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Subscribe to RSSORLANDO, FL and CONCORD, NH -- Just a month ago, Michele Bachmann was riding sky-high in the Republican presidential contest.
She had just won the closely watched Ames Straw Poll. And she seemed to have a monopoly on the outsider/rebel brand in the GOP field.
But since then, her national poll numbers plummeted; she became an afterthought in some recent GOP debates; and she finished dead last in the Florida Presidency 5 straw poll.
While several factors have contributed to Bachmann's reversal of fortune (including Rick Perry's entrance into the race and more gaffes by Bachmann), another reason has received less attention: a lack of outreach.
In interviews with NBC News, GOP officials and Tea Party leaders say that Bachmann has not seized opportunities to engage voters in key states -- including Florida and New Hampshire; in fact, she hasn't visited the Granite State since June 28.
Florida Republicans say Bachmann missed an opportunity last week to revive her campaign. They point to her decision not to invest resources in the straw poll, which meant that -- despite appearing at last week’s FOX-Google debate and other events -- she was not able to address delegates directly.
In a statement, the Bachmann campaign stressed its decision to invest resources in Iowa instead -- a strategy that’s meeting criticism in the Sunshine State.
“With Perry’s poor performance at the debate, this would have been an incredible opportunity for her to come out and really reestablish herself,” Sarasota Republican Party Chair Joe Gruters said of Florida’s straw poll. “Nobody’s talking about Michele Bachmann,” he continued. “It’s almost in stark contrast to having her in Sarasota over a month ago.”
Indeed, Bachmann visited Sarasota in late August, addressing one of her largest crowds to date. Gruters was responsible for arranging the visit. Cobbling together a network of Tea Party groups, he packed more than 1,000 people into a local Shriners temple.
It was a high-energy speech: When Bachmann paid tribute to the Tea Party, the crowd hollered and clapped. After she finished speaking, she danced swing-style with her husband, Marcus, as Elvis pumped through the speakers.
Gruters was impressed with Bachmann’s ability to connect to voters. “I thought she did a phenomenal job,” he said. “My guess is that she won at least 50% of them over.”
So he considers it odd he didn’t hear from the Bachmann campaign afterward, saying he never received calls about more events –- or even a thank you. “They’re MIA,” Gruters said. “In contrast, I hear from Perry and Romney’s guys almost every couple of days –- if not every day.”
“They have no campaign in Florida, period,” Gruters added about Bachman’s team. “They have a fundraiser on the ground I’ve talked to,” he continued. “But there’s no grassroots operations.” Still, Gruters insists Bachmann remains a draw in Sarasota. “If she came to Sarasota again, I think we’ll give her another thousand people,” he said.
Republican operatives speculate that money may stand in the way.
“Florida is an expensive state to play,” said Jamie Miller, a Republican Strategist and former executive director of the state party, who is close to Ed Rollins, Bachmann’s former campaign manager. Miller, according to the Miami Herald, had been rumored to be on a short list of names Bachmann’s team considered hiring onto a Florida staff.
Although leading GOP candidates Rick Perry and Mitt Romney have yet to run television ads in Florida, Miller says the cost of media can deter second-tier candidates. A week’s worth of network advertising, according to Miller, can run $2 to $3 million. “My guess is Bachmann, Santorum, and Huntsman, to some degree are going to wait to see how well they are going to do in Iowa and New Hampshire.”
But Bachmann has not returned to New Hampshire since June 28. Her absence has been widely noted by loyal volunteers and organizers, many of whom continue to express support for her –- even while they air their frustration.
New Hampshire Republican Liberty Caucus chairman Andrew Hemingway organized Bachmann’s local events last spring and summer. He knows and likes Bachmann, but says he's deeply skeptical of her ability to perform well in the Granite State primary, following what he considers a lengthy absence. "Somebody who ignores New Hampshire to the level as she has is not running for president," Hemingway said.
Bachmann campaign spokeswoman Alice Stewart tells NBC News that the campaign is proud of its support from New Hampshire Tea Party groups. “We communicate with them on a regular basis through calls,” she said.
“They’re an important part of our campaign, and share the same views as Michele does on limited government. They’re strong on immigration, and strong on faith and family.”
Stewart says the campaign is due back in New Hampshire next week. Citing a debate and event schedule that took the campaign from California to Florida twice over during a three-week period, Stewart said of New Hampshire: “It’s not been taken off the table by any means.
“It’s an important part of our campaign," she added.
(However, Bachmann Campaign Manager Keith Nahigian recently posted a power point video on the camapign's path forward, in which he says: “We are going to compete in New Hampshire, but not dominate our effort like we are in Iowa.”)
But in a state where voters expect to meet candidates in person not once or twice -- but five or ten times -- New Hampshire Tea Party leader Jerry DeLemus fears Bachmann’s staunch supporters have realigned with other candidates.
"The Bachmann people won't go to Romney, but they may lose some to Perry,” he said.
