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Subscribe to RSSMichele Bachmann campaigns on her family roots in Waterloo, Iowa. And she used those roots and a family reunion as the reason she was late to Sunday night’s high-profile dinner and speeches featuring her, Rick Santorum, and new presidential candidate Rick Perry.
But a family source tells NBC News, Bachmann was not at the event.
"About 10 years ago was the last time I saw Michele at a reunion," Shirly Movick, 76, who said she is Bachmann’s first cousin, told NBC News. She added that she hadn't seen Bachmann, or her family, come to the reunion "since she's been involved in politics."
Movick confirmed that Bachmann’s husband, Marcus, and the couple's three daughters, did attend the event, however. The reunion, in Lake Mills, IA, is held annually on the second Sunday of August. Movick said she has been going all her life.
The revelation, first reported by Politico, raises questions about a response Bachmann gave a reporter Sunday evening. While taking questions from reporters following her appearance at the Black Hawk County GOP dinner, Bachmann was asked why she had not arrived earlier to the dinner, in time to see Perry's speech.
"We had a full day today," Bachmann responded. "I was doing a number of things down in Ames. And we had a big family reunion just north of Waterloo."
The Bachmann campaign maintained she was with family.
"There were a few family reunion events that weekend,” campaign spokeswoman Alice Stewart told NBC. “She attended one on Friday. Marcus and the kids went to one on Sunday, and Michele met with family members on her own."
Asked to clarify why Bachmann missed Perry's speech, and why she did not mix-and-mingle before her own speech, Stewart said, "Like I said -- she was with family members before AND she mixed with the crowd for half an hour after she spoke."
But how Bachmann comported herself at this event -- and others -- also raises questions about her level of dedication to real retail campaigning. This one, like others, have been more rally than retail. Unlike Perry and Santorum, she did not sit and chat at tables before the speeches during the dinner portion. Instead, she signed autographs on stage for about 30 minutes, as music blared from speakers.
That rankled organizer Judd Saul, spokesman for the Black Hawk County GOP and the self-proclaimed leader of the area’s Tea Party.
"If you claim Waterloo,” he said, “come and dine with Waterloo.” (Bachmann was born in Waterloo.)
Saul was also irked that the party wasn’t able to capitalize on having two big-name speakers and raise the kind of money they could have because of Bachmann.
"We had a couple speakers scheduled to speak after her,” he said, “and we were going to do our big ask for our fundraiser, but as soon as she was done, the music blasted up; she started signing autographs, and … people just started leaving. So two speakers missed their chance to speak, and we missed our ask to the Republicans here for our fundraising -- extra money that we needed to carry for the caucus."
At her speech at the Des Moines Register’s “Soap Box” at the Iowa State Fair this weekend, she was half an hour late, gave just a 2-minute, 45-second speech -- far shorter than other candidates, some of whom took up their full 20 minutes of allotted time and also took questions. Bachmann did not. Toward the end of the speech, she said, "I'm coming out to shake your hand.” She shook some hands, but made a beeline about 50 feet to a waiting golf cart and was driven off.
There have also been examples of reporters being manhandled by her security staff – at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans in June, at a South Carolina event in July, and then again at the State Fair.
Sunday's Republican dinner was closely watched, because it marked the first time Bachmann, fresh from her win Saturday at the Ames Straw Poll, would share an event with Perry, who is likely to compete for many of the same kinds of voters. And with Perry’s entrance into the race, how Bachmann does retail -- in states where it matters like Iowa and New Hampshire -- is likely to get more scrutiny.
*** UPDATE *** Stewart contacted NBC to emphasize that security at the RLC, when the incident occured with a reporter, was provided by the hotel.
*** UPDATE 2 *** On security, Stewart says: "Michele Bachmann is a high-profile congresswoman. On the heels of the Gabby Giffords shooting, security is of the utmost concern to our campaign. We have a former Secret Service officer who's protected presidents and vice presidents, and if someone gets too close to the candidate, he warns them."
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Being stupid is a style?
Gee. She lies.
What a surprise.
And she pimps her family out. Now there's some family values.
Maybe FirstRead should follow this article up with another one with the headline:
Nah, too many answers.
Now, that should level the political field and would be "fair and balanced".
Back to the bashing of the opposing candidates.
another twit running for potus, the entire gop field is a bunch of frigging idiots! it's no wonder this country is going down the tubes!
Put a fork in her. She is done. She doesn't stand a chance and Rick Perry.
Michele Bachmann dosen't have a chance but Rick Perry is a fraud and a liar and he would be dangerous if elected. He is a puppet for the likes of Karl Rove, the Bilderberg group and the dominationists.
Anyone else besides me find it ironic that Bachmann's husband has a business that treats gays? I find myself thinking it is much the same as child molestors who become Boy Scout leaders. Easy access to your sexual preferences that you don't want anyone to know about.
he's still in the closet.
His "treatments" sound a bit homoerotic. Guess he gets paid to get his kicks.
He's only in the closet to his wife. Everyone else has enough sense to figure it out....all you have to do is listen to him open his mouth or watch him walk.
She claims Waterloo, Ia... funny... Because we don't claim her... Just because you are born here, doesn't mean you are "from" here.
She probably can't even name the 5 favorite places to eat in the area.
she probably cant name 5 states
Bachmann thought this was Elvis' birthday but it was his death day.
Seems teabaggers don't care if their candidates know what they're talking about.
