Boehner, Cantor Reply To Obscure Blogger: We're "Proud" To Serve With Bachmann
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In a little-noticed blog post, Republican leadership in the House said they were "proud" to serve with lightening-rod colleague Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), despite reports that her antics are causing great angst within the caucus.
On Tuesday, Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and his second in command, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), posted a letter on the GOP Leader Blog responding to accusations from an obscure Minnesota blogger that they had thrown Bachmann under the bus.
"We wanted to respond to your letter to us last week and to assure you that regardless of what inside-the-beltway media writes or what unnamed 'sources' it quotes, we are proud to serve with Congresswoman Michele Bachmann," read the Boehner/Cantor post.
The Boehner/Cantor blog post, which was inexplicably taken down from the site just minutes after it was posted, was passed along to the Huffington Post by the progressive group Media Matters Action Network. That Republican leadership felt compelled to address anonymous reports that they were distancing themselves from Bachmann -- even if just for a few minutes -- is a testament to the power that the GOP's most-colorful members continue to exercise over the tone and direction of the party.
Politico reported last week that Boehner, Cantor and others were concerned by the rhetoric and histrionics coming from the fringes of the GOP, and Bachmann in particular.
The story sparked immediate recriminations from supporters of the Minnesota Republican, who has, among other things, called for an investigation of un-Americanism in Congress and insisted that President Obama wanted to start "re-education" camps for America's youth.
One fan in particular -- Andy Aplikowski, a conservative Minnesota blogger -- suggested that GOP leaders were "spineless wimps" who had issued "stupid and moronic attacks on one of the best members of your caucus."
"A word of advice, issue an apology and retraction right now, or else. Or else you will see people like me bust their butt so hard that she raises millions, wins by a landslide, and takes your job and sends you to the back bench," Aplikowski wrote on his relatively obscure blog, ResidualForces.
The blog entry apparently resonated deep within the circles of GOP power. Addressing their reply personally to Aplikowski, both Boehner and Cantor dismissed the Politico piece and insisted that Bachmann remains a strong fixture within the party.
"She has been a consistent and strong voice for the American taxpayer in Washington from the day she took office," the letter read. "And, despite the taunts and insults that the media elites and liberals hurl at her, she never wavers in her commitment to fiscal responsibility."
"When the other side can't come up with arguments to defend their policies, they turn to personal attacks against their detractors," the note concludes. "Congresswoman Bachmann stands shoulder to shoulder with her constituents and that really seems to irk some on the left. We fully expect that despite the best attempts of the media and the liberals, Michelle [sic] will continue to be a strong voice for freedom, smaller government, and better solutions."
Asked for a response and clarification, Michael Steel, a spokesman for Boehner, said that "the letter was written in response to a Politico story that quoted an anonymous aide giving inaccurate information regarding the Leader's relationship with Rep. Bachmann." As for why the note was taken down from the leadership's website, Steel said, "it was briefly posted on our website due to a staff miscommunication. It was always intended to be posted on [Aplikowski's] website in Minnesota."
HERE IS A SCREEN GRAB OF THE LETTER:
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First Posted: 11/23/09 Updated: 5/25/11