Secrets of the City

It seems Michele Bachmann has been hard at work (with a little help from Fox News). But how do we feel about having a Rep. that Time Magazine mocks, saying “it’s not sporting or even reasonable to expect [her] to make sense”; and whose “wider background of knowledge” Salon describes as going “from the conservative blog RedState — led by a guy whose idea of a brilliant political tactic is sending fake dog poop to a Democratic congressman — to the WSJ’s notoriously ideological editorial page and then to the IBD editorial page, which is sort of a poor man’s WSJ for people completely uninterested in anything but a strict conservative line”?

Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., is still awaiting an apology from Bachmann for the use of Holocaust images in signs carried at her tea-party protest. See his YouTube video.

Still, the woman has been hitting the headlines full force. And now she has mainstream media speculating over her ambitions. Meanwhile, Taryll Clark sets out to depose her.

Today is the big day. (Or is it?) In an effort to thwart Democratic leaders’ efforts to lock down votes for the health care reform bill, Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann will be rallying her troops on the steps of the Capitol (Washington) at noon.

In appealing to demonstrators, Ms. Bachmann called the health care vote, tentatively scheduled for this Saturday, the “Super Bowl of freedom.” She has repeatedly accused Democrats of pursuing “socialized medicine” and a “government takeover” of the health care system.

Does this large-scale media moment have anything to do with the recent resignation of Bachmann’s top aide, Michelle Marston? Bachmann’s Mad Hatter reputation may be scaring away staffers.

What kind of support will Bachmann garner today? On Wednesday, Fox News estimated a crowd of 64,000 — but then this is the same Fox News that substantially overestimated (by almost a million) the 9/12 tea party crowd, and the same Fox News that reduced the 1900-page bill to “five pages that matter.” (Still, a quick Internet search shows a fair number of people — primarily East Coast — looking for a ride.)

One person we know will be there for sure is actor Jon Voight, who just left Minnesota last night, after speaking at a fundraiser for Gov. Pawlenty.

Meanwhile, the Stand Up America PAC, an anti-right-wing-extremist organization, has spent the last two days trying to raise $10,000 in order to “ruin Michele Bachmann’s day” by proving they can rally just as much support against her as she can rally against the health care legislation. A noble (or at least peaceful) counter-attack? Or a cheap way of raising much needed funds (that will in no way benefit health care reform)?

I don’t even know what to say about this, so I’ll just offer the quote, in entirety: And as a matter of fact, the bill goes on to say what’s going to go on — comprehensive primary health services, physicals, treatment of minor acute medical conditions, referrals to follow-up for specialty care — is that abortion? Does that mean that someone’s 13 year-old daughter could walk into a sex clinic, have a pregnancy test done, be taken away to the local Planned Parenthood abortion clinic, have their abortion, be back and go home on the school bus that night? Mom and dad are never the wiser.

Yes, you heard me right — A Michele Bachmann action figure: The $39.95 Bachmann action figure will share the catalog with Rod Blagojevich, (a $149.95 limited edition figure), Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (sporting a t-shirt that reads “Let them eat yellow cake”), Joe the Plumber (with his own custom-made crow bar), and a talking Joe Wilson, among others.

Idle speculation? Real substance?

[From the article:] DFL chair Brian Melendez says “[Bachmann] is not just America’s craziest congressperson, she’s also one of the least effective members of Congress. She does nothing for her district, she brings nothing home, she has no legislative accomplishments she can point to.” He adds, “I’m confident that her true colors have been displayed since the last election in a way that they have not been before.”

The wingnut fringe is the modern-day equivalent of the 19th-century Know-Nothing party, known for its immigrant xenophobia and conspiracy theories. Is history repeating itself? In a party throwdown, who would win: Palin or Bachmann?

On Keith Olbermann’s show, columnist Dan Savage talks about the violent rhetoric on the right, and makes a rather startling charge: The religious right is fomenting this kind of hatred in this country at our peril. I really do think that the Michele Bachmanns of the world and the Glenn Becks of the world are actively and consciously, or subconsciously, trying to get – I’m just going to say it, trying to get the president killed.

While what she actually meant wasd that they should become blood brothers in the fight against health care reform, her rethoric became so heated this past weekend that it turned positively violent: “Right now, we are looking at reaching down the throat and ripping the guts out of freedom,” she said. “And we may never be able to restore it if we don’t man up and take this one on.”

“This has to be defeated,” she said. “Cap and Trade has to be defeated. Those two alone have the strength to destroy this country forever, so we have to defeat them.”

MinnIndy reports on Bachmann’s latest proclaimation: “[I]t is not within our power as members of Congress, it’s not within the enumerated powers of the Constitution for us to design and create a national takeover of health care. Nor is it within our ability to be able to delegate that responsibility to the executive.”

She’s not saying she’ll run, but she’s not saying she won’t, either: “If I felt that’s what the Lord was calling me to do, I would do it,” she answered. “When I have sensed that the Lord is calling me to do something, I’ve said yes to it. But I will not seek a higher office if God is not calling me to do it. That’s really my standard.”

Boy, remember how much Michelle Bachmann hated Teach for America? I mean, she was just terrified of it! Here’s the quote: “I believe that there’s a very strong chance that we will see that young people will be put into mandatory service. And the real concern is that there are provisions for what I would call re-education camps for young people, where young people have to go and get trained in a philosophy that the government puts forward and then they have to go and work in some of these politically correct forums.”

Well, now her son has gone and joined Teach for America.