Last week I took on Michelle Bachmann -- Now the Red-Baiting Rep. Might Lose Her Job

Last Friday, one of the guests preceding my segment on MSNBC's Hardball was a then-little known Congresswoman from Minnesota named Michele Bachmann.

She's not little known now.

Bachmann said of Barack Obama, "I'm very concerned that he may have anti-American views." She then called on the media to "take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America?"

I've heard a lot of toxic words in my time as Editor of The Nation. The magazine and its editors have been called un-American, unpatriotic, America- haters, and worse. But Bachmann's name-calling, and brazen channeling of Joe McCarthy made me angry. Really angry. When Matthews turned to me for my response I told him exactly what I was feeling, "Chris, I fear for my country.... This is a politics, at a moment of extreme economic pain in this country, that is incendiary, that is so debased that I'm kind of almost having a hard time breathing, because I think it's very scary, because this is a country I love."

I said what I believed, nothing more. Bachmann's over-the-top baiting angered many Americans who've had it with the fearmongering and division that has characterized our politics for too long. That emotion poured forth in e-mails which I was extremely moved to receive from so many people - across the country - who wanted to tell me that they shared my views and were grateful that I had expressed the fear and outrage they feel about this kind of poisonous politics. Here are some excerpts from those notes:

Paul in California wrote: "...You make me proud to be an American. Keep it up, we are with you." And from Autumn in Kansas: "Thank you Katrina, for sticking up for all of us out there that might be perceived as 'anti-American' by the likes of Rep. Bachmann." Jan in Arizona: "That took guts. We know how upset you were and want to support you.... So just a note of thanks." And from Brad in Chicago: "Thank you for sounding the alarm bell, and for speaking for us all."

Since then, the backlash to Bachmann's (and McCain-Palin's) politics of fear and loathing and demonization, division and distraction is reason for hope, and it also looks as though it might lead to this right-wing ideologue's well-deserved defeat in November.

Bachmann's challenger, Democrat Elwyn Tinklenberg, has raised $1.3 million from approximately 20,000 people since Bachmann gave voice to her politics of (self) destruction. According to the Washington Post, he has quadrupled his television advertising, the Cook Political Report now calls the race a "tossup," and Bachmann's Republican primary foe has decided to conduct a write-in campaign. (Support Tinklenberg however you can and make sure Bachmann is forced out of the People's House.)

The netroots wasted no time in exposing Bachmann's ugly extremism. Within a day, a video posted on YouTube of Bachmann's comments (and my response) had over 87,000 hits. Over 55,000 people have signed a petition calling on Congress to censure Bachmann. Americans United for Change launched IamProAmerica.com in response to both Bachmann's vitriol and Sarah Palin's stumping about "pro-America areas" of our nation.

People on both sides of the aisle have spoken out against Bachmann. On Sunday, following an appearance on Meet the Press, Colin Powell told reporters, "This business, for example, we've got a congressman from Minnesota who's going around saying, 'Let's examine all congressmen to see who is pro-America and whose not pro-America.' We have got to stop this kind of nonsense, pull ourselves together, and remember that our great strength is in our unity and our diversity."

The six Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) members of Minnesota's congressional delegation - Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Representatives Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum, James Oberstar, Collin Peterson, and Tim Walz - issued a joint statement: "... All Members of Congress - Democrats and Republicans - swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and for Michele Bachmann to question their loyalty is outrageous. We pride ourselves in Minnesota on our clean and civil elections, but Michele Bachmann's comments run entirely counter to that tradition. All Americans, regardless of their political beliefs, should reject these kinds of divisive, inappropriate and unacceptable comments."

But the chair of the DFL, Brian Melendez, also spoke of the "deafening silence" of Minnesota Republicans who failed to speak out against Bachmann's comments. He said, "...In the wake of Bachmann's call for witch hunts, I... denounce the silence of the Republicans who are part of, or who are running to join, Minnesota's congressional delegation. Senator Norm Coleman and Representative John Kline, along with candidates Erik Paulsen and Brian Davis, have all been shockingly silent."

As for Bachmann, she has been flailing for her political life ever since that Hardball appearance. On Monday she denied everything: "I did not question Barack Obama's patriotism, I did not say he was anti-American." On Tuesday at a Rotary Club luncheon she insisted, "Nor did I call for an investigation of members of Congress for their pro-American or anti-American views." (Check out the Hardball transcript and judge for yourself.) Later that day, speaking with the St. Cloud Times editorial board she admitted, "I should not have used that phrase [un-American]." But she also blamed her words on "a trap" that she alleged was set by Matthews. Finally, yesterday, she seemed to be taking no responsibility whatsoever for the views she expressed, writing in a fundraising pitch in a conservative online newsletter: "Chris Matthews did what Chris Matthews is paid big bucks to do: Twist my words and set them up for full-fledged distortion when his next guest came on. And, when the liberal blogs got hold of little clips of my appearance, the spin machine really kicked into overdrive.... They're motivated entirely by their hatred of me and my conservative beliefs.... Click here to let Chris know you play hardball, too!"

