Michele Bachmann

A Pitiful Republican Presidential Debate Sponsored By Fox News Channel In Ames, Iowa!

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If a neutral observer was watching the Republican Presidential debate in Ames, Iowa, last night, sponsored by Fox News Channel, he or she would likely come away with the thought: Are these eight people competing for the Presidential nomination of the party of Lincoln, TR, Eisenhower and Reagan the best they can find to run for the highest office in the land? Are these candidates NOT a tremendous embarrassment to themselves, as well as the nation? Even if one is dissatisfied with President Barack Obama, why is it that the opposition party cannot find a candidate who matches the level of past candidates, including losers like Charles Evans Hughes, Wendell Willkie, Thomas Dewey, Bob Dole and John McCain?

When one looks at the eight people in the debate, the conclusions are the following observations:

1. None of the candidates was willing to commit to ANY tax increase at all, even with the theoretical deal suggested of ten dollars of budget cuts for each additional dollar of tax increases on the wealthy and corporations, an unbelievable commentary on the lack of financial responsibility of the Republican candidates who wish to be President of the United States!

2. The number of factual errors and miscues by all of the candidates is mind boggling, and demonstrates just how ignorant of economics, foreign policy, and civil liberties these candidates are!

3. Michele Bachmann came across as totally loony and whacky in her presentation, far weaker than her performance in the last debate which brought her to prominence in June.

4. Herman Cain proved that he should go back to running a pizza corporation, as he has no understanding of any issues, displaying total stupidity in just about everything he enunciated.

5. Rick Santorum surprised when he seemed to defend the rights of gays in Iran, but not in America, but also showed stupidity when he referred to the people of Afghanistan as “Afghanistanis”, rather than Afghans.

6. Ron Paul did his usual ranting and raving like a crazy man, with a total isolationist view that has zero chance to be adopted by the party which has promoted overseas engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq.

7. Newt Gingrich actually improved somewhat, but is already fatally flawed because of past blunders, statements, actions, and resignation of his staff members.

8. Tim Pawlenty also did a bit better, but still comes across as too weak, and often seeming more like a governor who had trouble defending his record against attacks by fellow Minnesotan Michele Bachmann.

9. Jon Huntsman disappointed tremendously, having an opportunity to stand out in the race as the one reasonable moderate centrist, and instead showed timidity, and even distorted what the Obama Administration has done in dealings with China, while he was Ambassador to China, contradicting positive statements about the President that he had made while working for him.

10. Mitt Romney, the theoretical front runner, at least until Rick Perry enters the race officially this weekend of the Iowa Ames Straw Poll, still can be considered the front runner, but he does not enthuse party members or the general public, and when one hears that he is worth $264 million, one has to say how in the world can he understand average Americans, and have the nerve to say that corporations are people, and joke that he is also unemployed!

What a sad commentary on the opposition to Barack Obama, and no matter how displeased many Americans may be with the President, it is very hard to conceptualize that they will vote him out in favor of any of these candidates, all of whom could rightly be condemned as LOSERS in every sense of the word!

The Death Of Former Senator Mark Hatfield Of Oregon: A Great Public Servant And Mainstream Republican!

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The death over last weekend of former Senator Mark Hatfield of Oregon reminds us of just how far the Republican Party has shifted from the 1960s through the 1990s mainstream historical tradition.

Mark Hatfield was a Senator’s Senator, one of the giants of the Republican Party, much admired and respected by Democrats, as well as mainstream Republicans.

The fact that South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond in the early years of Hatfield’s Senate tenure, and newly elected Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum in 1995 moved to harm Hatfield’s seniority over different issues such as civil rights and the so called “balanced budget” amendment, only adds to his historical stature. And today, we have people of the ilk of Thurmond (Rick Perry, for instance), and Santorum himself attempting to be the nominee of his party for President on a platform promoting hate and lunatic ideas, demonstrating the moral crisis in the GOP these days.

Hatfield believed in government, supported social programs with vigor, and opposed defense spending and intervention in foreign lands, having the distinction of NEVER supporting a Pentagon spending bill in his thirty years in the US Senate.

Hafield was a religious man, a Baptist, but believed in separation of church and state. He was the true image of a really religious man, who believed that we are here to help our fellow human beings, not be mean spirited and uncaring about those less fortunate. He was the true follower of the beliefs of Jesus Christ, not phonies such as Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum, and Herman Cain, among others in the GOP Presidential race.

Mark Hatfield was a principled progressive in the Republican tradition, and was willing to cross the aisle to work with Democrats for the good of the nation.

How can we mark his death at age 89, without a sense of mourning that the party he was a proud member of, has become a disgrace, an embarrassment, a dinosaur, as the party has allowed itself to be taken over by greedy, selfish interests, and Tea Party radicals that are anarchists, with willingness to destroy the American economy in their hatred of those less fortunate, and particularly their despising of the first African American President, who if he were white, would not have as much poison and venom directed at him, as Barack Obama has to bear daily from despicable talk show hosts and bigoted, right wing corporate spokesmen, and most Congressional Republicans.

