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James Novogrod / NBC News
Tamara Scott and former Iowa state Rep. Danny Carroll, increasingly visible surrogates for Michele Bachmann, speaking at an Ottumwa, Iowa, restaurant Thursday night.
By NBC's James Novogrod
BLOOMFIELD, Iowa -- Michele Bachmann’s 99-county bus tour reached the eight-day mark Friday, and the candidate was losing her voice. In a whisper she circulated tables at the Oasis Coffee House, greeting voters, autographing yard signs and posing for photos.
While the grueling schedule left Bachmann quieter than usual, a group of surrogates raised the volume this week on a message the campaign hopes will resonate among Iowa’s evangelical voters, in the run-up to the Jan. 3 caucus.
“Do you know that the qualifications for public office are found in the Bible?” asked Danny Carroll, a former state representative, during a visit to a restaurant in Albia on Thursday.
Carroll was citing a passage in Exodus in which Moses is counseled to trust those who "feared God, were capable, and hated dishonest gain."
“I believe that Michele Bachmann fits all of those qualifications,” he added.
Carroll, who has supported Bachmann since the summer, has hosted her at his farm in Grinnell – but had rarely joined her for public events around the state. His presence, the campaign says, sends a signal to Iowan social conservatives.
“He has a tremendous amount of credibility in that state, and people look to his opinion,” says campaign spokeswoman Alice Stewart.
After a 12-year career in the Iowa statehouse, Carroll was chairman of the board of the Iowa Family Policy Center, a group that was later spun into the Family Leader, one of Iowa’s most high-profile evangelical groups.
Carroll's message seems designed in part to punch back at the Family Leader's current CEO, Bob Vander Plaats, who earlier this week endorsed one of Bachmann's chief rivals for the evangelical vote: Rick Santorum.
The endorsement directed unwelcome attention on the Bachmann campaign, after Politico reported that Vander Plaats had tried to influence the race more directly, by calling Bachmann to urge her to drop out.
Bachmann acknowledges the call happened, but disputes the account of the discussion. (A source close to the telephone call tells NBC News that Vander Plaats called to ask that she merge her ticket with Santorum, or with Rick Perry. Bachmann, according to the source, declined.)
Since the endorsement, the Bachmann camp’s pushback has been polite but sharp.
A second surrogate, Tamara Scott – the Iowa director of a conservative women's group, Concerned Women for America – called out the Family Leader and Santorum by name Thursday, during a stop in Ottumwa.
"The Iowa Family Leader had a series of meetings, and the papers said it was to make sure [Mitt] Romney was not the nominee," Scott said.
"Bob Vander Plaats turned around and endorsed Santorum, who had endorsed Romney in the last election. I just don’t understand those kinds of politics," Scott said.
In an interview with NBC, Scott stressed that she is not speaking on behalf of Concerned Women for America, and added that Bachmann was the only candidate she felt comfortable endorsing.
“Her integrity is intact,” Scott said.
The effect of the campaign’s effort is unclear so far, but the bus tour itself has seemed to win points in rural counties. Voters in small restaurants and bakeries often said they appreciated Bachmann’s attention.
“She stands for Iowa,” said caucus-goer Kay Rouch, in Keosauqua, on Wednesday. “This is where her roots are, her beginnings, and I think that she basically has a real concern for the people in the Midwest.”
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Why is everyone complaining? If Bachmann gets enough followers and doesn't get the nomination then she'll get write-ins of abstenions of voting, both would continue to split the Conservative/ Republican/ Tea Party/ Libertarian down into multiple pieces, thereby giving the election to Obama.
It's not like the president is the king of the country. Even if Ron Paul was elected- if he can't get congress to back him on anything you'll basically have what we have now- a dysfunctional government incapable of doing anything. Be sure to get these morons out on congress and get people in who can WORK TOGETHER.
Then maybe we'll see progress.
But more likely we'll see a repeat of Greece. With less protesters and more crack downs.
I lovves da Michelle bachmans. She beautiful and good christian. I lovves her. And dis country was founded on christian principples and dogma. No judiasm or muslim stuff. Even dough I haves a friend at da old folks home I lives in and some of da people call him hook nose jew and penny pincher and I also haves an A rab friend here dat the people call mohamad behind his back but his name not mohamad, I still believes christianity is the only path for America. God bless america.
" She beautiful and good christian."
The only thing she's good at is lying and that is NOT a Christian value.
That's sarcasm or some kind of humor I hope.
Bachmann is no Christian...she is a Christianist.
The Pope calls her a Satan worshiper ---- Who has the divine authority to question the Pope? Nobody does, not even the entire 700 Club
Does anybody feel as I do that the greatest accomplisnment of the baby boomer generation was the breakup of the Soviet Union and it was done by the Russians! Probably the worst event was the Afgan Iraq war which will bankrupt us and from which we will never recover.
