Bachmann: Obama Was 'AWOL' On Super Committee

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Michele Bachmann said Tuesday that America runs the risk of going the route of Greece, saying it's time to "pick up a mirror and look into it."

The Minnesota Republican who's seeking her party's presidential nomination told "Fox & Friends" it's tragic that the congressional supercommittee failed to reach agreement on a $1.2-trillion deficit-reduction deal.

And she blamed President Barack Obama, saying he was "AWOL" when crunch time came. Bachmann said that Obama still "blames the people who are in the middle of the problem." She asks, "We didn't see this coming?"

Bachmann adds in the interview: "We look at Greece and it's obvious what needs to be done. ... We can't afford a welfare state, so don't do it anymore."

"With no disrespect intended, it's been like Where's Waldo?" she said Monday in an interview with Newsmax. "Where's the president been?"

"What I would have done is, `Here's our maximum number. Here's what we're going to spend. Each of the committees reach this level and no more.' And I would have drawn a big red line in the sand and said, `Here's where we're spending no more money,' " she said in a CNN interview.

Bachmann said she feels she has an excellent chance to win the season-opening Iowa caucuses, noting that many Republicans haven't decided yet on a favorite.

"People usually don't make their minds up until they have to," she said. "They're trying to find out who is the most consistent conservative in this race."

Comments

[Weeweed Up]

03:12 PM on 11/23/2011

Isn't it funny how these Republicans always want President Obama to be in the middle of THEIR work and then they accuse him of doing too much? He has his own job to do, Michele, and he shouldn't have to babysit grown people that get paid very well for what they're supposed to do.

[Tanya OaksBrooks]

04:20 PM on 11/22/2011

How exactly is a president "AWOL" on a legislative committee? Did she fail civics class?

[Mister E]

07:50 PM on 11/22/2011

yes she did

[demisfine]

03:23 PM on 11/22/2011

Republicans are never happy.
No matter what President Obama does, it is either too much or not enough.
He could rescue orphans from a burning nuclear plant, and they'd claim he messed with god's will.
Did Bachmann offer up a solution?
Nothing.

[ultrawiz]

03:20 PM on 11/22/2011

Well Michelle, if nothing else your gaffes and ignorance have been very consistant. You've got everyone convinced you're a whack job, consistantly.

[GGK1]

03:01 PM on 11/22/2011

At what point do you all actually blame Obama for anything? He's had 3 years, with Dems having control of both houses even the 2 yrs before that. So when DO you blame Obama and the Dems? Just wondering.....

[traceymarie]

04:14 PM on 11/22/2011

Since he is the President not a member of congress I fail to see how their failure is his fault. He said what he would approve and what he would veto, the choice was the super committee of congress.

[Tanya OaksBrooks]

04:18 PM on 11/22/2011

Oh brother...that "control of both houses" stuff is getting old. Dems haven't had enough of a majority in the Senate to stop filibusters, and the Blue Dogs in the House vote with the GOP.

What exactly do you want us to blame Obama for? For getting us out of the recession that Bush put us in? For the Republicans being dead-set against any legislation that would create jobs?

[TexianLife]

02:34 PM on 11/22/2011

Bachmann is the biggest failure in Congress plus she will fail to get the GOP nomination. She is good at scamming other GOP out of their money.

[demisfine]

03:23 PM on 11/22/2011

But, lightbulb freedom of choice....

[Tanya OaksBrooks]

04:19 PM on 11/22/2011

I've always had to laugh at her ranting about light bulbs not being bright enough. You'd think she'd be able to empathize with dim bulbs.

[RichardinJax]

02:25 PM on 11/22/2011

AWOL is an acronym for Absent Without Official Leave. Now, Obama has no seat on that commission or "super congress" nor does he have any authority to direct or control it. He has NO ROLE in it. Bachmann and the media know this full well. Bachmann is AWOL from the integrity and character expected of a presidential candidate. That is well perceived and why she is running at less than 4 %. When she goes below 2 %, quite soon, she will tell even larger lies..

[obamathegreat235]

02:23 PM on 11/22/2011

I think Bachmann's approval rating has gone from 4% to 1.5%. Keep it up Bachmann, great job.