Mark Hatfield will be remembered as in the best tradition of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Robert La Follette, Sr., George Norris, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and numerous other moderate progressives, including Jacob Javits, Nelson Rockefeller, Charles Percy, Charles Mathias, Lowell Weicker, Edward Brooke, Clifford Case, William Scranton, Bob Packwood, George Romney, Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. and others not mentioned here.

So may Mark Hatfield rest in peace, and we should continue to honor him, and teach about his principles and contributions to our political history!

Spending, Debts, Federal Funds: The Utter Rank Hypocrisy Of Tea Party Republicans Out To Enrich Themselves At The Expense Of The American People!

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The Tea Party Republicans are masters in their rhetoric and their attempts to make the federal government the villain, and to demand spending cuts and condemn the growing of the national debt, in the process undermining faith in our government and putting vulnerable Americans at risk by destroying the social safety net and acting like economic terrorists by refusal to uphold the good faith and credit of the United States government, an action that could cause a second Great Depression and worldwide economic chaos as well!

But when one lifts the veneer of these Tea Party radicals, one discovers that there is utter rank hypocrisy, a few examples which will be discussed below.

First, we have Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, one of the leading candidates at this time for the Republican nomination for President, who refuses to support a raising of the debt ceiling and condemns federal programs and spending. And yet, her husband gains federal Medicare funds for his faith based counseling agency that supposedly helps gays to become straight! Also, federal agricultural subsidies are paid for their family farm, and also, the Bachmanns recently received a federally backed mortgage backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which the Congresswoman has condemned for bad borrowing practices and wishes to be disbanded. What utter rank hypocrisy, and apparently, Michele Bachmann is arrogant enough to think that the American people are fools and saps enough that either they will not find out, or that they will not grasp the unethical behavior of this woman who claims to have the credentials to be our President! It is clearly obvious that she is out simply to enrich herself at the expense of the American people, and has found a new way to manipulate and abuse the American taxpayer while claiming to be holier than thou!

Then we have freshman Tea party freshman Joe Walsh of Illinois, who has been gaining a lot of attention and notoriety for his outspokenness and arrogance as he promotes interviews with every news organization imaginable.

Joe Walsh loves to pontificate on the national debt, and refuses to support a raising of the debt, and yet this is a man who has NOT paid child support for his children to his former wife for many years! He is a “deadbeat Dad”, who has had his home put in foreclosure for failure to pay the mortgage, and considers himself a spokesman for others who have lost their homes. This is how he was able to get himself elected in his district by the small margin of 291 votes! But he himself has also spending and debt problems, having amassed a major credit card debt, so he is another example of being holier than thou, and a major hypocrite in so many ways! Of course, like Bachmann, Walsh can now exploit the taxpayer for his own ends, collecting a salary and benefits not available to 99 plus percent of the population, while pontificating on the evil federal government programs!

Other hypocrites include Senator Mike Lee of Utah, Congressman Tim Griffin of Arkansas, and Congressman Kevin Yoder of Kansas, all of whom have high balances on credit cards, while telling us we cannot have a raising of the national debt ceiling! Of course, they are all being enriched by a salary and benefits very few of us have, so they are talking the talk but not walking the walk and being responsible in their own personal financial behavior!

What utter rank hypocrisy by these Tea Party people, who are just ready to destroy the nation while lining their own pockets and demonstrating reckless behavior!

Republican Party Seemingly On Suicide Mission, Based On Latest Poll On Presidential Frontrunners!

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The latest Washington Post-ABC News poll shows strong evidence that the Republican Party is on a suicide mission regarding the 2012 Presidential Election.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has a wide lead over all others, and is praised for his experience, leadership, and good chance to compete with and defeat President Obama.

And yet, the Tea Party Movement within the party is very unhappy with Romney, and were he to be the nominee, they would be a major headache and impediment in his Presidential campaign!

Amazingly, a “non candidate”, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, runs second, and Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann runs third in the poll. If Palin is not counted in the poll, Bachmann moves up to second, and Texas Congressman Ron Paul ends up third, with no one else in double digits!

However, Texas Governor Rick Perry, a possible candidate who is flirting with the idea of running, and claims God is behind him, has the next most support with 8 percent.

At this point, Tim Pawlenty, former Governor of Minnesota, and Jon Huntsman, former Governor of Utah, have been total flops, with Pawlenty having only 2 percent support, and Huntsman only 3 percent. It was felt just a couple of months ago that only these two men had a real shot at the nomination, other than Romney, but it has not turned out that way at all!

