GOP Rep: Republicans Complaining About Pelosi Are "Babies Sucking Their Thumbs"

Roll Call reports (subscription req'd)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) threw cold water on a key rationale House Republican leaders have been employing this afternoon to explain why they couldn't deliver more GOP votes for the Wall Street bailout package.

At a Monday afternoon press conference, GOP leaders argued that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) cost the measure a dozen Republican votes by delivering an overly partisan floor speech in support of it.

But Bachmann, speaking at a Republican Study Committee press conference, told reporters, "I want to assure you that was not the case. We are not babies who suck our thumbs. We have very principled reasons for voting no."

Bachmann was responding to comments Democratic leaders made dismissing the GOP leaders' claims. But she apparently confused the Democratic response with the initial charge by Republicans, and her comments mirrored those of the Democratic leaders.

UPDATE: More from GOP Rep. John Shadegg on Tuesday's Morning Joe:

Joe Scarborough: Let's bring in Republican Arizona Representative John Shaddegg. Did you vote against this bill because your feelings were hurt by Barney Frank or Nancy Pelosi?

John Shadegg: No, I didn't. It was a stupid speech by her. They didn't move any votes.

Joe Scarborough: Was Boehner wrong?

John Shadegg: Yes. It was embarrassing for leadership on both parties to lose the bill so they made a stupid claim.

Comments

[Aabby]

lol - Michele Bachmann received national attention in August 2008 for her criticism of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's proposed environmental policies. Bachmann said, "We all know that someone did that over 2,000 years ago, they saved the planet — we didn't need Nancy Pelosi to do that."

[MNmommy]

http://dumpbachmann.blogspot.com/

[FemiMommy]

Good luck with dumping her! El Tinklenberg was my pastor growing up, in a tiny church in a town of 100 people in MN. He was so amazing. Loved him.

[RedKnuckles]

It wasn't just Boehner. We all saw Eric Cantor, whose ass was handed to him on a platter by Chris Matthews recently, waving a copy of Pelosi's speech while he was spouting the same whiny screed against Pelosi. None of the republicans who voted the bill down have the balls to stand up and take credit.

[robXdion]

It was Newt Gingrich. Pelosi is just being used as a scapegoat.

[MyNameIsJames]

Yeah it seems like Newt's hands are all over this. Dems need to remind the country that it was Gingrich who shut down the govt in the 1990's, and is the chief architect of Republican led irresponsible and reckless governance. That little rat should not be allowed to get away unscathed.

[lis60]

I have a hard time listening to or believing anything she says. She is often on CNN and she has this Stepford woman look-a permanent fake smile-until she talks. Then when she opens her mouth, out comes straight party line BS. I disagree with her so much on almost every issue so I am probably not very objective. She doesn't give me a better feeling about the Republican party at all when she comes on Larry King. I usually turn the TV off if she or a number of other Republicans are on. Nancy Pfotenhauer is another one that makes my blood pressure rise.

[jwatso7]

Thank you! That smile of hers NEVER goes away! She could be saying the nukes are inbound and we'd be blinded by her teeth. Stepford, indeed.

[dsgeorge]

She is Sarah Palin with 23 foster kids

[OneAngryDwarf]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels that way. Those two just aggravate me something fierce. Just smile and lie boys, smile and lie.

[Sparty1]

Kind of like the joker grin (smirk) on Nancy Pfotenfoofer? Yes, I definitely agree with you on that one!

[slc1950]

Yes, totally agree. What is it with these robotic smiling faces? They are actually horrific looking and aside from making my blood pressure rise as well, they make me sick.

Too many times I have seen both of them spouting statements that have already been proven to be false, misleading or out right lies and NO ONE corrects them. If I hear that "Obama passed legislation to tax people making $42,000 again . . ." line again from them I Just. Might. Have. To. Scream.

[luckyrico1]

Her smile is so constant it makes you think that maybe she's on acid all the time. He statements are so deranged that you can't help but to wonder if she is high or just insane.

