Michelle Bachmann...I am appalled. Generally speaking, I don't

[rasputin1952]

start many OP's, but then, suddenly something pops up that is just so appalling I cannot help but comment.

I am not nearly as eloquent as so many here on DU, however, as someone who is very interested in American History, I cannot believe what I saw or heard. The political world is a brutal one, basically based on innuendo and some pretty spurious items that crop up, most of which mean little in the scheme of things...but for those of us who have knowledge of the "McCarthy Era", we see what Bachmann for what she is...a deviant psychopath that lives in a world of delusion and fear.

McCarthy was in a losing race when he began his "Red Baiting" scheme. He played upon the fears of Americans and in a time when the possibility of nuclear holocaust was close to reality, McCarthy took off. He found "fame" in berating everyone who had the slightest notion that we could work things out in some manner, all he could speak of was the "Red Menace". There are serious questions about his sanity and some substance abuse.

I have no doubt about the lack of sanity in Michelle Bachmann. The very idea that Americans elect to office, whether they be D/R/I, people that would deliberately harm this nation is, at the least, ridiculous. Her comments were so beyond the pale, so noxious, that for the first time I saw Katrina VanderHeuval completely lose it....right to the point of what appeared to be vomiting. I was in shock, or I would have joined her.

Bachmann is precisely the type of person that does NOT belong in Congress, a fear mongering paranoid filled with hate and as remarkably ignorant to American History as an American can be. Tar and feathers could be an answer, but would we really regress to that point, (I would).

Bachmann is the vocal aspect od paranoia, but there are others that are not nearly as "nuts", and we should be watching them as well. Those that use fear, lies, obfuscations and allegations should be tossed out whenever they are are found, beginning w/Bachmann.

[AllieB]

1. We have to vote reps like her out of Congress.

I hope that she horrified enough moderate Republicans and Independents in her district with her comments so that she doesn't go back to Washington.

[143tbone]

2. Donate to her opponent.................

http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18660

[saltpoint]

3. Just an excellent post.

Thank you.

The Bachmann interview with Matthews is the zing comet of the netroots weekend. Ostensibly El Tinklenberg is the beneficiary of her intemperate, rabid, slanderous comments, but in truth we honor Madison's piece of paper in objecting to her bile.

I want El Tinklenberg to defeat her with that money because that money is the blood of everyone who ever fought and died for individual liberty from the days of the early colonies to this hour of McCain robocalls and Palin's character assassination of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

It would be fitting if her own stupidity and intolerance wound up being the catalyst for Bachmann's defeat in that district.

Democracy just doesn't fare very well when it's in the hands of dumbasses and bigots.

[snappyturtle]

4. K&R Elegant to me rasputin1952! She has gone over the cliff with

her allegations. I put this in a thread last night so some may have seen it before. There's a lot of info on wikipedia about her.

Bachmann's positions include:

"Favors privatization of Social Security along the lines suggested by the Cato Institute.<59><60>
Supports both a Federal and State constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and legal equivalent, and is a critic of any type of gay rights or civil unions for gay couples.
Supports President Bush's policies in Iraq and believes the military must "stay the course" there<61><62><63>
Favors leaving the nuclear attack option on the table in dealing with Iran<64>
Opposes minimum wage increases<65>
Some of Bachmann's local critics say she could be more accurately described as a Christian fundamentalist politician.<11> Appearing on the radio program "Prophetic View In The News" to promote her 2004 state capitol rally against same-sex marriage, Bachmann said that "God calls us to fall on our faces and our knees and cry out to Him and confess our sins. And I would just ask your listeners to do that now. Cry out to a Holy God."<66>

In support of a constitutional amendment she proposed to ban same-sex marriage,<67> Bachmann said that the gay community was specifically targeting children and that "our children...are the prize for this community."<66> Bachmann believes that people who are homosexual, lesbian, bisexual or transgender suffer from "sexual dysfunction" and "sexual identity disorders."<68>

Bachmann supports the teaching of intelligent design in public school science classes.<69> During a 2003 interview on KKMS Christian radio program "Talk The Walk", Bachmann said that evolution is a theory that has never been proven, one way or the other.<70> She co-authored a bill that would require public schools to include alternative explanations for the origin of life as part of the state's public school science curricula.<71> In October 2006, Bachmann told a debate audience in St. Cloud, Minnesota, that “there is a controversy among scientists about whether evolution is a fact or not...There are hundreds and hundreds of scientists, many of them holding Nobel Prizes, who believe in intelligent design.”<72' "[/i>

www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Michelle_Bachmann

[terrya]

5. This is a very good post, ras. Recommended.

I watched both the Hardball segements...Bachmann and Katrina VanderHeuvel's response. Ms. VanderHeuvel (I'm glad she's on our side) was almost speechless with anger at what she heard. As was I. You know, ras, Bachmann called you..called I...called everyone here un-American. Words fail me as to how sickening that is.