It is a pattern that has played out in presidential races in the past, say local Republican operatives. “There are more than a small number of activists who felt hung out to dry by Giuliani and Fred Thompson,” former GOP state party chairman Fergus Cullen said of the race in 2008.
Cullen, who recently wrote an op-ed criticizing Bachmann’s absence from New Hampshire, added this about Bachmann: “There's some hesitancy to make sure that doesn't happen again."
Veteran New Hampshire Republican strategist Mike Dennehy says Bachmann faces an uphill battle in a state where she’s fallen from 11 to 5% in polls.
“It will be very challenging to now develop an organization and establish yourself as a credible candidate in New Hampshire, because she has lost any momentum that she had, which she had in June and early July,” Dennehy told NBC News. “And it's just gone. And that's what happens when you stay away from the state for three or four months.”
But Dennehy, more than many, is inclined to believe anything is possible. He managed John McCain’s primary upset in 2000. Eight years later, as McCain’s national director, he was credited for reviving McCain’s floundering candidacy for a comeback win in New Hampshire.
“It's going to be difficult, but there's no better state to try it than New Hampshire because of the size. It's manageable,” he said.
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The 'shining star' of the tea baggers sure has fallen fast...
It's usually what happens once these idiots open their mouths...
The faster they rise the harder they fall...
Bachmann/Palin - the original twisted sistuh's!
Her falling numbers I believe has a lot to do with her husband. He got tons of exposure a month or so ago and people did.not.like.him.at.all.
He is a weird man, especially with that clinic of his.
The two of them are really just weird.
And if you notice, he's been kept unwraps for a while now. Good. I hope I never see him again.
Hey FR, what about Huntsman? He switch parties yet? Is he now a Republican?
Nah, he's still too liberal for their liking...
What's really interesting about this is, Bachmann is proving that she couldn't organize an orgy in a whorehouse.
Not that I think she would want to (but who knows what evil lurks ....).
The point is that if Bachmann is so inept in at least campaign organization and operations, who in the world would want to hand over the administration of the United States to her?
The G.W. Bush Administration has already shown us how devastating it is to have a complete incompetent in that job. Good grief, Bachmann would compete to go even lower in competency? Ye gads what a nightmare.
Bachmann is so out of her league, and now everyone knows it. Bye, bye, baby, good bye! And not a moment too soon, as the rest of the field is acting like a bunch of pirahana fish, and eating each other alive. I knew this would be soooooooo fun!
It's been known that Michele Bachmann has not been able to keep a staff in her current Rep position, so it's no surprise she can't keep a campaign staff either. Her migraine headaches may be only the tip of the iceberg as she seems to have other phobias such as close contact with supporters. Perhaps not as serious as Palin (who may have been eligible for the Bachmann's bulimic government hand-out program), and Bachmann is certainly better than Palin in regard to discipline in trying to stay on message and avoid vindictive distractions, but the recent novel It's Classified by Nicolle Wallace (based on Palin) is applicable to Michele Bachmann as well.
Republican strategists Steve Schmidt and Nicolle Wallace who worked on McCain's campaign, and who are, I repeat, Republicans, are warning America to vet these crazies carefully. Take heed of this advise conservatives, take heed IF you can.
What else would you expect from a woman who has not had a single piece of legislation passed in her three terms in Congress, does not network with her Republican "colleagues," and is pretty much a loner? Michelle above nailed it--she is playing in the deep end of the pool, but she can't swim.
Hey guys, did you ever think she hasn't gotten permission from her husband?
if the election were for GOP village idiot Bachmann would have them all beat .. id switch from Independant to Rep to vote for her in the primaries
[Bachmann/Palin - the original twisted sistuh's!]
HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY! I take offense to that remark! Please...NEVER compare Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber with the real Twisted Sister...they were one of the original "hair bands"...watched them perform at a clob called Detroit's in Port Chester NY back in the day when they were just doing covers.
Sorry about that Mickey - does Heckle & Jeckle work better for ya? ;o)
You can chose which one is which... lol
[You can chose which one is which]
...funny thing about that is it doesn't really matter, does it?
Yep, she's straight from dingbat central.
Bachmann isn't electable. I think everyone but she knows it. She is kind of like Obama, no experience, no executive chops. Difference is she actually has a record beyond suing people for her job. Oh well, regardless, she will be employed in 2013, and Obama will not.
What is beyond tired is the Redhead's childish name-calling. No depth, just rants. The good news is that only those of us who post even know the little ding dong.
Boy, those Tea Party voters sure are high maintenance, aren't they? Bachmann didn't give them enough attention and they dumped her, right quick!
Have I mentioned I stood in line in an icy rain to get into a caucus to support candidate Barack Obama? And, that I will do it again, and more, to get him re-elected? Me, and thousands and thousands and thousands of other Democrats, teachers, firefighters, young people, seniors, and others of the American middle class are ready, willing and able, to support President Obama in his re-election bid.