Yesterday, however, might have brought the final nail in Bachmann's political coffin -sources said that the National Republican Campaign Committee is pulling its funding out of her race. Today she finds herself on the front-page of the Los Angeles Times with a story on her "million dollar mistake."

Maybe - just maybe - we've reached a tipping point... a time when people seek real attention to the real and large issues impacting their lives, and say enough with the smears via robocalls, the venom stoking the basest political passions in our society. Bachmann was exposed, but there is still anger and division out there, and we need to take care not to fuel that fire if we're going to preserve our best democratic traditions.

Comments

[hkc]

Chris Mathews did an amazing job of just letting Bachmann dig her own grave. He gave her every opportunity to moderate her position and she just kept on digging. I was surprised that he didn't challenge her at all.

Michelle must be shocked by the uproar. After all she didn't say anything more that her ideological peers Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh say every day. Difference is Hannity works for Fox so he gets a raise. Bachmann works for the people so she is going to get fired. Good riddance.

[Liberoservative]

Katrina,
I want to commend you for your forthright assessment of the horrid words that came out of Bachman's mouth. You were right to be afraid of what her words could do to the fabric of our democracy.­.... What the GOP is running on right now is the most unpatriotic and divisive platform that I have ever seen in my 53 years on this planet. They have lost all moral compass while claiming that said moral compass... They have been totally usurped by the radically religiuous and they do not see that they are as radical and extreme as those radical islamics who blow things up with bombs rather than blow things up with divisivene­ss....
The radical right wing fundamentalists are now blowing Christianity out of the water with their blatant racial and divisive attacks on Barack Obama. This man is like an oasis in the desert of our lost moral values and they are doing their best to stem the water and let the desert of despair take an even deeper hold on our nation.

Thank you for your courage...­. you are not alone in the way that you think...I just hope that we are enough this time to elect our last best hope to recliam our nation for ALL Americans.­...


GObama/Biden 08/12!!

[Yodada]

Bachman and Palin have managed to dumb down the GOP by creating a BRAIN DRAIN from the GOP due to their divisive and exclusionary tactics. GO TINKLENBERGER and all those other Democratic nominees. Let's shown that CHANGE is needed decisively. How many of us will survive the last 8 years under Bush and the GOP still remains to be seen. The GOP with their hold on Congress for 6 years have created a financial crisis that may just expand their "welfare" state. Its not that we don't want to work its that the GOP mismanaged the country through deregulation and the taxpayers are paying the price now with their jobs, taxes, etc.

[cathleen]

What is the problem here? No criticism of Katrina for taking credit for something that clearly Chris Matthews was responsible for? Matthews took out Bachman and he did not set out to do so..he just allowed her to keep digging. Give credit where credit is due.

[jhwkr]

MB is a tr0ll and needs to go back to the bridge she crawled out from under.

[Nebraska Native]

Thank you Katrina for voicing our fears and concerns in such an articulate manner! "The Nation" is an American institution, and so are you!

[JDen]

I was in Florida visiting my parents and happened to catch last Friday's Hardball and I stood in the living room almost heartbroken that an elected leader could say such things. Luckily, even as she spoke, I saw her career going down the tubes. I was so relieved that Mr. Matthews and Ms. vanden Heuvel had the same visceral reaction I did and didn't hesitate to jump on it.

This general election campaign has been so exhausting because every time I hear the anti-American attacks, I can't help but take it personally. They may think they're talking about one man, but they're pointing fingers at everyone who supports his campaign. I'll most certainly fight back with my wallet and my vote.

[EFK]

I also saw this tirade unfold on Friday. My understanding is she is slightly behind in the latest poll. I pray that the people in this overwhelming Republican district send a strong message that this truly "unAmerican" attack will not be tolerated by decent people. If she is wins the election,people that voted for her should be ashamed of themselves!

[t0msman]

Katrina - This is my first post here and when I saw your story I simply had to register. I want to thank you for your responses to Ms. Bachmann's tirade on last Friday's Hardball. I sat slackjawed and more than a little scared as she kept going on. When it ended, I realized I had been holding my breath until she finished. Melodramatic or not, two words sprung to mind - Joe McCarthy. When Chris cut to you, for me, the reaction on your face spoke volumes and I waited those few seconds to took to respond - knowing that there could be few better people to follow such a hateful rant such as hers. I have seen you on MSNBC a multitude of times and you have never been at a loss for words. I applaud you now (as I literally did, alone in my living room) for being able to pull off such a pitch perfect, calm response. She has damned herself and can try to spin this as many ways as she wished - you can't deny the video. ;-) Good luck to all the Dems in MN - if I had money to spare I'd donate!

