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Eric Gay / AP
Republican presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn, center, makes a campaign stop Friday at the Black Bear Diner in Sioux City, Iowa.
EARLY, Iowa – During a swing through a conservative pocket of the state Friday, with only four days before the Jan. 3 Iowa caucus, Michele Bachmann visited a local restaurant to discover only a handful of people waiting for her.
Bachmann was accompanied by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, the district's congressman and her close friend in Washington.
"You actually get your own private presidential candidate and member of Congress," Bachmann told one voter, before sitting with the woman for several minutes over coffee.
In the back of the room, near a wall decorated with several yard signs, a small area between tables had been cleared for a microphone stand, which stood unused.
The tiny crowd – which, at its height, numbered around 15 people – included two members of the restaurant’s wait staff, and three construction workers on their lunch break.
"We’re just eating lunch, working in the area," said Jim Olson, a worker from Marcus. He wore a campaign sticker an advance man had given him, and told NBC he planned to support Bachmann in the caucus.
Earlier Friday, at the Black Bear Diner in Sioux City, a similar scene played out, where staff and about 50 patrons were caught off guard during breakfast when Bachmann dropped by, moving table to table and signing autographs.
(Robert Byrne, the restaurant’s general manager, told NBC News he had been given about thirty minutes' notice, though he was "delighted" by the surprise.)
The scenes were a striking departure from Bachmann’s events during her 11-day bus tour of Iowa's 99 counties. That tour, which concluded Thursday, wound its way through several rural counties, and drew crowds of about 100 supporters and curious voters.
Speaking to reporters outside the Crossroads Restaurant here in Early, Bachmann said, of the low turnout, "This was something that was spontaneous, where we just dropped in."
The advisory sent to reporters Thursday evening, however, included the Early and Sioux City events, along with an afternoon event in Fort Dodge.
Reached for comment via telephone, campaign spokeswoman Alice Stewart pointed to a change in schedule earlier Thursday after plans to go pheasant hunting with King fell through, and added that in a scramble the campaign had passed a bad schedule to supporters.
"It by no means was an indication that we didn't have support to go see Michele," said Stewart.
"Calls were dropped [to supporters] for the wrong times."
But the stumble came at a bad time for the Bachmann campaign, which is fighting to move past unwelcome attention following the defection of its Iowa Campaign Chairman, State Sen. Kent Sorenson, to the Ron Paul campaign – and a new NBC/Marist poll that puts Bachmann last in the field in Iowa, at 6%.
Bachmann got a bit of friendly support from her colleague, King, who told reporters that Bachmann was "his great friend," though he stopped short of giving her an endorsement coveted by a number of Bachmann’s GOP competitors.
"I have not made a commitment on this presidential race, but I’ve made a commitment to this great friend," King said.
Leave a Comment:
Where are the insane vote that Bachmann was to wrap up?
They are out on that island with all of those "teapublicans" who said we libs are afraid of:
Bachmann, Palin, Gingrich, Trump, Pawlenty, Daniels, Barbour, Cain, Santorum, Rubio, Christie, Jeb, Perry, Huntsman.....
Time to go home, Michele - back to Marcus and pray away the gay.
If I've told them once, I've told them a hundred times: put "Michele Bachmann" first and "Puppet Show" last.
Why did the media hype this women and give her a platform in the first place? Was it her wacko, sassy polictics coupled with her looks or what? Didn't they already do that for that one from Alaska?
"You actually get your own private presidential candidate and member of Congress," Too bad she is glass eyed stupid and insane.
Being from Iowa low turnouts for those two sure doesn't surprise me. Talk about extremes. These two are as nutty as they come and it shows.
bachmann is old news and should of bowed out right along side of cain...as for her aspiration to run VP with Romney, that would be his death blow and a sure victory for Obama!
Article photo caption: "Republican presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn, center, makes a campaign stop Friday at the Black Bear Diner in Sioux City, Iowa."
Michele, take a hint…. When a photo caption has to identify who you are in a picture with only three other people in it; it's time to give up the ghost and quit.
It gets even worse when the caption doesn't mention the names of the other two nationally known people (Betty the waitress and Jim Olson the worker from Marcus) whose faces are clearly visible in the photo along with Michele Bachmann's face (she's the one in the center).