While standing on burning coals, correct? (That kinda defeats the martyrdom image you're trying to project).
And are those "thousands and thousands" the same people standing in line at these job fairs going on around the country?
"And are those "thousands and thousands" the same people standing in line at these job fairs going on around the country?"
Yes. And I hear that are mad as hell aobut the people in China and India that are NOT standing in lines, and are also just as mad as hell at the phony-balony RNC tv ads leading up to the 2010 elections.
See, here's the difference Smiffy - Amy can actually feel & doesn't have hooves like you do...
....Oh, and I be they still vote, too.
Yes, JoannaSmith, you bet I'd walk over burning coals to cast my vote for Obama, and stand in the icy rain, and badger the twenty somethings in my office to get registered, and battle my landlord to get my Obama sign up (or at least put it in my window) and send the Obama campaign my small donation every month, and show up here every day to defend my President in front of whatever Independents happen to pull up the comments section of First Read. Too bad for the Republicans they don't have a candidate they like as much as I like mine.
Amy,
Your statement of commitment to the community organizer demonstrates the mental deficiencies if not outright mental disorder that liberals suffer from.
You endorse incompetence coupled with a desire to surrender your personal liberty in exchange for marxist collectivism.
Not exactly commendable traits
JS1 you are correct this time, those people at the job fairs they will be voting democratic, because nothing turns a conservative republican into a liberal democrat faster then a pink slip. Nothing turns somebody who was against big government spending on unemployment benefits and food stamps than they themselves being in need of an unemployment check and food stamps. Nothing turns somebody who was against "Obama care" into somebody who is for it than losing their own health insurance. You got this one right, those people at the job fairs they are now liberal democrats, because they have to eat, they now need everything republicans say they are against, and when they personally need it they see it in a whole new light. Welcome to Waterloo!
"I cannot guarantee that those checks go out" - Obama July 2011
They won't get their government cheese either.
Isn't being being dependent on the Democrats fun? Especially when the Democrats are the ones that made you dependent on them.
Most people want a job, not a handout from yet another government program FG 2.0. They'll buy their homes, pay their own mortgage, buy their insurance, purchase their own groceries, and put their kid through college, all by themselves. They see what Obama and his crew have done to them, and they'll remember.
Larry- where do you GET this nonsense? Hannity? Limbaugh?? Yosemite Sam???
GOOD answer, Feisty! Our women can kick the arses of their women any day, any time, all day long!
"Most people want a job, not a handout from another government program.."
Have mercy. I think she finally gets it. But tell us, Smiff, why do you insist they are 'freeloaders' or 'takers' or 'socialists' or something?
You are the perfect Obama minion Amy. 100% commitment to the man, while holding him 0% accountable.
Too bad, for Obama, there won't be enough of you, or your type, in 2012.
Thanks Kostoniann
One thing we're not and that is submissive... ;o)
Amy---you are truly "fired up and ready to go"! Clearly not the same level of enthusiasm among the Republicans, who are begging people like Christie to get into the race.
I'll be there with you Amy!
Your right again JS1 most people want a job, and most people do not believe that republican policies will get them one anytime soon. BTW where is Paul Ryan have seen much of him since all those little old republicans told him to leave their socialist SS and medicare benefits the hell alone. You think republicans don't use food stamps, don't collect unemployment benefits, do you think all union members are liberal democrats, they are not even republicans like to get paid well and get some benefits from their employer, I guarantee you they do, and I guarantee you they want to keep them. They quickly forget about the government debt, when their immediate problem is their own private debt, even the owners I deal with are disgusted with republican policies for one simple reason it is getting into their pocketbooks, all this unemployment means they are losing income as well. Republicans were so worried about cooking Obama's goose that they have cooked their own in the process. When you Waterloo one you Waterloo all, Welcome to Waterloo.
But it evens out because we have much bigger targets to kick.
Couldn't have said it better Forrest Grump 2.0. Excellent Post.
or perhaps Amy IS holding the President accountable and understands exactly why going back to the policies that got us here is not an option. There will be plenty of "that type" (see his level of re-election campaign contributions already if you don't believe it. Most who follow politics are smart enough to know not to dismiss a sitting President's chances at re-election.)
More to the point of the article: I'm no fan of the pathetically under-prepared Ms. Bachman, but the folks criticizing her for not hitting their functions over and again with her limited campaign resources are probably the same ones yelling about the "big money" influence in the campaigns. This is "retail politics"...She can't sell herself in person, all over the important states until she gets people willing to commit money---She can't get people willing to commit money until she sells herself.
Well now you're just blathering Gumps, because exactly how well have those Democratic policies worked out?
These are amazing things you say Gumps. So you believe people dependent on the government will vote to remain dependent on the government. How nice. Do tell, what happens when you run out of people to tax to pay for your welfare state? Oh, wait, I know - $1.5 trillion dollar deficits!
drive-by-observer
I don't like Hannity, I consider him a simpleton with limited reasoning capacity. Limbaugh is a successful entertainer who I listen to a couple times per year. But Limbaugh doesn't shape opinions. He merely reflects the opinions of others and is good at it.
