The Bachmann Agenda
Editorial: Bachmann out of bounds (again)
BP a "fleeced" victim of "extortion"? Give us a break.
Much has been made of the comments made by U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, regarding the BP oil spill. It will be interesting to see if remarks made by one of Minnesota's U.S. House representatives will get similar exposure -- and deserved heavy criticism.
No stranger to controversial musings, Bachmann was speaking recently at a luncheon of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. She advised BP not to be "chumps" or get "fleeced" to pay for "perpetual unemployment and all the rest -- they've got to be legitimate claims." In a subsequent interview, she remarked, "It seems that it's all about extortion -- and that's what they want to do is create a pot of money for themselves that they can control and that's not what the executive is supposed to do."
The Bachmann Agenda: Bachmann Won't Back Down On BP Defense
Even right-wing allies publicly denounce Bachmann's comments, try to get her to do the same
In what can only be characterized as a turning of the political tables, Conservative FOX News commentators Bill O'Reilly and Geraldo Rivera both defended the Obama Administration's successful demand for British Petroleum (BP) to set up a $20 billion Victims' Compensation Fund to provide relief or victims of the Gulf oil spill. And both took Congresswoman Michele Bachmann to task for her continued opposition.
On Friday night's "O'Reilly Factor," O'Reilly pushed Bachmann to admit that forcing BP's CEO, Tony Haywood to create the $20 Billion fund was the right thing to do. Congresswoman Bachmann instead said that the president exerting pressure on BP to pay for victims' relief was "crossing a line."
The Bachmann Agenda: Whose Side Is She On?
Bachmann doles out advice to BP corporate honchos, but doesn't show up to vote for constituents
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's national campaign tour has once again left her constituents scratching their heads wondering: whose side is she on?
Bachmann's remarks Tuesday were no exception. In a speech to the Heritage Foundation, instead of standing up for the millions of Americans who have been affected by the BP oil spill, Bachmann offered advice to the corporate honchos at BP on how to keep themselves from being ‘fleeced' by the American people.
According to the Washington Post, Bachmann offered these pearls of wisdom to BP:
"But if I was the head of BP, I would let the signal get out there -- 'We're not going to be chumps, and we're not going to be fleeced.' And they shouldn't be. They shouldn't have to be fleeced and make chumps to have to pay for perpetual unemployment and all the rest -- they've got to be legitimate claims."
Whose side is Michele Bachmann on?
Bachmann National Tour continues: next stop, Iowa
The Iowa Independent reports:
U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, will visit the Hawkeye State next week for the Republican Party of Iowa's state convention.
Track her national campaign travels on our map: http://tarrylclark.com/bachmann-agenda/where-is-michele
TheIowaRepublican.com reports that Bachmann will headline an event for Iowa Attorney General candidate Brenna Findley Saturday, June 26, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Des Moines. Bachmann was last in Iowa in April when she participated in U.S. Rep. Steve King's annual Defenders of Freedom event. Bachmann and King have formed a close relationship over the years, with Bachmann going so far as to float King's name as a potential presidential candidate in 2012. In fact, The Iowa Independent's sister site in Minnesota documented five occasions where Bachmann has referred to King as "stunning." Back in 2008, King's press secretary, Brandon Lerch, left the congressman's office to run Bachmann's re-election campaign. Now they share a press secretary.
The Bachmann Agenda: Messin’ with Texas
Bachmann campaign trail continues through its 3rd state in just a week
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN?) is making another celebrity appearance tomorrow, this time as the keynote at the Texas Republican Party's State Convention. This weekend's visit to Texas comes on the heels of last weekend's visit to California, including speeches and fundraisers in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, and reports that Bachmann also appeared in campaign phone messages for a New Jersey Republican.
Bachmann recently told Tom Hauser on KSTP's "At Issue" that she is "home nearly every weekend in Minnesota." But with two weekends in a row on the road and a hefty national travel schedule, her constituents don't see her at home, and can't count on her to stand up for them in Washington. Bachmann's many travels have been tracked on our map, viewable at:
The Bachmann Agenda: Style Over Substance
Report confirms Bachmann media staff outnumbers those working on legislation
St. Cloud, MN -- A new report by Byron Tao at AOL News discovered that Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has more media staff than she does staff to work on legislation.
To shed light on Congresswoman Bachmann's continued use of taxpayer funds for promotional activities, Tarryl Clark's campaign for Congress has released The Bachmann Agenda, Game Show Edition video:
The Bachmann Agenda: More media staffers than legislative aides
AOL News reports [6/4/10]:
Minnesota congresswoman and conservative darling Michele Bachmann has mastered the art of bypassing the mainstream media in favor of more ideologically friendly outlets, according to a long profile in today's Washington Post. But that appears to have come at the expense of her legislative activities.
An independent analysis of her staff by AOL News confirms that at the end of 2009, Bachmann had just two legislative staffers out of a staff of 17, according to public records. At the same time, Bachmann's media staff at the end of 2009 included a communications director and two press secretaries.
The situation remains unchanged. According to her office, Bachmann still has only two full-time staffers dealing with the myriad legislative issues that come up before Congress.
"For the modern-day House, that's extraordinary low. You'd find normally a half-dozen [legislative staffers]," congressional scholar Norm Ornstein told AOL News.
The Bachmann Agenda: Hypocrisy At Every Opportunity
Bachmann votes against cutting wasteful spending, paying down the national debt
Just yesterday, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann missed yet another opportunity to demonstrate fiscal responsibility. During consideration of the Defense Authorization Bill, an amendment was offered to strip nearly $485 million in funding for a jet engine program the Pentagon has said it doesn't want - instead directing the money toward the national debt.
Bachmann voted against the amendment, choosing to maintain $485 million in spending even the Pentagon deems wasteful and passing up an opportunity to pay millions toward our national debt.
Zach Rodvold, Campaign Manager for Tarryl Clark's campaign for Congress, offered the following statement:
Sixth District Voters Vow To "Remember" The Bachmann Agenda
As Bachmann files for re-election, her constituents remember four years of inaction on and opposition to the issues that really matter - and will oust her on November 2nd
St. Cloud, MN - Today, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann filed for re-election in the 6th District. But her constituents pledged to remember what the Bachmann Agenda has produced in her first two terms: no results for her constituents, and nothing but opposition on the issues that matter most.
Tarryl Clark's campaign for Congress today released a video, entitled "Remember," featuring four constituents who remember the day Michele Bachmann turned her back on them:
The Bachmann Agenda: Self-Promoting Bachmann Strikes Again
Taxpayers are paying the bill - again - as Bachmann uses more glossy fliers to gloss over a bad record on jobs and the economy.
Just days after being outed as one of the House's top frankers, Michele Bachmann is back in mailboxes across the 6th District with another glossy, campaign-style mailer paid for with your tax dollars.
The latest four-page mailer says Bachmann is "working hard to create more jobs for Minnesotans." But ironically, Bachmann uses the piece to brag about voting against a bill that created or saved more than 9,500 jobs in the 6th District, more than any other Congressional District in Minnesota. Bachmann's report on the economy lists nothing she has done to help the struggling workers and families of her district, despite representing the district with the state's highest rates of foreclosure and unemployment. The report also fails to mention that Bachmann has voted against countless extensions of unemployment benefits, and against numerous pieces of legislation to address the nation's housing and foreclosure crisis.