Instead, it is Tea Party radicals such as Palin, Bachmann and Perry that are competing with Romney, and that is becoming a point of fear and some hysteria among establishment Republicans, who can sense that their party is being destroyed by what is best described as the “cancer” of the Tea Party Movement in their midst!

Michele Bachmann: Mentally Unfit And Mentally Unstable To Be President!

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Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann may be surging in the polls, as compared to all other GOP Presidential candidates, but she has proved herself mentally unfit, as well as mentally unstable, to be President of the United States!

With her reckless use of myths and falsehoods and invocation of God telling her what to do in her life and career, she has demonstrated that she is loony and nutty enough to be a danger in the Oval Office, with the power and authority to unleash nuclear weapons!

With her insensitivity and narrow mindedness toward those she portrays as having the wrong views about social issues such as abortion, gay marriage, racial relations, and immigration reform, she has disqualified herself from being able to unite the country around a common unity!

A President Bachmann would cause even further division and turmoil than we have right now, and would lead us to a right wing fascist mentality toward those who don’t agree with the narrow view of evangelical Christianity that separates “them” from “us”!

Also, the pushing of ABC News correspondent Brian Ross by aides of Bachmann, when Ross tried to purse an answer to a question, is totally unacceptable behavior, and reminds one of Huey Long “goons” during the early to mid 1930s in Louisiana! The nation will not tolerate a President who permits such mishandling of media as Bachmann seems to have no problem accepting!

Finally, the issue that Brian Ross was trying to bring up is crucial as well: the confirmed report that Bachmann has suffered for 15 years from migraine headaches that are extremely intense and required medical treatment many times, with indications, denied by Bachmann, but confirmed, that these migraines incapacitated her for periods of time and required lots and all kinds of pills! To top it off, Bachmann claims the migraines are caused by high heels, even though there is no correlation ever noted by any medical doctor between high heels and migraines!

Sounds as if Bachmann is at it again, with loony and nutty explanations, that just add to the image that she is, more than ever, mentally unfit and mentally unstable to be Commander in Chief!

Iowa: Rapidly Becoming Insignificant In The Presidential Nominating Contest!

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The state of Iowa has the first vote in the Presidential contest of 2012, as it is the host of the first caucuses on February 6, 2012. Tons of publicity and media coverage are being given to that state, but it is hard to believe that what happens in Iowa will have any real impact long term on the Election of 2012.

Since the caucuses began in 1972, only two Presidential winners running in a non-incumbent year have won Iowa–George W. Bush in 2000 and Barack Obama in 2008. Ronald Reagan ended up second in 1980 and George H. W. Bush was third in 1988. Jimmy Carter ended up second in 1976 and Bil Clinton fourth in 1992.

The problem with all caucuses, which about one third of the states use instead of primaries, is that only activists are involved, rather than the masses of the population, and they tend to be more extreme–with the Republicans being more to the RIght of center, and the Democrats to the Left of center.

So when it seems that Michele Bachmann is in the lead in Iowa, but that Rick Perry, if he enters, would compete for the evangelical Christian vote, and that Tim Pawlenty will be left “in the dust”, and Herman Cain has some support because of his statements about Muslims and Mormons, and that Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman are not seen as serious candidates–all this should tell us that once Iowa has done its part in the nominating process, we are very likely to look back and say Iowa AGAIN had little impact on the ultimate nominee of the Republican Party in the Presidential Election of 2012!

The Knives Are Out For John Boehner And Mitch McConnell: Extreme Right Wing Coup Likely In Republican Party In Congress!

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Republican leaders John Boehner, Speaker of the House, and Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader, are in deep trouble within their own party, having angered Tea Party radicals and right wingers in their own chambers, and it is clear that the knives are out to take away their leadership, if not immediately, which would be difficult to achieve, but certainly in 2013 when the new Congress convenes!

Eric Cantor, House Majority Whip, is very obviously angling to seize the leadership from Boehner, and is likely to be backed by the “Young Guns”, such as Kevin McCarthy of California, the Majority Whip, and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin! Also, don’t be surprised if there will be a challenge to Boehner in his Ohio district in the Cincinnati area by a Tea Party radical in the primaries next year!

McConnell has a safe seat to his next election in 2014, but is likely to face opposition then in the primaries by Tea Party radicals, and Jim DeMint of South Carolina, and his own fellow Kentuckian, Rand Paul, who he has very little in common with, are certainly no friends of his, much like Marco Rubio of Florida and Mike Lee of Utah, who also flirt with Tea Party types and are young and very ambitious! One of these individuals will try to take away the Senate leadership from him in 2013!

It is a sad scene that the GOP leaders cannot control their own membership, but it demonstrates how extremist the Republican Party has become, and the danger it represents to the American future, even more so with the possible Presidential candidacy of Michele Bachmann, herself one of the original Tea Party favorites and organizers!