[pshelleyg]

Yes Katrina. Thank you for speaking on behalf of tomsman and so many of us. Thank you always for your courage and eloquence in speaking truth to power.

[navalflightofficer]

I believe a little less hand wringing from the left may be in order. I admire Katrina vanden Heuvel. She was one of the most articulate and adamant voices before the invasion of Iraq, desperately trying to point out what I also saw as obvious flaws in the so called inteligence and the propaganda of the war drumbeat.
However, I think this issue is being way overblown. I saw the admitedly illogical rant by the Congresswoman. I was amazed by the ignorance, but to compare her rant to ask the "media" to look into members of Congress with Joe McCarthy does all of us, and history, a disservice. Remember the boy who cried wolf. There are enough real wolves out there.
I am glad her oponent has benfited from her mistakes. The good people of her district in Minnesota need to send her packing. But let's be real. She is no Simple J. Malarkey.

[pshelleyg]

Hey navalflightofficer, with all due respect, this reply is one of the more ambiguous and equivocal I've ever read. It's a little hard to tell where you stand. People who I've known personally had their livelihoods and careers ruined because of just this type of hysteria. As we write, innocent people are being held without due process due to the prevalent attitude of hysteria reignited with 911. Just who are the real "wolves" to which you refer. Are we a country that believes in bearing false witness against our fellow Americans, incarcerating them without due process, and ruining their futures based on untrue lies and allegations? I'm afraid Bachmann's allegations are part and parcel of a very chilling environment which you seem to underestimate. Let's all try and connect the dots. Such seeds should be nipped in the bud before they take root.

[magen]

Don't get me wrong, I love you Katrina and all your views, but you're such a liberal softie.

You didn't really "take her on." You expressed exasperation at Bachman's ridiculous statements.

"Taking her on" would've been if you debunked her claims, and left her with nothing to say but "Well, uh, duh, ummmmm."

Progressives need to learn how to fight like CONservaCONS.

[thebyron]

"I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America?"

"Nor did I call for an investigation of members of Congress for their pro-American or anti-American views."

Rep. Bachmann, let me get you a fire extinguisher for your pants.

[packerfans]

Minnesota residents are beginning to speak. Latest Survey USA poll,
Tinklenberg +3.

Senate Race: Big 10 Battleground poll,
Franken 40
Coleman 34
Barkley 15

Good job, MN! You can do it!

[skmbho]

The problem is that the Rove/Bush/McCain fear and hate tactics have run their course. (thank goodness!) All of these "old school" Neocons seem to be having a hard time realizing that the party is over. It would seem that even many of the unintelligent among us are catching on to the lies being repeated over and over by the Republican talking heads. I agree that Ms. Bachmann is not only not smart enough to go on national television as a representative of the evangelical right wing, she is not smart enough to see the writing on the wall. I hope this serves as notice for all of these racist hate-baiters, "the times they are a changin"". Thank you Katrina for standing up for what is right even when was difficult. Hopefully a new day is dawning! Get out & vote Nov 4th--Obama/Biden 2008!

[JennyJay]

What Bachmann has been able to show us is that America is getting a lot smarter.
Bachmann and her ilk are now (THANKFULLY) considered the lunatic fringe.
Each day their numbers get smaller.
Times - they are a changing.

[senseandnonsense]

Chris Matthews bit his tongue and let Bachmann talk. You could tell that she wasn't going to stop talking until the full cargo she was delivering was unloaded. You could also tell that she thought she was doing a great job in her interview. And what Republican hasn't heard of Hardball? Next thing she'll be telling us is that she's never heard of the "Worst...P­erson...in the world!"

[KevinFitzz]

Olbermann at his best!

[Pythia]

Here's a hint for future Republicans who 'claim' not to know who Chris Matthews is while accepting an appearance on his show. Anytime he is QUIET, and not arguing with you? He is busy handing you rope with which to fasten your own noose.

[countingdays]

One thing I wish somebody would do (I don't have the time myself or I would do it) would be to put together an index of the number of times "What I said was taken out of context" or "What I said was misconstrued" or "What I said was a joke" is said by spokespeople. My evidence is purely anecdotal, but that seems to be said more and more frequently these days by McCain's surrogates than I remember in past elections from anybody.