Michele Bachmann on The Huffington Post

Olbermann Knocks O'Reilly For Obama/Osama Mistake While Doing It Live (VIDEO)

2009-12-03T08:31:32Z

Michele Bachmann was awarded the bronze medal for Countdown's "Worst Persons in the World" for some dubious logic and mangled language when she railed against government intervention in the private economy.

Former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs brought home the silver for exclaiming about Obama "who the hell does this President think he is?" during a discussion about President Obama and the climate change conference in Copenhagen. Dobbs seems to think Obama was going to hold the U.S. hostage to some kind of binding international agreement on global warming. That is not the case.

Olbermann favorite Bill O'Reilly won top honors for failing to realize he was 'doing it live' on his show a few nights ago. O'Reilly thought he was taping a promo when he mixed up Osama's name with Obama. It happens to the best of us, but the added mistake of O'Reilly not knowing he was live gave Olbermann an excuse to run the now infamous 'do it live' tape from earlier in the Fox News host's career.

WATCH:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Tea Party Proponent Threatens To "Do What They Did At Fort Hood" To Michigan Newspaper

2009-11-17T14:00:45Z

Over at Editor And Publisher's E&P Pub blog, Greg Mitchell brings word of a disturbed woman who called up a Gannett News customer service center and threatened to go to the offices of the Times Herald of Port Huron, Michigan, and "do what they did at Fort Hood." Hopefully she is being investigated for her Islamo-fascist leanings!

Apparently, what touched the woman off was an editorial in the Times Herald which dared to criticize Representative Candice Miller (R-Mich.) for "for continuing to participate in" the Michele Bachmann Tea Party rally on November 5, 2009, "after it turned nasty." The editorial went on to cite examples of the nastiness to which the editors objected:

Rally participants carried a variety of disturbing signs. One placard had a health care message superimposed over dead bodies from Holocaust concentration camps. One referred to President Barack Obama as Sambo. One depicted the president as the evil Joker from Batman movies. One referred to 'Obama and his Marxist buddies.' If Miller truly has signed up with the right-wing fringe -- the bigots, the hate-mongers and the Nazi chanters -- all of us in the Blue Water Area might well need to take another look.

So there you have it! When a Tea Partier wants to register an objection to the entirety of their "movement" being painted as deranged and fringey paranoiacs, threatening to commit mass murder is seen as a reasonable option.

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Michele Bachmann Investigation Requested By CREW

2009-11-17T13:10:01Z

Watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has requested an investigation into whether Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) broke House rules in organizing an anti-health care reform rally on November 5.

In a letter sent to the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), CREW contends that Bachmann violated House rules by using her official member's website to garner "grassroots lobbying" for the health care protest in question.

The Members' Handbook specifies: The content of a Member's Website... [may] not include grassroots lobbying or solicit support for a Member's position." CREW argues that Bachmann broke this rule.

In a November 2 release posted on Bachmann's House website, the congresswoman said:

The people need to make a House Call on Washington this week and tell their Representatives to vote no to a government take-over of one-fifth of our economy. This is gangster government at its worst.

I urge all Americans to come to Washington this Thursday. Come and meet up with your Representative and tell them that you want to control your health care.

According to Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW, "Taxpayers fund members' websites and because of that those sites may not be used to organize a public rally for or against any particular legislation."

CREW also requested that the OCE investigate whether Bachmann violated House rules "by failing to acquire a permit for the demonstration and by falsely portraying it as a press conference."

In response to charges of misconduct, Bachmann's press secretary told Politico, "Rep. Bachmann's website encourages the American people to exercise their right to petition and ensure their voices are heard, what ever their position may be."

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Matt Osborne: Palin-Bachmann Syndrome™

2009-11-12T18:51:18Z

The strange nexus of right-wing Christian identity politics and beauty pageants has produced Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, and Carrie Prejean. What is it about their world that turns toxic and causes flaky behavior?

For those who missed it, here is Miss California's meltdown on Larry King Live the other night:

When the biggest story about you is that your lawsuit against a pageant over "religious discrimination" was settled 24 hours after the pageant obtained your sex tape, you can't expect Larry King and Celebrity News Network to avoid the question unless you make it a condition in advance. In which case, you probably won't get the interview and your fifteen minutes are officially over. Prejean shouldn't have gone on a call-in talk show if she wasn't interested in taking, you know, questions.

Prejean had positioned herself to take advantage of right-wing outrage over the way she lost the pageant crown. Her stumbling response to Perez Hilton's question about gay marriage has become exhibit A for culture warriors, who argue that creeping political correctness violates their "right" to despise Teh Gay. Sex tapes are the last thing Prejean wants to talk about. Yet somehow, Miss California had not armed herself with a cover story for her target demographic. Taking off your microphone and walking away is a childish act of childish avoidance, but unwillingness to spin is the only sin left in mass-media.

In modern Christian communities, beauty pageants are an acceptable hobby for young women. Southern belles have more than their share of victories in Miss USA, and every last one of them describes her Christianity at some time in the process. Miss USA itself is a politically conservative organization (which made Hilton's question all the more strange).

