She is not stupid. Yes, she's on the far fringe of the right, and is championing ideas that are demonstrably economically suicidal for the middle class. And yes, she's a religious fundamentalist who is only too willing to invent facts, change history, and impose her narrow theocratic vision on this country. But advertising works, and fear is a powerful force.
This nation right now craves strong leadership. When Obama stood tall a few weeks back, and said that we would not allow the Republicans to decimate Medicare, his popularity soared.
If Obama caves to Mitch McConnell and Eric Cantor on the debt ceiling, the exact opposite will happen.
Michele Bachmann will present herself as a strong leader. She is god and country. She has answers.
Does it matter that she's all bluster and window dressing, and that her ideas are nuts? Does the public care that there are no jobs because nothing has been done to curb corporate greed and Wall Street excess?
Not a whit.
Bachmann will define herself as the anti-Obama, the exact opposite of the President who has failed to provide jobs.
She could win the nomination.
And if unemployment remains above 9%, and if the price of gasoline doesn't go down, and if Obama fails to stand up, right now, as a powerful leader and not just a negotiator/conciliator, a leader who can enunciate principles and show that he will fight for them in a time of crisis, then it won't matter that he's smarter and more erudite and a better debater than Michele Bachmann can ever be.
We could well have to deal with President Bachmann in 2012.
And that would be an utter disaster for this nation.
12:28 PM PT: h/t to Snud for this excellent comment, especially for the link to Taibbi's article (which I hadn't seen before):
Matt Taibbi agrees
in his most excellent piece in Rolling Stone this week. His argument is basically that about half of the voters in America think we progressives "suck". Thus he concludes:
All of those people out there aren't voting for Michele Bachmann. They're voting against us. And to them, it turns out, we suck enough to make anyone a contender.
If you haven't read Taibbi's article, please take a moment to do so. It helped remind me why we need to keep fighting this fight.
by Snud on Mon Jun 27, 2011 at 11:54:10 AM MST