I find people here are asking questions about "God" being the cause of earthquakes, flooding, hurricanes etc. There are even examples in the "Bible" such the big flood and Noah saving his family and all the nice (republican) animals. And then there is the story of saving Lot minus his wife. One person saved out of a whole town. --- Of course these are Bible stories and many might not believe them. --- I did not, but I know the truth of other stories which my long time psychic friend related to me. He called his gift "the psychic telephone". We both worked for AT&T and I would ask his "spirit guides" frequently for advice about work problems as well as Girl friend problems. When they did give me an answer they where always right. --- Later, my friend told me about his very best "reading" ever which he gave over the telephone to man working at the World-trade-center . The spirits said: IT'S VERY IMPORTANT to tell the man not to go to work tomorrow, tell him to call in sick or something. That was a day before 9-11 when more than 2000 where killed. --- Why was only one person saved? What about the other 2000? --- I don't understand this, neither does my friend, but then he never ask "why".
---- For me this is a question about the "heavenly realm". Is that the loving God of the Christians , as Butterfly Mage said in her post? It's a mighty selective God, one out off 2000. What is the "selection criteria"? Or is there none? I tried to understand that question in my paper about Evolutionary Spirituality with little success. http://www.msmisp.com/logos/foundation-for-evolutionary-spirituality.htm
I think I'll go back to the horse castration article... Bachmann has absolutely nothing intelligent to say
The Pope calls her a Satan worshiper ---- Who has the divine authority to question the Pope? Nobody does
Jimbo. ,a Satan worshipper what r u smokin'/She'a nut case with finances that have to be looked at.
You know Michelle, Laura Ingram and Ann Coulture all look good to me and I would if I could,but when they open their mouth ,they turn me off like a cold shower.
Hanoi Jane, was on a show the other night and for a 70 yr old,she was even lookin' good.Im almost took down my Snoppy Screw you Jane Fonda patch out o f my medal display.
Michelle doesn't really need to make a pitch to the evangelicals...they're already the only ones loony enough to vote for her.
I know, I was talking to one of her nuts on another article about Christmas & they brought up their lunatic Islamophobia rage again about Sharia Law taking over our country
After 12 bloody & costly years they still haven't learned the 1st frigging thing ---- It's like arguing with a kitchen table with 3 broken legs
I swear the only reason she's on the House Intelligence Committee at all is because they needed a door stop
You know.. that very fact makes it even more jaw-dropping that she was unaware that China had nukes.
They all seem to live in an alternate universe or another dimension where everything is exactly as they say it is
Rod Sreling's "Twilight Zone"
Oops... that was Herman Cain... apologies. All of these nuts are starting to look alike. lol Her idiocy about nuclear weapons was about Iran.
Quite a group huh? Now their top 2 Tea Party Generals can't get on the battlefields of Virginia our nation's largest colony & first state
Virginia state law prohibits write in candidates on their primary ballot
They've met their "Waterloo"
I know... I couldn't help but roar with laughter... er... sadly cluck my tongue. :-P
Merry Newtmas & a Happy New Year of conservative comedy & collapse of GOP politics
Merry Christmas to you Jim.
I missed SNL, see it?
Nope, I usually miss it anyway,,, Pretty much couch locked by then
They have fun knocking the GOP Clowns. I miss the Hermanator tho, they rode that Guy hard, LOL
This stuff writes itself, makes it easy for their writers.. Be nice to cash in on it, they get some of their stuff on the vine
Clapping for the fact that I live on the west coast. lol
That's the best coast, I'm just north of Sacramento
West is the best they say, me too.
Seattle
Vegas... it's a hell hole but at least relatively free of religious fanatics. lol
I bet your glad you dodged the bullet: Sharon Angle.
I worked tirelessly to make sure we dodged that "second amendment remedy" nutjob.
Slow blog day, the righties must have smashed their monitors in anger, I love to see them squirm.
They are all watching porn
With their sister
And uncles, aunts & their cousins --- It's a "Family Values" thing
Good night folks,, too stoned to carry on.... decently medicated
Here's one in your honor Jim.
Back to you bro,,, Seattle, there might be a few around there that remember Diesel Debbie. She might have raised a kid or two that looks like me
Just wondering, don't go spread that around town, I don't want her looking for me
I've had a few Debbie's
Another time, catch you later
cya, Merry Christmas
Bachmann, just be quiet and go home. You are done.
Bachmann is a nut case, where does America find all of these losers from??
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~" Bachmann = Drunk Turkey "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The thing that really baffles me about Michele Bachmann, is how a fundamentalist christian who thinks gays are possessed by the devil would marry a guy like Marcus.
MB is so unbelieveably undecribable I can not explain it!!!
Did she have her real children before marcus turned gay or did he turn gay after she cut him off????????
Can we just vote already? And after that, can we have a two-year moratorium on all political coverage on tv and the web?
"feared God, were capable, and hated dishonest gain." That's it? All it takes to be a world leader? Not..that will only work for the brain dead.
If MB hated dishonest gain, her "husband's" clinic would never have existed.
Not a lot of choices here. Obama has promised just about every demographic group his unending support. When will the Republicans learn that it is best promise everybody everything instead of just the just the myth believers. There should be a performance clause for every politician Three letters of reprimand and a couple of weeks off with no bennies or pay then your gone.
Wow, if accepting federal monies for farm subsidies and "praying the gay away" clinics are "honest gains" we are in real trouble.