By making an underage sex tape, Carrie Prejean had already broken the rules when she gave her answer. Prejean refused an obvious question because the answer was self-evident, and demolishes her credibility in a way that damages her chosen career of media martyr.

The Miss USA pageant set these rules long ago to make the competition acceptable in conservative places; now they produce conservative movement leaders. Sarah Palin is also a former beauty queen, and like Prejean she is also a creature of charismatic Christian identity politics. Her recent behavior, too, has been exceedingly flaky. There was her lengthy, rambling word-salad of a speech, described best by Shannyn Moore:

With such a large national audience, Palin didn't talk about the plethora of issues facing Alaska. Why would she? She has much bigger fish to fry. She decided to slam Ashley Judd instead. Yes, really.

I don't know Ashley Judd, but I like her. I know this must shock the Palinistas; they think I dislike Sarah because she's pretty. According to Palin, she is some sort of Hollywood pixie; a "delicate, tiny, very talented celebrity starlet." I don't judge Ms. Judd on her stunning appearance; but on the criteria of her politics...just like Palin.

Nothing Palin says is apolitical. Her entire world-view consists of what she has learned from the conservative movement itself. As a result of that faith-based education, Sarah doesn't know enough facts to stand up to rational examination. She was weighed, judged, and found wanting -- against Joe Biden, of all people! -- and her poll numbers have plummeted ever since.

In an effort to control her message, Palin's publicity staff has done two things: (A) restrict everything but her book tour to Facebook, and (2) agreed to public speaking events only to deny they'd ever confirmed them and leave event planners in the lurch at the last minute.

Nor were these speeches scheduled for unsympathetic audiences: she was asked to speak at the Ronald Reagan library, even an Alaskan anti-abortion rally. She doesn't hesitate to demand cash, even in Iowa. The 2012 Palin campaign has started by asking for the love-offering up front and insists the event sign a rider. You can see that in the event publicity materials.

The message control is amazingly strict. Press and cameras have been banned from all the appearances she has made, but also cell phones and personal recording devices -- little wonder, as all the speeches she has done have been panned by notetakers. Her 90-minute Hong Kong speech was described by Paul Krugman as "half a Castro" in length.

As if in imitation, Carrie Prejean has gotten in the habit of canceling appearances, too (though not Larry King, for some reason). Another famous conservative woman with a similar background is Michele Bachmann (R-Oppositesland), who placed in the top 10 in the Miss Anoka Pageant and was crowned Miss Congeniality. Today, she has her own action figure and stars in a "conservative women" calendar along with Prejean.

While Bachmann rarely flakes on apearances, she often flakes in person. There's a moment in this video when Michele Bachmann gets too crazy even for Glenn Beck. By happenstance, you don't even have to play the video to see it:

If you do play the video, you'll hear her ask of the US Census:

Do they really need to know our phone numbers? Do they really need to know, like you said, the date and time that we leave...mental stability?

Followed by a prolonged blink.

That's Teh Crazy™.

You know the one question that is not on this survey, Glenn? "Are you a U.S. citizen?"

This is Teh Stupid™, because she also argues that this information can be used to round up Republicans and ship them off to the Glenn Beck doom bunker death panels.

"This would be your perfect opportunity to find out how many illegal aliens are in the United States."

This is Teh Wacky™, wherein reflexive stupidity and and insane scenarios collide at the limits of mental reach. The chances of American government awarding Republicans an all-expenses paid vacation at FEMA death camps are remote. A non-citizen's fear of deportation is far more likely, and rational, by comparison -- and the whole point of the US Census is to count people, not citizens -- it's in their 200-year old charter.

After delivering this nonsense, Bachmann makes another prolonged blink. That blink is a recurring pattern with her special flavor of Teh Wacky™. In poker parlance, it's her tell. Watch as she describes Teh Evil Plan™ to turn school clinics into abortion factories through health care reform:

Blink much?

I wasn't sure what to make of it; I'm no psychologist. So I talked to a friend of mine with a degree in psychology and a fascination for neurolinguistic studies.

But wait, I hear you cry. What is that...neuro lingua thingy again? That's fine; I should explain that neurolinguistics has gotten a bad rep from con men and entertainers, the former group using it for ill and the latter passing it off as "mind-control." Neurolinguistics is the study of verbal and non-verbal cues. In plain English, my friend PistolPro can "read" people in a way similar to Tim Roth's character on Lie To Me.

The problem, he says, is that we'd need a sample of Michele Bachmann telling the truth to serve as a baseline -- and try as I might, I cannot find a video of Bachmann that doesn't have Teh Wacky™ in it. So rather than pursue a more exact diagnosis, I have decided to coin a phrase: Palin-Bachmann Syndrome™, defined as the psychological imbalance produced by a toxic mix of right-wing identity politics and diva training.

Palin-Bachmann Syndrome™ manifests in the following behaviors: rambling, inane "word-salads" while speaking in public; paranoid access-control; espousal of fringe insanity; appeal to prejudices. See also: borderline and narcissistic personality disorders. In rare cases, Palin-Bachmann Syndrome™ can produce strongly offensive behavior:

Won't someone please help these poor women?