[champa10]

02:21 PM on 11/22/2011

There was not a damn thing Obama could have done to bring the super committee together to agree on anything. It has not worked on anything this year. The Repub. will absolutely not make anything easy for the POTUS to be successful in what he wants done. Nothing!

[libmenace2012]

02:20 PM on 11/22/2011

Placing the blame exactly where it belongs. Not much of a story here.

[pmoschetta]

02:32 PM on 11/22/2011

Are you yet another republican that is in need of a 3rd grade refresher course in Civics, libmenace2012?

http://government.mrdonn.org/3branches.html

[pmoschetta]

02:38 PM on 11/22/2011

http://government.mrdonn.org/3branches.html

Time for a 3rd grade refresher course in how our government functions, libmenace 2012

[Artr]

02:12 PM on 11/22/2011

Bachmann's whole schtick is blaming Obama for everything. She can hardly speak two sentences without using the word "Obama" or "Obamacare". If there's anything negative that happens in the world wrt the US it must be Obama's fault. She'll blame Obama for stuff that the US has little to do with. Her behavior is like that of a child

[RichardinJax]

02:37 PM on 11/22/2011

Yup and everyone knows it. That is why she is pulling away with a whopping 3 %. That would be 3 % of GOP'ers..if you throw in the whole show..she is "below measurement threshold". In other words she is NOBODY..and EVRYBODY knows it.

[GGK1]

02:55 PM on 11/22/2011

Kind of like talking to a lib who blames Bush even NOW?

[ultrawiz]

03:24 PM on 11/22/2011

Gee, you mean it wasn't Bush and his ilk that ran up 70% of our current deficit? And started 2 uncalled for and unpaid for wars? Who were those people running things between 2001-2008 then?

[Tanya OaksBrooks]

04:28 PM on 11/22/2011

It's taking time to get us out of the mess that Bush made. Have you forgotten that he started two wars, which he prosecuted OFF the books? Have you forgotten that he created the worst recession since the Great Depression? Have you forgotten that Obama created more jobs in ONE year than Bush did in EIGHT?

It's amazing...those on the far right are terribly impatient when it comes to Obama cleaning up Bush's mess, but they were never in a hurry for Bush to do anything. He had over seven years to get bin Laden, but didn't do it. Where was your impatience then?

[lisaman]

02:06 PM on 11/22/2011

I told my husband last night when I heard a commentator say much the same thing that if Obama had been more involved, they would have said he was to blame for that. He can do no right for someone like Bachmann. She hates him. He did what he should have done, let the 12 grown-ups alone to do their jobs, just because the 6 on her side of the aisle worked for Norquist and not those with actual votes, don't blame Obama.

[Mattcat25]

02:05 PM on 11/22/2011

AWOL? and where was/is Bachmann during all this?

[GGK1]

02:57 PM on 11/22/2011

Is Bachman president?

[Tanya OaksBrooks]

04:22 PM on 11/22/2011

No, she's not president, thank heavens, and never will be. But Obama is not a legislator, he's the president, and can't serve on a legislative committee.

[traceymarie]

04:27 PM on 11/22/2011

Is Obama a member of congress?

[JudgeCCrater]

01:49 PM on 11/22/2011

These Richublican apologists are so transparent. As if a bunch of Senate Richublicans - masters of the word 'NO' and not much else - would somehow be persuaded by a personal entreaty on the part of the POTUS.

Why focus on Greece only, Shelly? There are any number of northern European countries that are much better off than we are economically.

[computerguyllc]

01:38 PM on 11/22/2011

MISSED VOTES

Michele Bachmann missed 431 (10%) of 4,389 roll call votes since Jan 4, 2007. The graph below shows the percent of roll call votes Michele Bachmann was absent for during the Member’s time in Congress.

[Fred Flintstone]

02:55 PM on 11/22/2011

Uhm... how many votes has she missed THIS YEAR ????

[computerguyllc]

06:58 PM on 11/22/2011

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/184937-bachmann-missed-every-house-vote-in-september

[GGK1]

02:58 PM on 11/22/2011

Were you ok when Obama did that, or voted present?

[computerguyllc]

04:11 PM on 11/22/2011

Proof please?