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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.
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I would say that she needs to go home, but I am from Minnesota and I don't like her here. So I will simply say she needs to go away!
Hey, I'm from Iowa and we don't want her back. You got her now -you've got to keep her...
Michele never thought she could win. Now she can use any money raised running for President as part of her war chest while running for the congress.
I question the IQ of someone who would support or vote for this most empty of suits...can you not see the dark beady close set eyes and it not scream inbred to you?
The fact that this woman is even considered for political office is unbelievable to me. She has absolutely no connection to the common person living in America today. Please just drop out and open up a private school where you can impose your beliefs on those who are willing to sign up.
She'll be gone after Iowa. She got her first push in Iowa and she'll bomb on Jan 3. Wouldn't be surprised of she quits, I hope, I hope........
Sadly, I must agree that things don't look so good for the Bachmann campaign. I could have predicted this, but who would listen??
She'll go through a couple of primaries, and lose, then the money will dry up, and she will have to go back to Washington.
I give her credit for the run, but apparently it was just not her time.
ABO 2012.
The only way she'll get a larger turnout is to tweet that she'll do guys in the backroom if they come down to see her.
Did she lead the (crowd) in a spirited Happy Birthday to Elvis. No wait, that was the date of his death. Take it from a Minnesotan, she is a whack job. I heard she is going to vacate her seat here. Used all her money on Iowa. Her crowds are the normal crowds at cafe's eating noon lunch.
This is getting sad now. They're even talking about drafting Sarah Palin to satisfy the people who insist on voting for a brainless bimbo. Michelle certainly has played her part. The thing about "catching" mental retardation from the cancer vaccine was a classic. She'll be missed.
This woman showed her moronic rantings before November 2008 and she was up for re-election then. She kept her seat so what does that tell you? Her constituents think like her. So get used to her, she is dug in like a tick. Haven't heard much from her wacko older sister Virginia Fox from Texas (sisters in lunacy that is).
Stick a @#$% ummm fork in her she's done!
I hope the people of Texas are pissed off that this guy Perry has been collecting a salary, ,paid by them,
to make a fool out of himself in front of the whole nation. Bachman and Paul talk about spending
problems yet they both collect their pay while never being in Washington or their home states. Talk about wasted taxpayer funds.
Tom-Chicago, I couldn't agree with you more. I am a Texan and it really galls me to think that we will endure this idiot for another 3 or 4 years. And to top that off, in another 4 years, people will have forgotten what an absolute idiot he is.
Perry is dumb and it shows! A lot!
Well, it took a lot of prof, but maybe most people are seeing exactly how dim-witted and flaky she is. Liberal or conservative beliefs couldn't effect your eyes or ears enough to come to any other conclusion.
Is it possible that the people of Iowa are not entirely devoid of good sense? Batty Bachmann is losing followers along with staff. Soon she will be like Palin, out selling books and looking for a reality tv show.
Yes and she will get millions and we let it happen! The Republican Party needs a screening process to keep out the idoits!
Michele Bachmann never had one chance in this race. The ONLY reason that she won the straw poll in Iowa in the first place is because she handed out 6,000 tickets to the voters and only about 4500 actually voted for her. At $35. per each vote she paid around $210,000 for that win.
On behalf of the Republican Party I apologize for M Bachmann and go to church praying she will get the light and just leave now!
Bachman, Cain, Palin, McCain and on and on. My God please you good people run and help this country
"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."
Two restaurant employees, three guys having lunch. . . .so that leaves 10 people there voluntarily.
And she still doesn't get it. Now she wants to join the crybabies suing Virginia because they don't like Virginia's election laws. Absolute shills.
Forget about birth certificates - I want to see Mitt's magic Mormon underwear!
Something really creepy about a cult that makes Moonies seem normal.
That's easy Charlie... just go to your nearest Masonic Lodge. The signs are all there; on the breast, navel and knee. It's the handshakes you need to know to get past Joe Smith on the way to where God lives to be able to make it successfully... according to them. Oh!... you need MORE than one wife too. Section 132 of their D & C. NO SOUP FOR MITT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm more concerned that anyone would actually vote for any of the right wing crazies running this year.
She has absolutely no chance of winning. Absolutely ridiculous comments about things she knows nothing about. Worse yet, she smiles ALL the time while plunging the knife into a fellow Republican's back. Please drop out, Michelle.
Nice.. Bachman packed the house.
Ten actual supporters, 2 staff help, and 3 construction workers just getting grabbing lunch.
This lady has got it.
How is Newt handling this?
Like MSNBC your cluless, she dropped in on a place that had 15 people in it at the time. Such a brianiac you are!
It's just that pesky part where she gave the press her schedule and darned if those "impromptu drop in" visits weren't on there! Oopsie! Nasty little fact to come out right after claiming it wasn't planned. Caught in a bold-faced lie. What to do? Easy....the same thing they always do....blame the media.
Intelligent people won't fall for it...but intelligent people were never going to vote for her anyway....
Maybe they accidentally "Prayed the voters away".
Michele Bachmann - the reason I no longer think sh1thouse rats are all that crazy.
Well maybe, just maybe, all the arrogance of ignorance, all the downright lies, all the gay bashing, and all the just utterly brainless remarks by this GOP airhead have finally caught up with Lady BaBa, Perhaps even the right wing finally gets her, quite properly, into the same category as Sarah Palin, Christine O'Donnell and the rest of the weak minded sisters of the reactionary right.
Good riddance.