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Lesley Stern: How to Live on $0 a Day: Assuaging Rage, One Prick at a Time

2009-11-12T10:53:50Z

If you've lived your life believing that hard work, ethics, observing the golden rule and fiscal responsibility will be rewarded, you're probably a little ticked off right now. Okay, you're probably roiling with rage (especially if you stopped taking your anti-depressants because your insurance company canceled you for being depressed).

A lot of that anger comes from a sense of betrayal and helplessness at seeing people who broke every law of decency living high on the hog while the rest of us are hard pressed to afford a swine flu shot (if we could find one).

The logical recourse is to seek justice. You've appealed to their non-existent sense of decency. You've written your elected officials, attorney general, chamber of commerce and better business bureau. Clearly, you can't afford a lawyer. Crank calls and Internet heckling bring no relief. And while sending offenders cat poop in the mail is satisfying, the postage is costly--there are no bulk media rates for mass poop mailings (which REALLY pisses you off). And try as you might, you can't seem to get your friends interested in storming Wall Street or the Capitol because pitchforks are too expensive.

If you're quivering with rage just thinking about it, it's time to take action. I've discovered a way to calm my ire and achieve a semblance of inner peace without costly aids like therapists, tranquilizers, a masseuse or weapons.

Whether your anger is directed at a TARP recipient harassing you for an overdue $69, a vile CEO, pundit or politician, someone who screwed you over, the neighbor's dog, or the waiter who lied when he told you the chef's special chicken was all white meat, my methods ensure that all bad behavior is met with swift and decisive punishment (finally!). I can't tell you how much better you'll feel. Here's how it works:

Hannity: Jon Stewart Was Right About Protest Footage (VIDEO)

2009-11-12T01:03:49Z

Fox News' Sean Hannity responded to Jon Stewart Wednesday evening after the Daily Show host called out the network for using old footage from a larger September 12, 2009 "Tea Party' protest to illustrate a much smaller health care rally on Capitol Hill last week.

Speaking directly to the camera, Hannity said that it pained him to admit it, but Stewart was correct.

"And although it pains me to say this, Jon Stewart, Comedy Central, he was right. Now on his program last night, he mentioned that we had played some inccorect video on this program last week while talking about the Republican health care rally on Capitol Hill. He was correct, we screwed up. we aired some video of a rally in september along with a video from the actual event. It was an inadverdent mistake, but a mistake none the less. So, Mr. Stewart, you were right. We apologize. But by the way, we wanna thank you and all your writers for watching."

WATCH:

Michele Bachmann's 'House Call' May Have Broken House Rules

2009-11-11T17:51:24Z

Did a rally geared at saving government resources actually misuse them?

Could be, at least technically. Rep. Michele Bachmann's House home-page shout-out to tea party types for her Nov. 5 rally on the West Front steps may have violated the letter of the administration committee's rules on the use of official, taxpayer-funded websites.

The Craziest Examples Of Congressional Theatrics (VIDEO)

2009-11-11T15:55:31Z

Elyse Siegel contributed to this story

Just over twenty years ago, the cable industry launched the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network -- better known as C-SPAN. Among the network's achievements was its live broadcasts of legislative proceedings, allowing viewers to take a look at the governing process, to see how legislative sausage gets made, check up on their legislators' performances and stay abreast of key debates and votes.

It was a remarkable achievement in terms of transparency. However, there was a dark side to it all. Now, every single Congresscritter had a camera in the room and an unseen audience, beyond the governing chamber, to play to. And naturally, over time, they all basically became a gaggle of preening, self-obsessed jackasses.

This all reached its apotheosis this past weekend when Arizona Representative John Shadegg dragged a live baby into the chamber in order to make a melodramatic point about health care reform. Shadegg's presentation had no substantive impact on the debate, but then, that was never his attention -- he did what he did in order to grab a little attention from the media, who love themselves a good, substance-free, provocative stunt.

But while having a baby at the podium was certainly extreme, the truth is that Congress has been moving in the direction of being a quasi-governmental performance art space for a long time now, where it's becoming more and more normal -- perhaps even obligatory -- for your elected representatives to build props, wear costumes and come armed with idiotic charts to make their point. Which is that they often don't have a point, at all. But the camera eye loves the antics.

With the invaluable assistance of Elyse Siegel, we bring you our favorite examples of Congressional theatrics. Vote for your favorites! And if you've got a favorite of your own, send along an email!

[Would you like to follow me on Twitter? Because why not? Also, please send tips to tv@huffingtonpost.com -- learn more about our media monitoring project here.]

Steve Marmel: First HuffPost Blog: When Wrong, We Need to Own up to It

2009-11-07T07:36:15Z

Hi. Welcome to my first blog on HuffPost.

Me? I started as a journalist, morphed into a stand up comedian with a right-wing POV, and then - when my politics changed in 2005 - took a long (and currently continuing) break from comedy. (There's a bio in here for all the specifics if you really care.)

Which brings me to the first topic: When we blog about something four seconds after it happens, we have to admit when we're wrong, if we find out we are.

And for me, that means Bill Sparkman.

First, this happened right after lunatic Minnesota Cock-A-Doodle-Doofus Michele Bachmann went off on census workers. One was found dead at the corner of "Deliverance" and "Squeal like a piggie" with the word "FED" scrawled on his chest, and everybody assumed it was an anti-government attack -- including me.