When did Yosemite Sam begin doing political commentary?
I'm a 62 year old libertarian with multiple degrees and 50 years of studying politics, history, and people. Liberals suffer from a mental disorder. How else to explain why they are so willing to surrender their personal liberty for marxist collectivism?
Modern Liberalism is incompatible with our Constitution. It is diametrically opposed to the Constitutional mandate for limited government of enumerated powers. The Founders stated clearly that the purpose of our Constitution was to restrict the governments power over the citizenry
We'll never know how they might have worked out because the Republicans obstruct everything from getting implemented, block appointments of people selected to implement those policies, and threaten to scorch the earth with economic ruin if they don't get their way.
Larry, just for ONCE, will one of you guys who keeps using terms like socialism and collective Marxism give a concrete example of what the hell you're talking about?? And please quote something other than progressive tax rates which we've had for many decades before any of you had Obama in your hate-sights.
And NO, the purpose of the Constitution was NOT to restrict the government's power, but instead to INCREASE what its powers were over the preceding Articles of Federation which were an abject failure. Multiple degrees from Glenn Beck University don't count.
@JoAnnaSmith1,
There is enough of us alright including the 50 million seniors who think the Repukes are going to take away their Social Security and Medicare. You know the things they paid into of 45 years that the repukes call entitlements. You know the same money that is being taken out of your check every month, for the last 20 some odd years. You know the same African American voting block in which half of them are in poverty they account for 14% of the population. You know the 50 million of them. You know the opposite of rich America, the poor white half of 20 million. They vote as well if my math is correct. You can kiss the GOP good bye for ever President Obama won with if I'm not mistaken 115 million so he has 5 million to spare which may not vote for him anyway. That includes you.
Do you know why the Rich and GOP are scaring the $hit out of people this time around?
By the year 2015 the majority of people in the United State will not be White. They will be other than white. This is the GOP last Hurrah. Which is the reason the GOP supreme court system let loose on the campaign finances. You know the Corporations are people to thing. If the GOP win the will wage war on any and everyone non white. Just like they are doing in Alabama, you know the you can't serve an immigrant if you do you will go to jail. You know show me your papers this is the police state speaking law.
But Now the less government thing is affecting business and corporations don't like it. Guess who side they will be on come election mode. You got it. President Obama they will give a little to the GOP up front no hiding and they will back the freakin truck up to dump it on President Obama Secretly. LMMFAO.
I still remember all the chest beating and the threats of just a few months back.
"You just wait until Michelle Bachman gets in the race."
"She's the one to whip Obama."
yaddaa yaddaa yadddaaaa.
I mean she sounded like Sarah Palin on steroids.
Well, one thing she had in common with Palin, her ability to stick her foot in her mouth at least once a news cycle. Just amazing. After her first SNAFU I wrote her off as a contender and I have not been wrong.
She's done and Perry is Texas Toast. The GOP/TP/LDS will never nominate Herman Cain and the rest of the field is barely on the radar. OH, Ron Paul has his die-hard supporters but he is one scary bat-sh*t crazy old dude. Christie is waiting until 2016 and the open seat. It's Romney/Pawlenty 2012. Bet on it.
America held hostage, day 272
Obama/Biden 2012
JS1 would you accept the republican controlled house having the lowest approval numbers in history as some proof. Would you accept the fact that republicans have a different front runner everyday, and begging somebody, anybody to come to their rescue, basically because it is the message that is failing and nobody can successfully carry a message less people everyday want to hear as some proof. The things I say may be amazing to you, even though I suspect you collect your government check, and blog all day every day, I work with real people in the flesh owners and their labor force, I'm not making anything up they love their their Socialism as you might call it when they themselves are in need of it. Republicans love their union jobs they don't feel that they are getting over on a CEO who makes in a single bonus check what they make in a lifetime of work and then pays less taxes on it than he does his weekly paycheck. They are not going to vote for more for him and less for themselves, they will vote to eat, even if it means welfare, they will vote to eat, they will tell their kids how to vote, they will tell their family and friends how to vote, and it will not be for another kick in the ass by republicans. Welcome to Waterloo
Larry...since when does having multiple degrees make anyone intelligent. I'm in Academia and can assure you that there are a ton of cerebral beings running around who couldn't find their ass with either or both hands. So, trying to play the one-up smart guy card does not necessarily work well in your favor, unless you are looking for the arrogant-ass vote. Second, why don't you look up "mental disorder." When you are done and feeling vindicated by your self-imposed fit of the definition with whatever conservative box your brain is in, find "liberal-minded" in the DSM-IV-TR or ICD-10. I'll save you some time...you're not going to find it. Part of psychological health is the ability to entertain ideas outside of one's own. Those, especially among students (given your proclivity toward the 'educated'), who best tolerate ambiguity and alternative viewpoints share both better psychological health and more academic success. So, now that you've painted yourself into this corner, feel free to wrap yourself in a confederate flag, and go away.
