Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann (1956-) is a Republican U.S. Representative from the state of Minnesota), first elected in 2006 and quickly rising to national prominence as a combative and charismatic social conservative and member of the Christian Right.

2008 Campaign

During the 2008 campaign, on October 17, she suggested, on MSNBC, that that being liberal was "anti-American," and, according to many listeners, implied this to Barack Obama; Bachmann said that the media should investigate members of Congress to see if they were "pro-American" or 'anti-American." Colin Powell said that he had endorsed Obama, in part, due to comments such as hers, which he regarded as needlessly divisive.

A week later, she said "I did not say that Barack Obama was anti-American, nor do I believe Barack Obama is anti-American. He loves his country, just as everyone in this room does...Nor did I call for an investigation of members of Congress for their pro-American or anti-American views. That is not what I said."

Bachmann explicitly refused to endorse John McCain's presidential campaign in 2008, telling the West Sherburne Tribune that McCain "is not my man. Our candidate was chosen by the media".

Positions

Religion and politics

At the present time, a number of political analysts see Bachmann and Sarah Palin as strongly attractive to the more conservative wing of the U.S. Republican Party, both being charismatic women who appeal to strong emotion in the political "base". Some note that on the other end of the political spectrum, Nancy Pelosi also appeals to the base, although she has much more actual political power; while Barack Obama is certainly liberal, he positions himself more centrally than Pelosi.

She is associated with Christian Right groups including Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council, as well as James Dobson and Focus on the Family.

Bachmann ran for Congress after six years as one of the most socially conservative members of the Minnesota state senate. She is a member of the Republican Study Committee, the House conservative caucus.

In 2006, she appeared with George W. Bush, accepting his endorsement

Education

Before she held elective office, in 1993, she helped to start a Stillwater, Minneapolis, charter school that ran afoul of many parents and the local school board due to conflicts over church-state separation but receiving public funds. "After Bachmann and company were driven out of that venture, she became a prolific speaker and writer on the evils of public education in the years leading up to her failed school board run. By all accounts, she made herself into a formidable presence. She's articulate, attractive, and speaks passionately," says Mary Cecconi, who spent eight years on the Stillwater School Board. "Actually, she is ferocious."

"On the stump in 2006, Bachmann still calls education reform one of her "number one priority" issues, along with tax reform and homeland security." Her critics, including non-evangelical Republican, mention religious conservative think tank called EdWatch. Bachmann homeschooled her children, including 23 foster children, saying they were failed by the public-school system.

GLBT

She twice introduced a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and then organized a “Minnesota for Marriage” rally in which she told supporters to flood the state Senate and directly protest to opponents of the bill.

Bachmann has called homosexuality a sexual “dysfunction” and accused the gay community of targeting children.

Environment

Bachmann is strongly against the "cap and trade" proposals to alleviate global warming, which she describes as being "just another tax on business". Global warming, according to Bachmann, is "all voodoo, nonsense, hokum, a hoax".

Bachmann has advocated drilling in the Arctic National Widlife Reserve (ANWR), calling it "commonsense" and stating that "we know that nine months out of the year this area is hidden under snow and ice and three months out of the year the area is covered in complete darkness". Bachmann also stated that the Congressional Democrats which oppose ANWR drilling are "standing in the way of $2-a-gallon gas". A 2008 report by the Energy Information Administration casts serious doubt on such a prediction - with between $0.41 and $1.44 reduction in the price of oil per barrel. The report also states:

Assuming that world oil markets continue to work as they do today, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) could neutralize any potential price impact of ANWR oil production by reducing its oil exports by an equal amount.

At the time of Bachmann's article, the Energy Information Administration reported that the "weekly U.S. regular conventional retail gasoline price" was $4.00. Since then, gas prices dropped and bottomed out at $1.59 on the 29 December 2008, but have risen in the year since to $2.59 (November 30, 2009).

Recent activity

After calling for a protest on Sean Hannity's television show the previous week, saying "she hoped viewers would come to her press conference and then walk through the congressional office buildings, "up and down through the halls, find members of Congress, look at the whites of their eyes and say, 'Don't take away my health care.'" On November 5, she held a rally at the U.S. Capitol. Officially, it was a press conference and not a rally, since there was no demonstration permit; an estimated 5 to 10,000 supporters attended. It was formally directed at rejecting the health care bill to be voted on, in the House. House minority leader John Boehner, appearing on the platform said "This bill is the greatest threat to freedom that I have seen," (R-Ohio). Rep. Todd Akin (R-Missouri ) asked for the Pledge of Allegiance because "it drives the liberals crazy" to hear the "under God" part. Minority whip Eric Cantor also appeared, as did Representatives Steve King (R-Iowa), Paul Broun (R-Georgia), Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) and Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana).

Writing in the conservative National Review, Jim Geraghty questioned the possible irony of "The Tea Party movement in all its myriad forms — free-market groups, little old ladies, crusty in flag hats, fans of Beck’s 9/12 Project — have done everything one could possibly ask to derail a government takeover of the health-care system. It will be a perverse irony if their high-visibility protests end up persuading Democrats to damn the torpedoes in the face of near-certain electoral doom." He suggested that while some Democrats might lose their seats if they vote for the bill, if they fail to do so, they might enrage the Democratic base, with the Republican base already activated, and lose control of the House in the 2010 elections.

Committees

• House Committee on Financial Services
  • Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises
  • Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

Voting record

Organization	Rating	Source
AFL-CIO	7%	[1]
American Civil Liberties Union	18%
American Conservative Union	100%
Americans for Democratic Action	0%
Cato Institute	57%
Christian Coalition	100%
Human Rights Campaign	0%
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People	20%
NARAL	0%
National Rifle Association	A
National Right to Life Committee	100%
National Taxpayers Union	A (2008) 95% (2007)
U.S. Chamber of Commerce	94%