So, does this a-hole from Minnesota get to continue walking around like she’s not complicit in the death of this census worker? Or do we finally start holding people accountable for their words and actions?

I’m sure she’ll wake up tomorrow, surrounded by thread count and people telling her what she wants to hear. I’m sure tomorrow, she’ll blather on about something with zero insight, and no concern for consequence.

And Bill Sparkman will be dead.

Congratulations, Michele Bachmann, lunatic from Minnesota. You’ve made a difference.

Woo! Look at me! Right on top of it!

Then, today's story.

(ChattahBox)—Nearly two-months after the naked body of census worker, Bill Sparkman, 51, was found hanging from a tree in a remote forest in Kentucky with the word “fed,” scrawled on his chest, authorities are no closer to solving the case. And they still are investigating Sparkman’s death, as a suicide despite the fact that his hands were bound and he was hanging from a tree.

Authorities investigating Sparkman’s death told the Associated Press that they are becoming increasingly doubtful that the census worker’s death was the result of anti-government sentiment. And they may be settling on a conclusion of suicide.

As evidence that Sparkman’s death may have been due to suicide, authorities point to the fact that his hands were loosely bound, still affording the census worker some mobility to manipulate the rope tied to a tree. Authorities say Sparkman died of asphyxiation where his body was found.

Investigators also point to the absence of defensive wounds on Sparkman’s body.

Woo! Look at me! Probably way off.

Look, maybe this guy hanged himself. Maybe he was starting to write "FEDerline Sucks" on his chest and he only got through first three letters. (Too soon?) All I know is that regardless, it's a tragedy and there are were connections to be made between the rabid attacks on census workers, and this guy's death.

But the fact is, I went off half-cocked. I jumped to conclusions. And that's what Glenn Beck is for.

Look... I still despise Michele Bachmann. I think she's stringy inside and out, a despicable opportunistic loon, and if she wasn't the Washington idea of what a surprisingly attractive woman is, she'd be on the same "nobody cares what you have to say" bus with Carrie Prejean and Sarah Palin.

I think she's a dangerous bucket of race-war-starting manipulation and intellectual dishonesty.

The jury's still out on Sparkman's death - tragic regardless - but I should have waited. And what I won't do was "well, it could've been so the opinion stands!" With that logic, it could have been Daniel Boone's Zombie. Not good enough to let sit.

Perhaps I was wrong on this one. It seems as if I might have been. And in a world where the first blog up wins, that probably happens more than it should.

So for this piece, and maybe going forward in my adventures on HuffPost, you can help me:

1) Enjoy.

2) Disagree with me if I'm wrong. How else will I know? You may convince me that I am.

3) Share with Facebook friends, Myspace friends, Friends Friends... or your enemies. If you agree with me, read me. If I drive you nuts, send me to your buddies to piss them off. I make a great gag gift.

4) Go to my website: Marmel.com or join me on Twitter at @MARMEL. Join the fanpage on Facebook. Isn't that how it all works these days?

5) And most importantly, engage. If you think I'm right or wrong, I want to know. And man, when I'm squirming from the bottom of the "I screwed up" well, I'm a hoot. It would be the journalistic equivalent of busting me shirtless on "Cops."

I like this place. I find it worthwhile and am looking forward to it. It's my next level of Jackassery on a brand new platform. Twice a week, although today's special. Today, I got my account.

It's gonna be great to be here.

And whether you're reading me because you like the stuff, or watching me like Nascar hoping for the latest blog-related car crash, I'll be glad to have you on board.

Bachmann Challengers Maureen Reed, Tarryl Clark Share Plans To Take On Michele

2009-11-06T15:33:01Z

Michele Bachmann took her paranoid campaign against the White House to new heights on Thursday, leading a mass protest inside the Capitol itself that led to multiple arrests. Antics like these have made her one of the breakout stars of the Republican Party in the Obama era, drawing praise from Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, and even George Will. But her stunts have also made what is otherwise a relatively safe Republican seat potentially vulnerable to Democratic takeover.

Her bid for re-election to a third term is still a year away. But two credible challengers have already emerged to vie for the Democratic nomination: physician Maureen Reed and State Senator Tarryl Clark. Both are making Bachmann's extremist rhetoric the centerpieces of their campaigns.

Martin Lewis: Primary Image on Drudge Report While Soldiers Were Being Slaughtered at Fort Hood...

2009-11-06T11:29:09Z

The Drudge Report certainly presents an unerring reflection of the anger and violence of our times. Want to see the ugly zeitgeist of the moment? Just go to Drudge and if the headline doesn't snarl it -- the banner ad du jour certainly will.

As an unruly mob surrounded Congress -- egged on by Rep. Michele Bachmann to come to Congress and "see the whites of their eyes..." and listened to incendiary rhetoric from conservative firebrands, unemployed, has-been actors and minority leader John Boehner (in all his spray-tan glory) about seizing back the country from the Socialist enemy...

As a member of the military in Fort Hood armed up and prepared to massacre his comrades...

