The Bachmann Agenda
The Bachmann Agenda: Politics First
Bachmann's brief stop in Minnesota will set you back $10,000; but don't expect her to deliver any results
It's no secret: Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has spent her time criss-crossing the country touting the Bachmann Agenda - from Tea Party rallies in California to GOP fundraisers in Florida, Iowa and Ohio.
Today, her national tour once again skips her district and briefly touches down in Minneapolis, bringing Fox News personalities Sarah Palin and Sean Hannity along for the ride. The opportunity to rub shoulders with the Congresswoman and her conservative celebrity will set you back a cool $10,000.
Bachmann Agenda: Big Numbers, Little Proof
CBS reports:
In the past when talking about the health care bill that was just signed into law by President Obama, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) has referred to the bill as "tyranny."
On Sunday, she told "Face the Nation" anchor Bob Schieffer she meant it.
"[N]ow we have the federal government taking over ownership or control of 51 percent of the American economy. This is stunning. Prior to September of 2008, 100 percent of the private economy was private."
Ms. Bachmann offered no facts to back up her assertion that the government owns or controls 51 percent of the U.S. economy.
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis data since 1929, the highest percentage of government spending as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product was during World War II when government spending was 47.9 percent (in 1944). The lowest level of government spending as a percent of GDP was 9 percent in 1929 at the outset of the Great Depression.
At no time during this period was the United States' GDP 100 percent private.
The 2009 level of federal government spending was 20.6 percent.
The Bachmann Agenda: Doing media at the expense of doing her job
The Minnesota Independent provides a detailed analysis of Rep. Bachmann's missed committee votes: four times more than her colleagues, most of which were on days she managed to find the time to do a national media interview.
Once again, its clear what the Bachmann Agenda is: advancing her personal celebrity at the expense of her constitutents!
Read more:
Rep. Michele Bachmann has missed about four times more votes than her colleagues Rep. Keith Ellison, a Democrat, and Rep. Erik Paulsen, a Republican, on the House Financial Services Committee. Three quarters of votes at which Bachmann wasn't present happened on days she had national cable news appearances.
Bachmann has missed 18 of 105, or 17 percent, of recorded votes in the the committee so far in the 111th Congress. Ellison has missed 5 and Paulsen wasn't there for 3 votes.
Bachmann and Palin: yours for just $10,000
By now, it's no secret: Michele Bachmann is counting on Sarah Palin to raise big bucks for her campaign. But there is one thing they're keeping secret: until now, media reports had said the prices of the tickets had not been released.
Wonder why? Turns out it's going to cost $500 bucks just to get in the door to their exclusive fundraiser - and if you want a picture with Palin and Bachmann? $10,000!
The Bachmann campaign hadn't advertised these sky-high ticket prices, and it's not hard to tell why. Michele Bachmann doesn't want people to know that while families and small businesses are struggling in Minnesota, she's getting $10,000 per snapshot with right wing celebrity Sarah Palin.
It's just one more Bachmann photo op at the expense of her constituents. (This one just happens to come with a real price tag of $10k!)
Want to do something about it?
The Bachmann Agenda: National interviews and travel help who?!
Bachmann claims her national work “benefits” her district, but district has nothing to show for it.
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's national interviews and travel have continued to dominate her schedule, causing her to miss votes and important meetings affecting her constituents.
But according to Minnesota Public Radio:
As for her numerous appearances outside of Minnesota, Bachmann said her outreach benefits her constituents, and that they appreciate her efforts.
How is that, Congresswoman?
Just two weeks ago, when asked to name three things she's accomplished for her district, Bachmann was stumped, admitting to the St. Cloud Times:
The Bachmann Agenda: Just say 'no' to jobs
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann again said 'no' to creating jobs and revitalizing our economy. On March 4, voting against the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act.
While her district suffers from some of the highest unemployment and foreclosure rates in the state, Bachmann doesn't work on solutions - instead, she just says 'no.'
The Bachmann Agenda: Working the talk shows instead of working for you
The Minnesota Independent reports:
Late last week, Rep. Michele Bachmann's Democratic challengers criticized her for her ambitious travel schedule and growing celebrity. The campaigns of Dr. Maureen Reed and state Sen. Tarryl Clark asserted that Bachmann's busy media and speaking schedule has caused her to miss votes in Congress.
How accurate are these criticisms?
An analysis by the Minnesota Independent shows that Bachmann has missed more votes than any member of Minnesota's congressional delegation in the 111th Congress - even after subtracting votes missed when Bachmann left to spend time with an ill family member. Twenty of the 47 remaining votes Bachmann missed occurred on days when the Sixth District Republican had media appearances scheduled. But while these media moments loosely coincide with her missed votes, it's unclear whether her absences are directly linked to her ambitious travel schedule. Bachmann's office hasn't respond to the Minnesota Independent's request to clarify this point.
The Bachmann Agenda: More inappropriate fundraising, more national travel
Congresswoman Bachmann's continued national travels have put her (and a Tennessee non-profit) in hot water yet again.
According to The Tennessean, a planned fundraiser for Bachmann, hosted by the Tennessee non-profit Proclaiming Justice to Nations, could get Bachmann and the organization "in trouble."
Bachmann traveled to Nashville on February 28 to speak to the ‘2010 International Prayer and Action' dinner sponsored by the group.
An e-mail from the charity's President invites "Proclaiming Justice supporters" to give $500 to Bachmann's campaign. "You're receiving this e-mail because of your relationship with Proclaiming Justice to the Nations Inc.," the header of the e-mail reads - an apparent violation of IRS rules banning charities from politics.
This follows Bachmann's cancelled appearance at the Tea Party in Nashville last month after concerns were raised that her participation would violate House ethics rules.
Bachmann Admits She's Done Nothing for Her 6th District Constituents
Calls herself ‘fairly new freshman’ legislator who hasn’t passed any ‘substantive bills’
In a rare interview with local media, published in the St. Cloud Times on Sunday, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (MN-06), calling herself a “fairly new freshman” after two terms and almost four years in Congress, admits she’s passed nothing of substance during her time in Congress.
Reporter Dave Aeikens asks the Congresswoman; “Tell me about three things, you’re in your fourth year now, tell me about three bills or amendments that you’ve done in your time in Washington, that you’ve gotten passed, that are most beneficial to the people of the 6th Congressional District?”
Congresswoman Bachmann, in her own words:
"I am in the deep minority in Congress and a fairly new freshman, so I don’t have substantive bills that I have been able to pass."
Bachmann on Social Security and Medicare: "Basically what we have to do is wean everybody else off"
Bachmann spoke at the Constitutional Coalition in St. Louis, Missouri, and put forth her plan. "So, what you have to do, is keep faith with the people that are already in the system, that don't have any other options, we have to keep faith with them. But basically what we have to do is wean everybody else off," said Bachmann. "And wean everybody off because we have to take those unfunded net liabilities off our bank sheet, we can't do it. So we just have to be straight with people. So basically, whoever our nominee is, is going to have to have a Glenn Beck chalkboard and explain to everybody this is the way it is."
Clark Says Bring an End to Bachmann Agenda to "Wean Everybody Off" Social Security, Medicare