Larry Robinson-1323081
"Modern Liberalism is incompatible with our Constitution. It is diametrically opposed to the Constitutional mandate for limited government of enumerated powers. The Founders stated clearly that the purpose of our Constitution was to restrict the governments power over the citizenry"
Listen Larry, where do i start from.......ok, you see, how do i put this across to you without calling you stupid. am trying not to that, sincerely, but you are. what is incompatible with our constitution is the inability of people like you understanding, comprehending the ethos of our freedom, rights our ability to be whom we want to be as provided by our constitution. you are so wrong.
@JoAnnaSmith1,
The less government thing is good for who? Corporations where government can't enforce regulations. Like clean air, clean drinking water, like no nuke plants in cities, like safe cars, like banks can't keep your money if you make a deposit. You know simple things like that if we had the kind of government the New Tea Party GOP wants. I don't know about you but i sure as hell like safe cars and clean drinking water.
You know like send you child to get a free education. With less government the only place your child or grand child will be educated is you pay out the nose for it. WOW that statement reminds me of a time in 1840 where my great great grand father was a slave and could not get an education with white people and ever where he went he had to show a police officers he was free and born in the United States as a slave. Those were great times and i sure do miss them. How is the history less going for you? But according the one of your Tea Bag candidates the four fathers worked tirelessly to end slavery even though that had slaves themselves. WOW you talk about re-write or stupid that statement was stupid. Every fifth grader knows it.
Would you accept that 95% of them will be re-elected? Can you accept that it is more than likely the GOP will control the Senate after the 2012 elections? Kind of makes your approval numbers meaningless, now doesn't it?
You see Gumps. you're too tied into poll numbers, more than a year out from the election. At his point, polls are fodder for the ignorant, something to talk about, but meaningless.
Please. Free? Solution - go back to the rookie league. Come back when you're ready. Be sure to say hi to Gumps.
Amy, I'm with you as well.
I admire your zeal and dedication and it has inspired me. From the looks of the responses in this thread, we are not alone.
Conservatives don't seem to understand enthusiasm for a cause. They are more used to parroting the same old lines and following the party mantra. And wrecking the country to spite Obama. Even in the darkest hours of the Bush administration, the left never sought to wreck the country.
It would be nice if we could all work together for the good and betterment of all of us and the country. But, for now, it looks like we on the left will have to do it ourselves.
Keep it up, Amy!
@Troy-2251798,
DAM- you rip Larry Robinson-1323081 a new @!$%#. I bet you his @!$%# is on fire now dipped a bucket of ice sub zero water. DAM- that was awesome.
@JoAnnaSmith1,
I stand corrected a public education not free. Because my taxes pay the teacher, firefighter and cops.
I suspect your tax dollars due as well JoAnnaSmith1, you want to be a conservative but living in a socialist nation. The United State of America is complex, part Socialism part Conservatism, mixed with capitalism.
But you want to make the Hold United States Conservative which by no means founded on. Enough already! Please baby hour up in here.
Hi Solultions539. So, just to be clear...you liked what I said? LOL ;)
Well, I'm a Progressive Dem and I just got invited to the Florida State Democratic Party's convention for my birthday, at the Disney Contemporary Resort 10/28-10/30, and my bday is on the 29th. Pres. Obama will be there, yipee, and so will I with buttons, hats, whistles, ect., ready to sign up to voluteer for whatever they need in my county. I am thrilled! Hope I get a good pic. of the Pres. What a great bday for me! And on the brighter side, it's been a lot of fun, watching Bachmann tank! Next?
Shouldn't you be cooking some dinner for Sasha and Malia about now? Seriously, there's nothing "progressive" about you people. Why did you all stop using the term "liberal?"
Larry Robinson -- See my post above about It's Classified and mental illness. Enough with these anarchists from the 18th century, and definitely enough with ignorant crazies who have no business in our government at all.
Troy, for the record,...
We didn't like what you said,...
We LOVED what you said!
