MSNBC's Hardball [featured] Congresswoman from Minnesota named Michele Bachmann...Bachmann said of Barack Obama, "I'm very concerned that he may have anti-American views." She then called on the media to "take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America?"
I've heard a lot of toxic words in my time as Editor of The Nation. The magazine and its editors have been called un-American, unpatriotic, America- haters, and worse. But Bachmann's name-calling, and brazen channeling of Joe McCarthy made me angry. Really angry. When Matthews turned to me for my response I told him exactly what I was feeling, "Chris, I fear for my country.... This is a politics, at a moment of extreme economic pain in this country, that is incendiary, that is so debased that I'm kind of almost having a hard time breathing, because I think it's very scary, because this is a country I love."
Since then, the backlash to Bachmann's (and McCain-Palin's) politics of fear and loathing and demonization, division and distraction is reason for hope, and it also looks as though it might lead to this right-wing ideologue's well-deserved defeat in November.
Bachmann's challenger, Democrat Elwyn Tinklenberg, has raised $1.3 million from approximately 20,000 people since Bachmann gave voice to her politics of (self) destruction. According to the Washington Post, he has quadrupled his television advertising, the Cook Political Report now calls the race a "tossup," and Bachmann's Republican primary foe has decided to conduct a write-in campaign. (Support Tinklenberg however you can and make sure Bachmann is forced out of the People's House.)
The netroots wasted no time in exposing Bachmann's ugly extremism. Within a day, a video posted on YouTube of Bachmann's comments (and my response) had over 87,000 hits. Over 55,000 people have signed a petition calling on Congress to censure Bachmann. Americans United for Change launched IamProAmerica.com in response to both Bachmann's vitriol and Sarah Palin's stumping about "pro-America areas" of our nation.
People on both sides of the aisle have spoken out against Bachmann. On Sunday, following an appearance on Meet the Press, Colin Powell told reporters, "This business, for example, we've got a congressman from Minnesota who's going around saying, 'Let's examine all congressmen to see who is pro-America and whose not pro-America.' We have got to stop this kind of nonsense, pull ourselves together, and remember that our great strength is in our unity and our diversity."
The six Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) members of Minnesota's congressional delegation - Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Representatives Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum, James Oberstar, Collin Peterson, and Tim Walz - issued a joint statement: "... All Members of Congress - Democrats and Republicans - swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and for Michele Bachmann to question their loyalty is outrageous. We pride ourselves in Minnesota on our clean and civil elections, but Michele Bachmann's comments run entirely counter to that tradition. All Americans, regardless of their political beliefs, should reject these kinds of divisive, inappropriate and unacceptable comments."
As for Bachmann, she has been flailing for her political life ever since that Hardball appearance. On Monday she denied everything: "I did not question Barack Obama's patriotism, I did not say he was anti-American." On Tuesday at a Rotary Club luncheon she insisted, "Nor did I call for an investigation of members of Congress for their pro-American or anti-American views." (Check out the Hardball transcript and judge for yourself.) Later that day, speaking with the St. Cloud Times editorial board she admitted, "I should not have used that phrase [un-American]." But she also blamed her words on "a trap" that she alleged was set by Matthews. Finally, yesterday, she seemed to be taking no responsibility whatsoever for the views she expressed, writing in a fundraising pitch in a conservative online newsletter: "Chris Matthews did what Chris Matthews is paid big bucks to do: Twist my words and set them up for full-fledged distortion when his next guest came on. And, when the liberal blogs got hold of little clips of my appearance, the spin machine really kicked into overdrive.... They're motivated entirely by their hatred of me and my conservative beliefs.... Click here to let Chris know you play hardball, too!"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katrina-vanden-heuvel/last-week-i-took-on-miche...
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This is all Chris Matthews fault, how dare he ask probing questions of our right wing ideologues.
Zyworski 5 months ago
@irishsean2=BITCH
mr300ism 6 months ago
this gay cunt has got to be put in here place Ge should be and will be boycotted they are doing the devils bidding!!!
irishsean2 6 months ago
this gay cunt has got to be put in here place
irishsean2 6 months ago
I'm so sick of bat shit crazy right-wing fundies like Bachmann deciding you is "American" or not. Look beyotch, I was born in this country and have lived here my whole life. I am an American. It doesn't make me "un-American" because I disagree with your crazy views.
douglasjcox 11 months ago
@JC1JS2 Bachmann was actually busting out laughing when Gabby Giffords was nearly killed by that nutjob in Arizona. At least Paul Ryan humbly mentioned GG in the official GOP response to Obama's SOTU address. I'll vote for Ryan for president long before I would Palin or Bachmann. I can't wait to vote both those bitches out of the GOP primary in 2012. Ron Paul in 2012!
bucky468 1 year ago
You lose, you socialist.
dailyquotebyjeff 1 year ago
This woman is great! She has an Air America show? When is it on? Some one said check 1200 on the AM dial. I went there but there were nothing but those hateful vitriolic Conservatives. It was called something like RUSH Radio. He's he? Where the heck it Air America?
Ricklawrence 1 year ago
Bachmann for President!!!! Gee, a President who will actually follow the Constitution. What a novel concept, huh?
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alinasofials 1 year ago