This nation needs help to avoid the disaster that the Tea Party represents, not only to the GOP, but to the country at large!

Quinnipiac Polls Shows Dangers To Mitt Romney In Republican Presidential Race

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Mitt Romney seems to many to be the only hope for “moderate” Establishment Republicans, as at least for now, Jon Huntsman and Tim Pawlenty are both floundering in the polls.

But Romney actually faces great dangers, as Michele Bachmann is surging, as shown in the most recent Quinnipiac poll, having 14 percent to Romney’s 25 percent. Also, two non-candidates, Sarah Palin and Rick Perry follow, with Palin having 12 percent and Perry 10 percent, both considered far Right as Bachmann is!

Also, Barack Obama polls ahead of all GOP opponents for the Presidency, with a lead of 6 points over Romney, 12 points over Bachmann, 19 points over Palin, and 13 percent over Perry!

Obama’s greatest support is among women, leading Romney by 11 points, and Bachmann by 17 points! Among men, Romney only leads Obama by ONE point, and Obama leads Bachmann among men by EIGHT percent! And among independents, Romney leads Obama by two points, but Obama is ahead against all others, by 10 over Perry, three over Bachmann, and by 17 over Palin.

It is clear that the only real hope, as things stand, for the Republican Party, is to nominate Mitt Romney and hope for the best, but even Romney seems weak, and has a major challenge overcoming the Tea Party radicals led by Michele Bachmann, and possibly also Sarah Palin and Rick Perry!

So these are indeed difficult times for the Republican Party, not that they don’t deserve it!

The Coming Implosion Of The Republican Party: Congress And The Presidential Race!

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Just as Barack Obama shows evidence of great fund raising, an all time high, and the Republicans show weakness in fund raising, the Republican Party is facing an implosion on both the Congressional and Presidential campaign level!

The Debt Ceiling Crisis has shown chinks in the armor of the Congressional Republicans, as the leadership of John Boehner and Mitch McConnell has split the Republicans on Capitol Hill, into the predictable split between Establishment Republicans and the Tea Party Movement freshmen in the House and a few in the US Senate!

Boehner has been pressured by his deputy, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who is obviously trying to overrule Boehner and push him out, as everyone in the know is aware of Cantor’s personal ambitions to be Speaker of the House!

McConnell, convinced that no deal on the debt ceiling extension can be reached, has come up with a plan he thinks will help the Republicans win control of Congress and the White House in 2012, declaring he cannot work with Obama. His plan is to allow three votes of disapproval on extensions of the debt limit–one now, one in the Fall and one in the Summer of 2012, assuring an extension of the debt but with only Democrats voting for it, giving Republicans a campaign issue to be used in the upcoming election, and avoiding the financial uncertainties of NOT raising the debt ceiling.

Tea Party freshmen are furious at McConnell, and Boehner who has backed him, so a rebellion within the party is in evidence, with Eric Cantor leading it in the House and Jim DeMint and Rand Paul in the Senate!

The thought that the Republicans will somehow be able to use this debt issue as a way to win control of the executive and legislative branches in 2012 is a real long shot, as it is not as if the Republicans did not raise the debt ceiling SEVEN times under George W. Bush! It is much more likely to reverberate against them, and with a split party in Congress, actually cause them to lose seats in both chambers and likely lose control of the House of Representatives, where a switch of 25 seats gives Democrats control, not all that hard to attain!

And with Michele Bachmann surging as the real threat to Establishment Republicans and Mitt Romney, we could see Bachmann become the nominee, and end up as the Barry Goldwater of 2012, as to imagine her winning the White House and helping her party to win control of both houses of Congress requires hallucination on a major scale!

To top it off, IF Sarah Palin or Rick Perry, or both, end up running for the Presidency, still hard to imagine or conceive, it will only complicate the situation even further, and undermine GOP hopes for control, so it is now more likely that they will go back to minority status, through their own ineptness and incompetence, and failure to recognize the needs of the American people in the midst of the aftermath of the Great Recession!

Obama And Democratic Fund Raising Far Outpaces Republicans In Presidential Race!

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President Obama’s 2012 campaign raised $86 million in the second quarter of 2011, far outpacing the Republicans who raised only about $35 million, less than the $38 million of the Democratic National Committee portion of Obama’s $86 million!

Mitt Romney gained about half of the $35 million, a total of $18 million, with everyone else in the GOP far behind, although Michele Bachmann has not yet released her totals for the second quarter.

The pace of fund raising far outdoes what George W. Bush did in 2004 and Obama himself in 2008, and it proves that it is likely that Obama will raise $1 billion for his campaign by the time it is over!

With such a large Democratic advantage in fund raising, it will be harder for Republicans to run a substantive campaign against Obama, so with all of the problems that Obama has to face, and the challenges he has daily, this is wonderful news!