With unwitting but impeccable timing -- the sole banner advertisement prominently emblazoned on the Drudge Report -- was the image of a discharged member of the military in sinister shades -- brandishing his M16 rifle together with a menacing message: Send A Warrior To Congress

Meet Jesse Kelly -- honorably discharged according to his campaign website -- though it fails to detail his rank or reason for discharge. Having shot his way through four years in Iraq he is now aiming to take his skill-set to Congress as -- what else -- an ultra-conservative Republican. Not quite the Eisenhower of his generation -- he nonetheless very generously wants to help his fellow Americans.

And he is certainly not shy about sharing his views. Among the pearls of wisdom from this 28-year-old sage:

• People want someone to fight for them in Washington and that's the message I want to convey!

• People are scared of a government that has grown radically out of control!

• Barack Obama is a radical! I'm tired of President Obama and the liberals who control Congress insulting us, calling us racist, and calling us a mob. I'm tired of their double-talk. I'm tired of their bait-and-switch shell games. I'm tired of being avoided by my public servants. They have forgotten that they work for us.

• There's no question the national outpouring of rage against members of Congress is 100 percent genuine. They're spending us off the cliff! They're destroying this nation, and while I'm still breathing, I will not let it happen. It's time to be 'in your face'

• Either we stand now and fight for our country, or the great United States of America may be but a fading memory!

Before he shoots up Congress, he is gunning for Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona's 8th Congressional District.

Discharged from the Marines after an entire four years of service, Kelly now works for a construction company. And -- you can't make this up -- he works on sewer projects...

And -- not to be outdone in the Strange But True world of right-wing-nuttery --- the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has officially declared that Kelly is an 'On the Radar' candidate in their Young Guns program co-founded by dependable GOP looney Rep. Eric Cantor.

"The NRCC is committed to working with Jesse Kelly as he continues to meet the rigorous goals of the Young Guns program," says NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions.

Young Guns (Go For It)... 25 years ago it was the title of a Wham song.

Now it's the philosophy and highest aspiration of today's Republican Party.

Who says there is no such thing as irony in America...

Guy-Fawkers: The Next Accidentally Sexual GOP Catchphrase? (VIDEO)

2009-11-06T08:18:38Z

First there was teabagging, then there was 2M4M, now there's guy-fawking. Someone has latent sexual desires and Stephen Colbert is completely elated by it.

Last night Colbert proclaimed Michele Bachmann's anti-health-care-reform protest on November 5th to be "Guy-Fawking" because it took place on Guy-Fawkes Day. "Today we're guy-fawking to stop health care reform, tomorrow we guy-fawke gay marriage," he proclaimed.

WATCH:

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The Tea Party's Takeover Of The GOP

2009-11-05T19:54:31Z

You have to hand it to Michele Bachmann: She has succeeded in turning the GOP into one big Tea Party.

This past weekend, the Minnesota Republican went on Fox News and called on viewers to show up on the Capitol lawn on Thursday at noon for a press conference and a last ditch attempt to kill health care reform. The gathering that resulted was marked by the now-routine extremism of the Tea Party conservatives.

The 12 Most Offensive Signs From Bachmann's Tea Party

2009-11-05T15:28:03Z

Michele Bachmann held a rally on Capitol Hill Thursday to try and "scare" lawmakers into voting against health care reform which drew thousands of protesters. Will it work? Probably not, but at least she got all these interesting signs out of it.

Vote for the worst:

[Photos from AP, RoadKillRefugee, Anna Marie Cox, ThinkProgress's Lee Fang, and Little Green Footballs.]

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David Wild: Bachmann Tea Party Overdrive: A Tasty and Hot Playlist for Michele and All Her Foxy Friends

2009-11-05T13:20:16Z

I just read here that Representative Michele Bachmann is hosting a very special tea party at the Capitol today. I'm sure it will be a lovely affair, so I wanted to do my part and send along this playlist for Congress' hostess with the mostest.

TEA & THEATRE - The Who
COLD TEA BLUES - Cowboy Junkies
TEA FOR THE TILLERMAN - Cat Stevens
PENNYROYAL TEA - Nirvana
TEA IN THE SAHARA - The Police
STRANGE CUP OF TEA - Sister Hazel
TEA FOR ONE - Led Zeppelin
TEA FOR TWO - Ella Fitzgerald & Count Basie
TEA - Brendan Benson
ANOTHER POT O' TEA - Anne Murray with Emmylou Harris
TO HAVE A TEA PARTY - The Wiggles

Other songs anyone?

Tea Party Activists Hit Capitol Hill, 9 Arrested

2009-11-05T11:44:13Z

Capitol Police arrested nine protesters Thursday morning in the Hart Senate office building as thousands of Tea Party activists descended on the Capitol building to protest the trillion dollar health care bill and government spending.

The gathering was organized by local Tea Party groups around the country, who are arriving in Washington this morning by the busload. Conservative leaders in Congress, led by Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), have taken to the airwaves to encourage the activists to show up on the Capitol steps and demand meetings with members of Congress...

Michele Bachmann Tells Supporters To "Scare" Congress At Protest

2009-11-05T08:03:22Z

UPDATE: Twelve protesters were arrested outside Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office.