Thank you for your excellent post. :thumbsup:

[rasputin1952]

16. Most excellent point...

I love my country and have served it well in the past, and will continue to do so in the future.

OUR nation has it's flaws, but we're working on them...and that is what being an American is all about, looking to a future where Justice, Truth, Dignity and Equality prevail. It's a long hard road, but we've come pretty far when we look at it historically. We just don't move all that quickly...people fear change, even if that change is to their benefit.

Now that Bachmann has been exposed, we can all benefit from her ignorance. She is about to become the poster child of intolerance, bigotry and fear...the new McCarthy. I am waiting for the, "Have you no shame ma'am; have you no shame?" moment that sent McCarthy into exile. It shouldn't take to long...few things aggravate Americans more than being called "un-American" because you disagree w/a point of view...the bush cabal learned that lesson, and so will the rest of those who would dare to call you, me or any other American a "traitor"

[Fla Dem]

6. Read HER history .......she is an extreme fundie, evangelical, who built her career on

highly visible toxic demonstrations. I know wikipedia is not always the best source of "perfect" information, but after seeing her on Hardball, I just had to find out more about her. It was hard for me to accept someone like her actually belonged to the US Congress. But after reading her bio information, it's clear she has found her niche in the extreme RW of the Republican party.

"Bachmann had grown up in a Democratic family, but says she became a Republican during her senior year at Winona State. She told the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune that she was reading Gore Vidal's novel Burr: "He was kind of mocking the Founding Fathers and I just thought, 'What a shit. I just remember reading the book, putting it in my lap, looking out the window and thinking, 'You know what? I don't think I am a Democrat. I must be a nutcase.'" "

"The first time Bachmann's political activism gained media notice was at an abortion protest in 1991. She and approximately 30 other abortion opponents went to a Ramsey County Board meeting where a $3 million appropriation was to go to build a morgue for the county at St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Center (now called Regions Hospital). The Medical Center performed abortions and employed abortion-rights pioneer Dr. Jane E. Hodgson. Bachmann attended the meeting to protest public tax dollars going to the hospital; speaking to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, she said that “in effect, since 1973, I have been a landlord of an abortion clinic, and I don’t like that distinction." "

"Parents charged Bachmann with trying to set up classes on Creationism and advocating "something called '12 Christian principles' be taught, very much like the 10 Commandments." Bachmann and the board of directors also refused to allow the in-school screening of the Disney film Aladdin, feeling that it endorsed magic/witchcraft and promoted paganism. With her directors, Bachmann appeared before the Stillwater School Board to address the concerned group of parents. Feeling that the criticism was an unfounded personal attack, she stated, "Are you going to question my integrity?" As the critique continued, Bachmann and four members of her board resigned on the spot – reportedly viewing the whole controversy as stemming from anti-Christian discrimination."



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michele_Bachmann

[old guy]

11. What does this say about the people who vote for her?

[downwbush]

19. Wow

This chick is terrifying. She dug herself quite a hole, and I will be asking all of my family who lives in Minnesota to vote for Tinklenberg. I just donated $20 to his campaign and signed an on-line petition to censure her. I hope Tinklenberg's campaign runs with this all the way until November 4. She needs to go to a deserted island with Sarah Palin forever!

[bvar22]

27. Bachmann is a Congresswoman, and only people in her district...

...(MN District 6) (Stillwater) can vote for her Democratic opponent El Tinklenberg.
Bachmann's district is in a very Red "White Flight" suburb of Minneapolis/St Paul.
They had the chance to vote for Patty Wetterling in 2006, but chose looney Bachmann instead.
:shrug:

I'm sending a donation to Tinklenberg today.
http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18660

[illuminaughty]

54. Welcome to DU!

[Coyote_Bandit]

21. More background info on Bachmann

She enrolled in the charter class of the OW Coburn School of Law at Oral Roberts University. After completing her first year she withdrew and returned a few years later to complete her degree. She graduated in 1986.

The OW Coburn law school was named after its financial benefactor. OW Coburn was a Muskogee Oklahoma optician - and the father of Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn.

In the Fall of 1985 the OW Coburn School of Law was "gifted" by Oral Roberts and the ORU Board of Regents to Pat Robertson's CBN University (now Regent University).

