I’m Zach Rodvold, Campaign Manager for Tarryl Clark’s campaign for Congress against Michele Bachmann in MN-06.
It is now less than one month until Election Day and Michele Bachmann is still nowhere to be found – at least not in the 6th District. She recently turned up in Nevada to campaign for Sharon Angle. We saw her briefly on TV on the FOX Business Network. But we can’t seem to find her here at home.
Confused? So is Minnesota Public Radio, who asked Michele Bachmann’s spokesperson, Sergio Gor, if Bachmann would debate Tarryl prior to the election. His answer left the reporter baffled, saying they had agreed to venues but not debates, and then he wouldn’t commit to any debates at all!
Well, today our campaign announced that we have agreed to participate in at least six debates across the 6th Congressional District – though one, scheduled for Octber 7th, has already been called off because of Congresswoman Bachmann's refusal to commit.
Michele Bachmann finds time to travel the country, attend rallies and raise big money for her campaign, but she can't seem to find a few hours for her constituents.
It's just another example of where Bachmann's priorities are - and unfortunately the people of the 6th District don't make the cut.
So what's she afraid of?
We envisioned what a debate between Tarryl and Michele might look like:
MODERATOR: "What is your plan for preserving Social Security for future retirees?"
TARRYL: "We need to protect and preserve Social Security, not just for current recipients but for all future retirees."
MICHELE: "Basically what we have to do is wean everybody else off."
MODERATOR: "What is your position on the compensation fund for victims of the BP spill?"
TARRYL: "I support it. Oil spill victims shouldn't have to sit in the courts for 20 years before being compensated."
MICHELE: "It seems that it's all about extortion."
MODERATOR: "With so many people struggling to make ends meet, what's your position on the minimum wage?"
TARRYL: "We need to create jobs that pay a decent wage in order to get the economy back on track."
MICHELE: "Literally, if we took away the minimum wage - if conceivably it was gone - we could potentially virtually wipe out unemployment completely because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level."
As you can see, Michele Bachmann has a problem. When she says what she actually thinks, she often loses votes. So what does a typical Washington politician do when they are afraid to be held accountable? They hide.
She is refusing interviews, skipping public events, and doesn't appear to want to say much about anything to the folks here at home in Minnesota.
Whatever the case, Tarryl is ready for an honest debate on the issues with Michele Bachmann. We'll see if Bachmann comes out of hiding to spend a few hours with her constituents before the election is over.
Michele … come out, come out, wherever you are…