Also, see some of the shocking and offensive signs at the protest HERE.

* * * * *

UPDATE:Thousands arrived to rail against health care reform on Capitol Hill Thursday.

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) shook hands among the protesters.

"This is too great," he said.

Outside, Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) led crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance -- which he said drives the liberals crazy.

Akin apparently botched the actual pledge.

At noon, NBC News reported police estimated that there were 3,000 to 3,500 protesters. Matthew Yglesias has some pictures.

* * * * *

Rep. Michele Bachmman (R-Minn.) has told supporters to try to scare her colleagues into voting against health care reform at a protest Thursday, Politico reports.

"Nothing scares members of Congress more than freedom-loving Americans," she said in a conference call with bloggers and activists Wednesday night. She urged reform opponents to confront lawmakers with video cameras. "I think that will absolutely scare these members of Congress so much that Pelosi will not get the votes and it will kill the bill."

On a Tuesday Fox News appearance, Bachmann described the protest as her "Super Bowl of freedom."

But Bachmann has been having trouble rallying a sizable crowd for the event. A preparatory "attack" on Congress via email, phone and fax appears to have barely been noticed by the enemy.

Meanwhile, rallies in favor of the public option are being organized in New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta.

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Michele Bachmann's Top Aide Quits

2009-11-04T15:00:00Z

The aide who helped turn Rep. Michele Bachmann into a controversial mainstay of cable news has informed colleagues that she's quitting - just as the firebrand Republican congresswoman prepares for her biggest media moment yet.

Multiple sources have confirmed that Michelle Marston, a veteran Hill aide, is leaving Bachmann's office...

Tea Party Over? Movement Losing Steam

2009-11-04T09:15:21Z

The tea partiers are launching the revolution. This week. But will anyone actually show up?

On Sunday, Rep. Michele Bachmann challenged viewers of Sean Hannity's Fox News show to join her last-ditch attempt to kill health care reform. The fiery Minnesota Republican plans to hold a press conference at "high noon" on Thursday. She urged Americans to flood the halls of Congress that day, find their elected officials, "look at the whites of their eyes and tell them, 'don't you dare take away my health care.'"

Daniel Cubias: The Strange Bedfellows of the Census Boycott

2009-10-31T12:27:06Z

One of the wonders of modern society is how even minor controversies can snowball into intense political and sociological debates where, apparently, the future of the country hangs in the balance. Really, even Halloween costumes are enough to create verbal fisticuffs.

That's why I'm not surprised that the 2010 census has people tossing around accusations of nefarious intentions, with counter-accusations of idiocy flying back. The fear and hatred of this tedious government exercise has a long history. And with the loathing of the current administration so potent among right-wingers, it's no wonder that the tinfoil-hat crowd insists that filling out the form will somehow end up with you in a government-run gulag.

But I expected the neocons to get upset over the census. What surprised me is that some Latino groups have joined people like noted nutjob Congresswoman Michele Bachmann in calling for a boycott.

The thinking among some Hispanic organizations is that skipping the census is a great way to protest the lack of immigration reform. The Rev. Miguel Rivera, head of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, says that his group has talked 2.5 million Hispanics into refusing to be counted. Rivera hopes that some states will lose representation in Congress due to the undercounting. He believes that, "If politicians don't see the need for immigration reform, then we don't need those politicians anyway."

I can't be the only one who sees the ineffectiveness of this take-my-ball-and-go-home approach. The census only reapportions congressional delegation. It doesn't add or eliminate anything. So I don't see how giving, say, Kansas more votes at the expense of California is going to speed up immigration reform. If anything, this strategy increases the odds of a spectacular backfire.

Then there are those who don't necessarily want to boycott the census, just alter it beyond recognition. A Republican-sponsored proposal calls for a freeze on Census Bureau funds if it doesn't reprint its forms to ask respondents if they are citizens. I, for one, can't imagine who they are targeting or attempting to intimidate with such a question.

We'll ignore the fact that the party of fiscal responsibility is demanding that the government throw away the 400 million forms that have already been printed and start over, at no small expense. Instead, let me point out that presidential administrations of both parties have repeatedly agreed to count everybody, not just citizens. It's pretty much settled law.

I'm also wondering about those conservatives who supposedly want government off our collective backs, and think it's unconstitutional for the census to ask how many bathrooms you have. But it is OK for the bureau to throw in a last-second intrusive question designed specifically to frighten people. I see; it all makes sense now.

In the interest of full disclosure, let me admit that I was once one of those dreaded Census workers (it was a temp job on my summer break from college). I spent three months going door to door in the most wretched parts of my hometown, asking bored or annoyed residents how many people lived in their crumbling shanty of an apartment.

It was a pretty miserable experience, but it paid better than fast food. At no point did I swell with pride that I was helping continue the vital work of Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, etc. Neither did I worry if I was assisting the government with its final preparations for the mass arrest of citizens. It was all rather dull.

I miss those days.

Danny Groner: Alan Grayson's YouTube Followers Don't Want His Copycats

2009-10-29T21:13:00Z

Congress members Michele Bachmann and Alan Grayson have seized the power of YouTube to increase their mass appeal. At the same time, they've alienated themselves from others and even made some enemies. Yet that might just be the name of the game in politics today. If you can keep up with the Obamas on Flickr, there's no evidence of restrictions to the online reach of legislators.