That's very comforting. :/
if she can say "Obama is a socialist" why should she say anything else? thats all any Teabagger wants to hear, they dont care about facts or any of that stuff
Bachman can't distinguish between Elvis Pressley's birthday and death day and you'tr going to trust her with nuclear launch codes????
Get real America !!!!
She'd think they were elevator buttons..
are you serious Don? how can you even say something like that about Michelle? I sincerely doubt she knows how to use an elevator
"On the heels of the Gabby Giffords shooting, security is of the utmost concern to our campaign."
A question from Tucson:
Why would a tea bagger want to shoot her?
why would ANYONE want to shoot her? think of the entertainment we would be deprived of, not to mention the fact we wouldnt be allowed to make jokes about her in good taste
Poor little Michele, she is such an easy target. She is weird, paranoid, filled with hate, but for what, she doesn't really have a clue herself, and really not very bright. An extremely attractive woman, physically, she could have her pick of any number of real men, but is instead partnered with a fat, dorky, effeminate nerd. She talks about "submitting to the will of this dork, who obviously is a loser, and suspiciously gay in his mannerisms. She is one of the more bizarre characters in the history of politics.
future generations might learn about her like we learn about McCarthy now: some complete nutjob that got their 15 minutes of fame by running their mouth about things they had no clue about. I believe he was a Republican too. notice any trends?
I love how she never answers a question... When asked anything she say's "I'm running for President of the United States".....as if we didn't know...answer a stinking question.
And what about Elivs birthday... she can't get anything right. I just can't believe someone in public office, let alone running for president is really put so little time in knowing something that simple before she speaks..
GOP- The dumbing down of America.
Q: Mrs Bachmann, how do you intend to fix the economy?
A: Obama sucks
Q: what do you plan on doing about unemployment?
A: Obama is a socialist
Q: can you spell your own name?
A: Obama is a Nazi
Q: how are you not dead from forgetting how to breath?
A: Obama sucks
attacking the president without offering any of your own ideas works great when youre trying to win votes from the ignorant. of course when hell freezes over and Bachmann gets into office people will realize she has no clue how to run a McDonalds let alone a country. of course she will just have to blame Obama for the mess he left her and everything will be ok. then shell try to direct foreign policy and the USA will become a Chinese colony a week into her presidency. that kinda scenario almost makes me wish she had a real shot at the WH
Jezz's She reminds me of Richard Nixon. they said two speaker missed their chance and they did not raise some money for the caucus, that is the word they used, caucus. I would say she caused them to not raise money for this circus. Obama must have had a good laugh over this.
I guess I don't mind if she pisses off her own party.
Sorry Michelle, Faux has a new darling. Pack your bags.
It took two obviously left wing female journalists to write this pathetic story. Too bad they don't expend as much time, effort, and energy investigating Obama's past. Two journalist's to write one pathetic story? Must be a 'union thang'. The content did not decidedly improve with additional human resources. Maybe one wrote will the other went for coffee.
Mickey promises $2/gal gas if elected. Well, I'm old school. And mickey looks old enough. As a kid I learned if I made promises I had no way of knowing if I could keep and couldn't deliver, I got punished.
I hear her promises, I'll think about her at election time, but I need to know if we are go on the punishment issue also.
The GOP needs to stay away from Witchy O'Donnel and her withcing Neural Linguistic Speech Writing for them as well as the Tea Party if they want Americans to take them seriously.
Here is one correlation that should create new jobs. We all know that President Obama is black. That much is obvious. Did also know that crude oil is also black or brown in color when it is extracted from the ground? So everytime you see any type of oil, whether it be a spill, or a oil filter or gallon of oil or oil being brought out of the ground you will remember President Barack Obama.
Everytime that you see an oil pump pumping the oil out of the ground going up and down you will say "Yes there was a black president that served as the President of the United States of America."
The only way to get around this memory is to invest in vehicle fuel sources taht do not include oil, such as gasoline otherwise everytime you see and oil product ol' president Barack Obama's face and memory will be there always saying "I tried to make a difference but you denied the change, now you have to see me in every oil product there is on the market. Yes. Says the oil pump up and down."
Wanna try your Conservative Neural Lingustic crap again?
I watched the "I promise $2/gal gas if I get elected" gag this morning on CNN...stupid f'n tw*t...does she REALLY think all Americans are equally as stupid as the vast majority of her fan club? puh-lease!!
Michele Bachmann is full of crap.
What a shame that a family cannot understand the freedoms of liberty associated with the Consititution of the United States of America that they have to conspire to put a family member in the street to sleep in his truck until he gives up what he believes in only to be used by their white trash mentality to give them children so they can have more 'puppets' like they are for their insecure notion of not having what someone else in their family has.
Nothing but religious right degenerates.
Geez... MSNBC doesn't like Bachmann's campaign style.. Wow, front page news.. MSNBC is the most biased media on earth. They don't like anything about any of the Republicans running for office.. Move on, nothing to see here.
yes...please go tune into FOXX (aka FAUX) News for much more centrist and objective view of the political landscape. LMAO!
What the hell is in the water in Iowa? Maybe they allow utilities to dump nuclear waste directly into their landfills because Iowa is pro-business and hates all regulations. Then the people in Iown drink the water and believe that any of these candidates would make a great pro-business, no regulation, minimum wage, no benefits, low standard of living President.
Lead, I think. When I was @ Mizzou, we called it Idiots Out Wandering Around.
I see where this Nutball Bachmann is going to bring back $2.00 gas . The kind of gas she brings on can be cured with $2.00 Alka Seltzer.
Her speeches have to be less them three minutes. At that point her speech writers run out of words that she knows.