JS1 I am not that into a lot of polls, I watch a few now and again, and now that I know your stance on polls I trust you will never cite one again no mater what it says about whom. What I am telling you is based on in the flesh experience, it is based on things like the all the new faces that I see at the democratic labor club meetings, people I have known for years and begged to come to those meetings now that they are laid off they are showing up, lots of new faces and lots of young faces, and they aren't just looking for something to do with all the free time they have because they are laid off. Do you see the young people demonstrating on wall street, they are not calling for the tea party agenda, they are railing against most of it. Just how do know 95% of the Congress that has won the all time "World Series of Suck" will be re-elected, do you have a crystal ball that you trust more than the polls.The fact of the matter whether you wish to ignore it or not is that republicans squandered their chance to do some good and spent their time renaming post offices in honor of Ronald Reagen, and the American voters just don't feel that is going to solve their immediate problems. They have waterlooed themselves, by proving to all Americans they can't help them. You may not trust polls when you do not like the results but the fact that this Congress is considered the worst in history, the biggest turd in a whole pile of turds does mean something. It means that Americans will likely take the ball away from them as fast as they gave it to them, because they are get more impatient by the day. The Waterloo strategy has turned completely around on them, if they persist with it for the next year it will turn from "this will be his Waterloo" into "remember the Alamo" for republicans, and Obama will be your president for four more years. That is the difference between politics and governing JS1. The republicans practiced good politics for the mid-terms and then practiced bad politics and no governing afterwards, in the end they will have squandered a chance at the total control they wished for and will have Waterlooed themselves. The republican tent is getting smaller every day, and the people that are going against them are not ideologues they are people who feel as if they are fighting for their very existence and that makes for a determined and dangerous adversary, and they number in the tens of millions, and growing. Why aren't the republican ranks growing by the tens of millions of people who have benefited from their leadership by finding a job, why doesn't this Congress have a gold star rating, do you really believe that every body just blames Obama and nothing more, it's all his fault period. Would you like to take a stab at those questions.
I, too, am right there with you, Amy. Seems like the Right just has insults, insinuation, and false information to throw back at us. At least we are motivated and enthusiastic about 2012. I'm so sick of hearing what the Right is against. I'd like to hear what candidates are FOR, not what they are AGAINST.
They have no platform except getting rid of the President. That may garner them some votes with the people that still can't get over a Black man in the White House, but I have to hope that many on the Right need more substance from a candidate to vote for them.
Congrats Michelly & early Happy Birthday wishes!
How exciting! Make sure to report back to us how it went! ;o)
Ditto what Clara said Troy!
Nice job shredding crazy pastor Larry!
You can have all the degrees in the world and still have flunked 'common sense', which apparently old Larry did! ;o)
*Bows* Some of us who are "academics" aren't all bad!! :)
larry .. sorry that community organizer BS wont cut it any more .. he did organize the take down of Bin Laden and did it in a foreign country community..also..remember Obama spent more time as a law professor than as an organizer .. he has more intelligence than any of the GOP contenders ...includeing the savior Christie another dumb butt that is all talk and no brain .. where are the jobs in Jersey that idiot promised ..so far all christie has been able to do is cut programs for jerseys seniors
Larry Robinson (lotsa meaningless numbers):
You are aware that in 2003, the NIH (National Institute of Health) funded a study that concluded conservatism to be a mental deficiency, are you not? Here's an excerpt:
It was quite controversial, given that the president at the time was Shrub II, a self-proclaimed "staunch conservative". It really rattled some cages, to say the least.
And as far as Ron Paul goes, he portrays himself as a Libertarian, but his very actions and policies tell a completely different story:
http://www.mondopolitico.com/ideologies/libertarianism/whatislibertarianism.htm
Good luck in your endeavors to find the "perfect Libertarian candidate"...they simply don't exsist.
Any one mentioned the employment numbers today, UP un employment claims DOWN below 400,000 and GDP UP 1.3% YOU all mean economy isn't coming back? Maybe slow, but we didn't have a BIG "0" in jobs. Or is this a product of the RICH and WEALTHY finally creating jobs????
Forrest - to start, most educated kids are not protesting, most, the vast majority, are studying and trying to finish their degrees.
The dumb kids who are protesting, are in the wrong city. The reason Wall St did what they did is that DC politicians allowed them to do so. The only way to change Wall St is to change DC - someone may want to mention it to these wise young people.
as to your questions:
The republican tent is getting smaller every day, and the people that are going against them are not ideologues they are people who feel as if they are fighting for their very existence and that makes for a determined and dangerous adversary, and they number in the tens of millions, and growing. Why aren't the republican ranks growing by the tens of millions of people who have benefited from their leadership by finding a job, why doesn't this Congress have a gold star rating, do you really believe that every body just blames Obama and nothing more, it's all his fault period. Would you like to take a stab at those questions.
To start, most of Americans are not fighting for their very existence. Most of them / us are working, doing something, taking care of our responsibilities. Certainly we have more unemployed than in decades. Your idiot has done NOTHING to change this. He may have been able to help the unemployed, but instead he bailed out Wall St, Bankers, Union workers and City, County and State workers and played the class-warfare card and the blame game. Now that the money is gone, he needs another stimulus to buy him an election.
As to our opinion that your ranks are growing - good luck with that. There is not one shred of evidence that this is true - they couldn't even get a decent turn out for the idiotic Wall St "parade" as most of these students are just looking to cause some trouble, and when they got bored they went home.
Congress has not had a decent rating in decades. They have been in the teens for 10-20 years in every poll. This is NOTHING new. All Obama, Reid and Pelosi did was make virtually everything worse, so now they need another half-trillion to make it through to the election.