Social media has made an indelible mark on politics. Where once politicians and world leaders would escort the people into the future, social media sites are now propelling them forward. Left for debate, though, is whether these new vehicles to create a larger sphere of influence are actually shaping better leaders. As a Time Magazine story points out:

"It's all theater," says South Carolina's James Clyburn, the House Democratic whip. "People have learned to speak in sound bites and look to generate headlines."

Over the past few years (and seems like more in Internet speak), politicians have begun to build up their followings online. Now it may be a necessity in order to keep up with others who have developed smarter strategies. You simply can't ignore how Grayson and Bachmann have become household names in such a short period of time. If you search the most watched clips on YouTube on a given day, you'll find more videos from Congress, the Senate, and other legislative press conferences than ever before. Want to know the latest on the health option? Listen to Sen. Harry Reid talk about it.

It makes sense. There's always been an expected narcissism that comes with politicians. The Internet, though, offers even more opportunities to put them on display. Although C-Span has been around for quite some time, no one shined through as must-watch TV. That's changed with YouTube. Popular politicians like Al Franken run their own channels, posting their best moments for all to see, click, rate, comment on, and pass along to friends.

And now everyone wants a piece of the pie. Visionaries who somehow meshed politics with social media for personal gain and attention are giving way to copycats a dime a dozen. In place are the next group of legislators hoping to replicate the success. Take Steve LaTourette, for example, a Republican congressman from Ohio. See what he did on the House floor this week:

Fiascos like this one are only going to become more run of the mill. It's something that writer Chuck Klosterman mentioned the other night at a book reading at a Barnes and Noble in New York City. Klosterman said that once he spots cameras rolling in the audience - and pointed to the one held by the gentleman to my left - he could no longer be his real self. It makes him more careful about what he says, shares, and does once he consciously recognizes the inevitability that people outside that room will be seeing him. (He also pointed to this story as a cautionary tale.) He can't make the same joke at two different locations or run the risk of being labeled a fraud. As a result, Klosterman clams up and gives less of himself to his adoring audience.

Usually it works the opposite way. When people know cameras are rolling, they crave the potential for media exposure. Moreover, if the newsmakers themselves have control over what gets posted, they'll do whatever it takes to manufacture a marketable moment. And that's what LaTourette does in that clip. We're speeding past a time when legislators can use their platform to deliver a rant, or a song, to drive support their way.

Klosterman's caution is well-received and understandable. And so should our skepticism for LaTourette's antics. All of us know how to spot a phony.

Michele Bachmann Was Gretchen Carlson's Nanny (VIDEO)

2009-10-27T20:45:37Z

Tonight Keith Olbermann awarded conservative columnist George Will the medal for "World's Best Person" for his revelation that controversial Minnesota Congresswoman (R) Michele Bachmann was once the nanny of Fox & Friends host Gretchen Carlson.

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and CNN anchor Lou Dobbs also made the list.

WATCH:

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Bob Cesca: Keep Going, Republicans! You're Doing Great!

2009-10-21T17:09:06Z

I have an important message for Michele Bachmann, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and the rest of the most visible Republicans on the national stage: Keep going! You're doing great! If this was video, you would see me standing an applauding. Maybe holding up a lighter for an encore.

The Republican Party is shriveling faster than Rush Limbaugh on a flight home from the Dominican Republic.

While I believe America only benefits from a robust two-party system, the Republicans aren't really filling their seats at the table. The insufferable centrist Democrats, for better or worse, are covering the power void in an unofficial interim capacity and it wouldn't shock me if there was eventually a replacement party built up around the conservative Democrats and some of the center-right moderate Republicans.

Another theory for another time.

But it's clear that there will either be a clean break in the current party dynamic, or the more moderate, reasonable faction of the Republican Party will begin to seriously assert itself against the wingnuts who are, simply put, cartoonish stereotypes of themselves.

It's this latter group that appears to be scaring away GOP moderates and whatever remains of "intellectual" Republicans like, say, David Frum, David Brooks and Christopher Buckley. Center-right voters are becoming increasingly embarrassed to call themselves Republicans, and party identification has dwindled to 20 percent. And it's not necessarily borne out of an ideological split as much as it has a massive character gap.

Modern "wingnut" Republicans still share many of the core values of classic conservatism, but they've abandoned the all-important character traits of reason, consistency and intellectual honesty. They've entirely navigated their crazy train off the rails, specifically in terms of how they talk about their conservative values.

Call it the Malkinization of the Republican Party. Abandoning these traits frees them up to make the loudest noises possible without worrying about whether the noises actually make sense when assembled in the form of a sentence. The Glenn Beck strategy. If one guy stands on the sidewalk pleasantly handing out political leaflets, and another guy is positioned directly across the street shouting crazy gibberish, who's going to enjoy the most attention? Glenn Beck across the street of course, and it's not necessarily because he's making the most sense. He's just shouting gibberish.