[Khill]

do you think someone in the McCain campaign is kicking themselves for not having her on the ticket? This is the most rational thing I heard anyone from the GOP say in days....

[Aabby]

She also said---- " Michele Bachmann received national attention in August 2008 for her criticism of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's proposed environmental policies. Bachmann said, "We all know that someone did that over 2,000 years ago, they saved the planet — we didn't need Nancy Pelosi to do that."

[progressivelady]

She is such a droid

[goutgrec]

Am I the only person who remembers the last "wing nut" tantrum when Gingrich shut the government down because Clinton didn't let him sit in the front of the plane? More of the same.

[outsider64]

Let me get this straight, the only house republican who shows some b*lls is a lady? And this is NOT the lady on the ticket?

[Beka13]

THE GOP'S NEW SLOGAN: FEELINGS FIRST COUNTRY LAST.

[kellygrrrl]

Michele cut her hair. Looks good -- almost looks like a Democratic Woman!!!

[MNmommy]

It's an old photo.

I'm sad to say that I know this.

:P

[wingnutslayer]

The politicians posed while we got hosed. One partisan speech could not have possibly derailed this bill. That's all they do in Perpetual Campaign America, make partisan speeches, get over it. But let's not forget one of the great sources of misinformation and unaccountablility in all of this: our news media. They have pounded the populist drumbeat on this so people really have no idea who's trying to achieve what and all we can do is scream "Stop raping us, whoever you are!" First it's Pope Henry then it's Saint Henry. This morning, Chris Cuomo on Good Morning America was so shrill and panicky and vitriolic interviewing 2 Congresswomen that they had to tell HIM to calm down. I suppose Chris must have lost a bundle yesterday.

[peter777]

Bachmann for Vice President. We need honesty in government.

[kellygrrrl]

think of the qualified Republican women McCain COULD HAVE selected.

[Kerris]

I was thinking the same thing. Every GOP female out there who seems even half competent will have voters asking, "If she was available... why the f*&% did they pick Palin?"

[GravitonX]

"Babies who suck our thumbs" sounds ominously close to something Sarah Palin would say. I'm beginning to believe there aren't any intelligent or sophisticated women in the Republican Party, only cowgirls or Stepford wives, or some bizarre combination thereof.

[bayside]

You make me proud Mrs. Bachmen. You voted No because of a corrupt bill that did not address the problem ,in fact would make our economy in the tank, and when fellow republicans and blue dog dems made fun of you calling you a baby ,you stood up to those crooks. You did good..I am proud of you..It isnt over yet, they will try to bully insult, bribe, blackmail to get this gravy train of our money..The messege as of now, to us, is crooks in banks, wall street ,expect us who have fewer jobs, very little money bail our billioniares ,to save they butts so they can do this to us again..JUST keep on saying NO ..They made this mess let them go bankrupt, all come down and build it back up so americans are not being fleeced by our govt.. Thank you Marcy Kapter ,saw you on TV. Your thinking is in the right place for all americans. Keep it up..

[snarkopolitan]

You haven't read the article through! Bachmann didn't know that her fellow Republicans had already trotted out the excuse that Pelosi's speech was too tough. If she'd known, she'd have echoed them, but instead SHE said in effect, "Nobody but a baby would do that, we're not babies."

The B-word wasn't used by Democrats.

[Zingaro Zorro]

Like most Republican Party altruists, Bavchmann knows the relationship between personal attack politics and thumb-sucking.

Likemost Republican Party hack-attackers, Bachmann believes in the end of the Repbublic form of government with democratic elections, prefering the theocracy of nepostism, the House of Bush.

[raven2017]

Well, I'm glad she said that, and she's not wrong, but I'm not going to champion a right-wing whackjob like Bachmann just because she got this one right. Sorry, but she is just as bad as the other idiots; she's just less stupid on this one issue.

[GoCards1978]

Everyone gets occasionally lucky. For Bachmann and Co., publicly stating the truth is their Haley's Comet moment.