The grown ups are paying attention, because the children have again charged up the credit card. Your liberal loons are about to receive the ultimate wake up call. Unemployment.
It's done, Stick a fork in it.
She ran out lies and there's no place she can refuel for $2.00 per gal she promised. she should just drop out and go pickup her history book (not the distorted one) and learn some of the history she got wrong.
PEN-24
Face it, Michelle Bachmann is not very bright and it did not take too much broad exposure to demonstrate that her one-liners (doubtless cooked-up for her by someone else) were without any real depth. But it will be a pity if she fades too quickly as her gaffes and ignorance remain entertaining.
same sorry people , same sorry statements, you guys on here are just like carear politicians. Same tired junk over and over and over agian, why dont you people get a job or something or actually do something if you got one already.....or mabey take up a hobby , frickin anything but to keep running your face on here day after day after day......are you really that sorry ????
Welcome t the fun-factory, anthony. Say- do you have a hobby? Does it involve the internet, or 'blogs'?
@anthony-1118394,
You're on here to with the same tired B.S. Clown
r spelng contsts? "Frickin get a lfe"...I live in high school dropout land, where everyone is a genius just "cuz" they say so. I believe you anthony, you sound like someone who is very knowledgable...NEXT.
Anthony, you are probably very nice, but if you want to be taken seriously, use a spell check get a point of view based on factual information and don't call people out by doing the exact same thing they do.
P.S. Where is Spanky? I miss his diatribe...sad day...
Personally, I'm on here to get material for my next family reunion. For a trunk full of top-hat one liners you can't beat drive-by and Forrest has enough material to keep 'em in stitches so they'll forget about that money I owe them.
Your GED is calling, go get it.
i check it out now and then when i can but the funny thing is its like i never left .....come on here 2 weeks later its the same people saying the same exact things they said 2 weeks ago. Nothing changes but the topics but the answers to those topics all seem the same as the topic 2 weeks ago............mabey if someone other than these carear bloggers made some coments it would spice it up a bit.................mabey ?
Or we could just entertain ourselves trying to make it through your spelling and grammar errors to figure out what you're trying to contribute....
mabey
Her 15 minutes is up.
@ solutions >am not on here everyday like you cause unlike yourself it seems i actually got a life to deal with........whats your excuse ????
Just not today huh? Mabey not? FOr those that are confused (Am = I'm, mabey = maybe, carear= career, coments = comments)
And it is my "job" to correct you, you just weren't paying attention in the 12 years I was doing it.
Yeah just not today Huh!
aint your job to do anything but what you do best and thats run your off the wall mouth Steve.....correct my spelling all you want if thats your purpose in life but i can tell you one thing thats a fact .....if you were standing in front of me those goofball lips of your wouldnt be moving so freely as id damn sure shut em for ya little man just becasue i could. And if at any point in time you would like to find out if thats true or not i would be glad to oblidge ya .......for free
You're hilarious! Big talk...I can just see you swelling up in front of the computer, puffing your chest out like it means anything. "Little man"...right because it takes a big one to pop off on the internet. Please "oblige" me, I am not worried.
oh what a big internet tough-guy you are.
The only people who support this windbag are those already in the far-right with her. Everyone else sees the group polarization in the Republican party and look for a good conservative, but more flexible candidate. As a Minnesotan, it is embarrassing having Michele Bachmann's name attached to our state.
Bachmann has certainly reached out to the Christofascists and homophobes. Is there anyone else in the Republican party?
I think that pretty much covers the republican base.
The thing about courting the extreme of any party is that once the primary is over, every politician sprints back to the middle to try to convince normal people they should be elected. With the GOP, the extreme is the Tea Party crowd, and they ARE NOT going to be happy when the predictable sprint to the center happens. So you either have a true Tea Party candidate who will not be electable by the general population (sorry guys, it's true) or you'll end up with a GOP candidate who is mainstream (Romney?) who will stand a chance, but all support from the far right will collapse. Their biggest mistake is thinking that Obama doesn't stand a chance to get elected for a 2nd term. If G.W. Bush and Bill Clinton can get elected for a 2nd term, Obama will have no problem. The extremes trying to get these two out of office made the same amount of noise we're hearing now.
Amen Beach Sail Amen
Besides every screwball thing that comes out their mouth will be placed in a 30 second billion dollar ad campaign.
@JoAnnaSmith1
Your 15 minutes are up and I'm the President of The United States - "President Obama stated"
Poor Michelle - All them fightin' words for nothing. What a loser, and I mean that in every sense of the word. Christie will never be able to keep up with the rigors of campaigning for the next 13 months. Really, all that baggage? Yeah, on his body and in the state of NJ. I think he's been talking to Sister Sarah about how to manipulate his 15 minutes. His speech the other night? Wow, all those negatives how President Obama isn't doing this and isn't doing that...all that class warfare stuff. But never once did he mention how Reagan raised all those taxes on all those rich folks. Hmmm....selective memory. Obama/Biden in 2012!