Legitimate politics is purely and only the pragmatic pursuit of efficient management of the common business functions of a society. Legitimate religious practice consists purely and only of the pursuit of grace, not imposition of anyone's personal values upon everyone else. Nothing is more evil than politicians and clergy prostituting religion for political gain.
Remember: Bachmann the Hypnotized is on the Intelligence Committee...!
Unbelievable...but true.
HA! Oxymoron I found an Oxymoron.
Oxymoron = contradiction...according to Ms. Hypnotized.
Simple fact: The woman is a totally religious loon.
Turning gays into straights is an honest job? Tell me, Baby, what are you jiggling when you get gays to go staight? It ain't your bible. That can't do it.
You can't turn a "Butch" around. --- I was in love with one and we tried. --- It did not work, no fun in bed! --- However, we had fun together in other places and we are still very good friends.
This kind of "I'm holier than you" religion is repulsive to most people, even a lot of Republicans. This is why Pat Robertson was never elected president. Americans might claim to be religious, but they don't want to be told what to do by self-proclaimed holy men (or women).
Here are some comments to a post by (the “Good-Witch”) Butterfly Mage. She wrote:
"The thing that no fundamentalist Christian has ever been able to answer to my satisfaction is this: If the God of the Bible is all-good, all-loving, and all-powerful, then how did the Holocaust happen? It seems to me that Bible God sat that one out. He also doesn't seem to answer the prayers of Christian parents when their kids get cancer or leukemia or cystic fibrosis. Their survival rate is the same as kids whose parents are Muslims, Jews, Wiccans, but now , Hindus, or atheists. So where is Bible God? How can Bible God claim to be "good" when he never intervenes to help out us poor slobs here on Earth?
----------I am not an atheist -- not by a long shot. But clearly the higher power doesn't work like the Bible says he/she/it works. And since that is very provable, we really don't need politicians claiming to work on the behalf of a god-concept that clearly isn't accurate. --- #4.1 - Sat Dec 24, 2011 6:28 PM EST
In my paper on “Evolutionary Spirituality”:
http://www.msmisp.com/logos/Foundation-of-Evolutionary-Spirituality.htm
I am explaining that our morals and ethics as well as the compulsion to help others in need are also an objective of this evolution. As Gibran said:” We are the way AND the wayfarer”. And Shakespeare should have added to his line “All the World is a stage and we are just the players” the appendix “AND the Playwrights.” It was the author Liz Greene who audaciously claimed: “Nothing comes into a man’s life that is not a reflection of something within him self”; but is that statement always true? --- NO --- E.g.: Hundreds of thousands of innocent young Jewish children were brutally murdered in German Concentration camps. What could possibly have been “within young children to reflect a massacre?” --- It was GENESIS of a Culture by a culture, the ugliest form of nature’s or God’s bloody Evolution. I keep hearing Jesus’ question: Eli Eli Lama Sabachani? (My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me? A question asked again and again by Millions of “good people”. And may rightly so, because there is solid evidence that events in our “manifest” realm are predictable month and even years ahead. (Only the rules of “chaos theory” might limit future predictions.) In another post I told the story of my “psychic friend” being told to urge a customer NOT to go to work at the New York Trade-center at 9-11. And concerning the fate of sick children, who “Butterfly Mage” mentioned in her post, --- I myself used to have some of the healing abilities of Jesus or the Bodhisattvas of India. Yes, that too can be done from this “Unmanifest side” of our Universe, but apparently helping is considered interference with the success of Free Evolution. --- What an irony, here they are, God’s helpers, standing by with depraved indifference and watching the events on Earth. --- How do our Laws and judicial system look at this behavior? Concerning this case, I only know the reaction of the German legal-system. (I studied a few semesters there.) E.G. if a person is drowning and another person, who is well known as “expert swimmer”, is watching that without helping. The legal system would find him guilty of homicide by gross negligence.(Don’t know the legal term for this, maybe “Stelvertretendes Comodum” (in German)
-------- I personally was ‘born” with a “compulsion” to help, (much to my regret). E. g. I saved dozens of “grown-ups” at age 9 from being killed in a massive air attack in 1944 Germany. In winter 1945 I saved a boy from drowning in a frozen lake. In 1950 I saved dozens of children during a school outing. ---- I was finally able to give it up, but now, because of my strong critic of the behavior of these “helpers” in the heavens, I have become a “Persona Nongrata”.
God cannot be proved. The existence of God is a matter of faith. Most of the things that people claim in the name of God are their owh ideas. I question whether punishment is a concept from God. After all, Adam and Eve were put out of Eden so that they could not continue to eat from the tree of life. They did not die at once, but the process of detrioration began then. They were , remember, made in the image of God. They were not made to be God. And the people who say they were told by God to run for office were reacting to their own feelings and desires.
These bigots are irrelevant in the political process. It's funny to sit back and watch them as they believe they actually make a difference. They're in the own little, twisted world.
Evangelicals, America's radical Muslims. Dealt with these people once. They would not even acknowledge me for their services since I was Catholic. They ever got control we be living in a theocracy too.
Emil