But if polling is any indication, people don't want to be associated with a party that elevates crazy self-satirical wackaloons. Especially when they refuse to be honest about who they are, and, instead, try to keep up a very obvious and transparent masquerade.

For instance, Fox News Channel continues to refuse to admit that they're an extension of the Republican Party. They refuse to admit that the network's news programming has an obvious right-wing slant. Everyone knows it. So why don't they just admit it?

Rush Limbaugh is playing the same game. When he was called out for his race-baiting by the NFL, he refused to acknowledge the fact that he markets in racially-insensitive language in order to play to the darker instincts of his audience. That's his thing and he's a multi-millionaire because of it. But he lacks the class and honesty to man-up to his shtick. The same goes for wingnut stereotype Erick Erickson and MSNBC's resident crank Pat Buchanan -- each of whom described the president's Nobel Peace Prize as the consequence of "affirmative action." But, but, but they're not race-baiting. They're -- well, yes, they're absolutely race-baiting in a way that would make Lee Atwater blush.

This inability to own their rhetoric doesn't help the Republicans and only damages what remains of their authenticity.

And it's this lack of authenticity that gives way to the wide array of contradictions and inconsistencies we're witnessing on the wingnut right. How can President Obama be Nixon, Carter, Mao, Stalin and Hitler at the same time? How can he have a Christian former pastor and also be a Muslim? How can liberals be both communists and Nazis? How can there possibly be Republicans who are attacking the Democrats for fiscal irresponsibility even though the Democrats have suction-cupped themselves to the door of the CBO?

I imagine the whiplash alone is scaring away whole chunks of former Republicans. One minute, they're expected to defend George W. Bush by suggesting that it undermines the troops to attack the commander in chief during a war, and then they're banking around on a dime to suddenly attack the new commander in chief during a war. I'm not sure how anyone can look themselves in the mirror and feel good about being that flagrantly inconsistent.

The same goes for matters of governing. The Republican Party could stand to show a little humility for their recent record. Instead of at least pretending to "grab a mop," as President Obama said this week, they continue to stomp their feet and hold their breath about everything from federal spending to war strategy to -- here's a laugh -- executive power and civil liberties. Suddenly the Republicans care about executive power abuses and the "trampling" of the Constitution, eh? That's rich.

Again, the whiplash must be excruciating.

Meanwhile, rather than debating the policy aspects of health care reform or Afghanistan or the economy, they're attacking the president for asking kids to stay in school, and outing principals and teachers for daring to teach their students about, you know, the President of the United States. Time well spent, Republicans. You'd think these educators were asking kids to worship (in tongues) a cardboard standee of the president.

But while there are several reasonable voices emerging from the twisted wreckage of the Republican Party, the current leaders don't appear to be taking the hint and are, instead, doubling down on the crazy. Make no mistake, I'm happy to see the Democrats flying solo, as aggravating as they might be sometimes. But, as I wrote earlier, I tend to view the Democratic squabbling as the interim two-party system in lieu of any sort of reasonable Republican opposition.

Meanwhile, keep going, Republicans! And buck up, little troopers. There's at least one thing you have going for you. Contrary to nearly every poll, Chris Cillizza from the Washington Post says it's been a good year for the Republicans. And there's always TIME Magazine's Mark Halperin who seems to always believe that positive news for the president is, instead, negative news for the president. As Republicans, you should appreciate and cherish how insanely upside-down that is. Congratulations. Ass-backwards support is better than no support at all.

Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog! Go!

Bachmann: No 2012 Presidential Run For Me, But Steve King Should Go For It

2009-10-21T13:10:31Z

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) told the Sioux City Journal this week that she is not pursuing a presidential run in 2012.

Disappointing some, the Minnesota Congresswoman said, "Goodness, I've only been in the House for three years, so, no, I'm not considering anything like that."

Who would she like to see vie for her party's presidential candidacy? Bachmann said that she would suggest that Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) seek the White House:

Steve King is mentioned as a potential nominee. I have a very high opinion of Steve King and his ability, so I would encourage him to consider any position for higher office.

Like Bachmann, King has a controversial reputation. The congressman's past actions that have grabbed headlines and sparked contention include:

Being the lone vote against acknowledging slave labor construction of the U.S. Capitol.

Describing gay marriage as a "purely socialist concept."

Slamming a hate crimes bill for "protecting sexual idiosyncrasies."

While Bachmann stated that her political ambitions do not include a presidential run in 2012, it is worth noting that she told WorldNetDaily in August:

When I have sensed that the Lord is calling me to do something, I've said yes to it. But I will not seek a higher office if God is not calling me to do it. That's really my standard... If I am called to serve in that realm I would serve... But if I am not called, I wouldn't do it.

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Michele Bachmann's 2010 Chances Threatened: Challengers Mounting Funds For A Take-Over

2009-10-12T17:38:07Z

An expensive Democratic primary is brewing in Minnesota's 6th Congressional Dstrict, with two well-funded would-be challengers moving towards a showdown to take on Republican Michele Bachmann.

The party establishment favorite, state Sen. Tarryl Clark, announced Monday that she has raised in impressive $308,000 since declaring her candidacy July 28. The campaign will report just under $270,000 in the bank at the end of September.