Educated Voters that wisely research candidates on the internet know the scoop ! They know that M. Bachmann and Husband ( Wife?) have Ignorent views on homosexuals and are aware that R. Santorum shares those views as well ! That is why they have the Evangelical support ! The Bachmann's are more vocal and transparent about this ,where R. Santorum wisely chooses to remain cloacked on the matter. That is why the Evangelical vote has shifted to Santorum and Bachmann has dropped off. Today, there is more awareness ,understanding, simpathy,and support for equality towards Gay rights ( I am not Gay by the way ) . Todays extreme evangelical ( Homophobic ) views actually hurt todays conservative republicans and makes them in general, appear backwards and not with the Times ! Separation between church and state ? The evangelical support now appears as a Special Interest Group not welcomed in today's politics! RON PAUL 2012 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ummmm.......you might want to learn a little more about Ron Paul. He fully supports DOMA, supported DADT until very recently, wrote the anti-gay "Marriage Protection Act", and wrote the theocratic "We the People Act" (which he originally wrote primarily in response to Lawrence v Texas).
Ron Paul doesn't seem to understand or agree with the civil rights to due process and equal protection of the law, and he clearly thinks the states can return to being theocracies and override federal civil rights.
I think it's time for Michelle to trade her bus for a one-way ticket to Pulookaville.....
Lies & more lies. The gop & the rushbo put up with it. All of the gop does it. Until the lie about how the mother said her daughter became retarded by taking a pill required by texas schools. But the most honest gop is ron paul. He says the gop blew up the wtc on 911. True.
I adore the GOP/TP. No matter the candidate, they give me a chuckle every day. Is this really the best you guys can do? Bachmann? Goodbye. Romney? A bad Democrat at best. Perry? Please. Rick who? And Ron Paul? Where'd you guys find this weirdo, the midnight to 4 AM radio talk slot out of East Bumphuc, IL.?
That's the best description of Ron Paul I've ever read, John... Late night AM talk radio, indeed. Gotta out-crazy "Coast-to-Coast"...
Didn't she start out by claiming her god told her to run? Seems the old boy has changed his mind...
When will this woman get the hint that she is done and noone wants her around anymore? She's like the chick you have gone out with one too many times and cant get rid of. Maybe Canada will take her.
It looks like an established fact that Bachmann is going to lose the Iowa caucus, now if the voters in her district in Minnesota will just stop voting for her. It would be a step in the right direction to help make our Congress a better place.
This thing faced a low turnout ( for her) even if 100% of the electorate turned out. I really would like to see press dig up some of her supporters and learn about their motivation. Good learning experience. She never did get fact she is seen as wack job and her views do not represent Americas. Can't imagine her ass will not be booted in MN next election.
Emil
I love it! She has to sneak into a public setting to make sure some people will actually still be there. I wonder how many shouted "check please!" the second she walked in the door?
Makes me proud of Iowa that there were so few 'dumbest of the dumb' who actually wanted to see her.
Who in the world would vote for the woman with the "Crazy" eyes! The only thing Bachmann can recite over and over is "we have ti make Obama a one term President!" Guess what Mechele? IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN! Every GOP candidate keeps stumbling and bumbling while the prez is sailing along at near worp speed! Mark my words Mechele. You'll wake up November 12th in a sanatorium screaming to the top of your lungs...."How could this have happened!" The answer? "The American people have spoken! :)
And so we bid a final adieu to the Moonbat From Minnesota.
Thanks for the laughs!
I guess there is a God after all.
She's ever denser than Palin! Surely she'll get it soon, then find a way to spin why she has to crawl back into oblivion. Hopefully, she's got no kids who will subject us all to their ignorance and try to make a buck off her failures.
Wow, the Republican's just can't get out of their own way. Santorum, Bachman, Paul, Newt, where did they find these "can't get elected dogcatcher in small towns outside DesMoines?"
I am not sure what I would do if bachmann sat down at my table.... telling her to get the hell away, seems rude, but then her sitting her useless butt at my table would be rude as well.
I wasted time seeing queen palin in person one time, life is to short to suffer fools.
You know Ramney is just as bad. Empty Glass
LOL. Looks like she has to drop in by surprise on unsuspecting people to have an audience. I hope she stays in the race. I could use some laughs!
America is sick of the constant "Bitching" of "Bitchy Bachmann!" She has proven herself time and time again to be a "Social Sadist," a "Bonehead Birther," and so "Cognitively Disabled. That the smell of rotten tea bags is just too overwhelming for 99% of all Americans. Everyone wave goodbye to "Bithcy Bachmann!!"
are you sure that smell is rotting teabags?