Bachmann, Palin, Perry, Christie, Gingrich...proves just one thing to me. The Republican party has no bottom.
LOL...good one, Richard!
Sorry to troll my fellow Richard but the bottom was hit when the crowd at the republican debates actually booed not one, but two of our heroic servicemen for telling their families and the world they had the courage to be openly exactly what they are, courageous gay servicemen.
I have never been more ashamed to be an American.
I am an American...born in and now living in Minnesota. However, I grew up in Canada. It took only a year of being back in the States for me to feel the exact sentiment you expressed, Richard. Being an American is like wearing a sign that says, "Hi, I am a complete moron for whom you should have no respect." As I said, I have lived here and in Canada and have come to clearly see that this country is way more propoganda than product. We hold so tight to the ideal that was that we can not see the reality that is.
Take all of their ideas and thoughts and they still can't beat Obama, why? NO LEADERSHIP TRAITS. Just look at the leader of the House, Mr Bonhoer, he can't even get his own members to agree on anything lately. And don't tell me Obama doesn't have leadership, besides he isn't running as a GOP candidate.
Tea Party is being pretty quiet about her downfall,I remember this page after the Iowa Straw Poll and she was a tea party saint and on her way to the white house.So long Michelle , just proof once more that the tea party has no loyalty to anyone.I believe that comes from a lack of education
Time for Palin to step in and save the show.....ahem....I mean circus.
I am scared to death of Palin and Bachmann. I have Coulrophobia.
OK, her 15 minutes of fame are up now she can go back to being a inept representative and hit the money making speech circuit.
When McCain returned from the 2008 loss to be senator again, he was challenged. I wonder what will become of Bachmann, Perry and others who have held their office comfortably but now are being exposed. The speech circuit, FAUX Noise staff -- Already saturated with other losers. They need to be unemployed and see what that feels like.
Ahhh Michelle, we hardly knew you.................
Michele Bachmann represents my Congressional district here in MN. I Have been amazed and shocked that she has been elected three times to Congress. She is a hateful and mean spirited woman. If it were not for all the outside money that came in to MN for her scare-tactic and negative campaign ads she never would have pulled off her wins. When she got pushed out on to the national stage she got a taste of reality. I just hope she stays in the Presidential race long enough to forfeit her congressional seat. She does not represent all the people she is elected to represent, that included Democrats, Republicans and Independents. Read her Wikipedia profile. Her federal tax attorney experience was limited to a few years. Her 20 some foster kids came and went for several years, none staying longer than a year. Her claim to fame in the MN Senate was stamping on gay people and the marriage issues. She is a self serving media addict. Others deserve more air time, candidates like Huntsman that actually has a bit of depth to his resume.
Well-stated, my fellow Twin Cities dweller! As for Bachmann, have you ever noticed it is those who lack character who are so quick to denigrate the characters of others? She is vicious. Of course, the more insightful people among us quickly see that her actions reflect her own character far more than anything she could say about others. And, you're very right to point out that her major platforms advocate the oppression of others. Republicans are wonderful at exclusionary policy-making.
Just no religious fanatic's please..........we have enough trouble.
It was when she said that medical treatment caused mental retardation in children on the basis of the opinion a single, non expert, average person, mother of a retarded child, without checking with any one else including the liberal media or medical statistics or anything.
Religious based thinking never allows facts to get in the way of a preconceived idea.
I'm afraid to say this but neither party has a person worthy of president. Each party has a few good viewpoints but all that is horrible overshadowed by the corruption and manipulation of our government. And following Obama so blindly makes no sense what-so-ever. He's obviously not getting the job done. If we can't escape the trench warfare of 2 party politics, then please offer up a democrat that has more on the ball then Obama. The only time he showed up for work is when it became blatantly obvious that he's was on the way out. Either way, that idiot has to go.
I was a Hillary supporter and still believe she would have made an excellent President. She is one smart lady and was very well versed on foreign affairs as well as the economy and other domestic issues. Mr. Obama was not my first choice but I was willing to give him a chance. And I still want him to succeed as I do any one that holds that office.
I think a big win for Obama will shut their mouths for awhile, I like his idea's and will vote for him again and I wil continue to send him money for his campaign. If it takes a billion well, consider the alternative.
Ok, here is where I stand regarding this issue. I am well aware that some will not agree, but this is my opinion. I throw people like Bachmann and Palin up against Hilliary Clinton and if they cannot muster the stamina to be up there with her, its over for them as far as I'm concerned. You can say what you will, but Madam Secretary is one smart lady, and everybody knows that those two would not stand a chance with her. Case closed!
Agreed. No other party has a female politician that could come close to competing with Hillary. You know, the one that SHOULD have been our president in the first place. The Democrats are the ones to blame. The ones that turned on her out of spite. If they could have only seen what the alternative would be, I am sure they would have voted differently.
Bachmann who?