Professors, administrators and other students that little Michelle would have had contact with at the ORU law school include: Herb Titus, John Eidsmoe, Charles Kothe, Hubert and Paul Morken, Chris Klicka, Wayne House. I'm sure there were other influences there as well. These are just the ones who immediately come to mind. With a little research you will find that thy have all been extreme right wing fundamentalist Christian advocates.

[mwb970]

73. So in other words, she has no education.

Kind of like Sarah Palin.

[Fla Dem]

22. Sign petition for Bachmann's censure....link inside.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=7505180&mesg_id=7505180

[rasputin1952]

23. Kick fot this petition link....

:kick:

[Fla Dem]

25. Bachmann’s lead in the Sixth is down to four points over Tinklenberg

From the Minnesota Independent 10/14/2008


The poll was released as the DCCC, which added Tinklenberg to its Red to Blue list, begins pouring money into the race, .....

Meanwhile, Zach Stephenson at MNPublius reports that in some off-the-record conversations with GOP insiders there is a sense of concern over the district. “I’ve spoken to several Republicans tonight who tell me that internal Republican polling has Michele Bachmann with just a five point lead over El Tinklenberg.”

http://minnesotaindependent.com/13390/dccc-poll-bachmanns-lead-in-the-sixth-is-down-to-four-points-over-tinklenberg

Love to see some polling after her Hardball performance. Hope Tinklenberg uses some of her extreme statements in commercials.

[Subdivisions]

7. Her opponent, Democrat Elwyn Tinklenberg, is the beneficiary of

Bachmann's stupidity and mental deficiencies. His donations have soared by more than $110,000 since Bachmann's tirade. He is now up to $113,000 at Act Blue.

[saltpoint]

8. Big money well spent.

Bachmann is monstrous.

[bbgrunt]

9. the followup with Buchanan was pretty disgusting too. I

am just appalled by what is oozing out of these reptilian cretins. I sure hope Tweety does not give anymore airtime to these kinds of "discussions".

[rasputin1952]

24. Buchanan is a dried up hack...

I never expect him to be little more than a "can w/a string" "journalist".

Kartina inevitably handles him quite well, but yesterday, she was just SO pissed, I barely recognized her.

[Oilwellian]

29. I disagree about the air time

If Tweety did not give her a microphone, she would still be a stealth fundie freak. It's important these people be exposed and expunged from the political process. I've been wondering if Tweety knew this about her and purposely exposed it or if he was caught by surprise like the rest of us.

[bbgrunt]

31. I agree--it is good to expose it, but its exposure also

gives it a kind of legitimacy that is dangerous. Sure, Tweety seemed to deal with it successfully by having Katrina there, but once these freaks start getting air time, they will be considered legitimate by Faux and others. Just notice how Buchanan started to grow the same horns the longer he talked.

I used to think the same thing about Limpballs--the more he talked, the more he was exposed. Somehow, however, it didn't quite work out that way.

I am not for censorship, but I think there is a large percentage of this population that feed on these kind of sentiments--and I don't think these kinds of sentiments have any place in civic discourse or need to be fed.

[Cerridwen]

10. Beautifully said.

If beautiful can be used when discussing such ugliness - your words and thoughts were indeed beautifully presented.

In another thread last night, another DUer reminded us that she once hid in the bushes to watch a gay rights rally AND her attempt to bypass rules to sneak in an anti-gay law. The signs were there. Subterfuge is not something that belongs in government. Neither are the people who use it for their own questionable agenda.

edit to add link to thread mentioned above: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4258101

Perhaps the only good thing to come of these last 8 years (and the +/-40 year setup that preceded them) is that junior has made it comfortable for psychopaths to come out of hiding and we can see them for what they are; they've been flushed from the bushes. LOL Now we can start to clean them out of our system.

For whatever my opinion is worth to you, rasputin1952, you write well. Please consider doing so more often. :hi:

[formercia]

12. The stealth 'reconstructionist' candidate

We knew they were there, laying in wait for their moment in History. Now they come to the fore, spitting their racist venom without regard for the consequences. Like a cornered beast, they will fight to their last breath.

[Generic Other]

13. I was equally appalled that she included all professors in her remarks

Purging the academicians is such a Nazi idea. Hell, they had the students throw their teachers off of balconies.

Yes, she sounds like the people Sinclair Lewis warned us against in his novel IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE. It's a fast read. And deadly scary.

<snip>
"Mrs. Adelaide Tarr Gimmitch--she who was no more renowned for her gallant anti-suffrage campaigning way back in 1919 than she was for having, during the Great War, kept the American soldiers entirely out of French cafés by the clever trick of sending them ten thousand sets of dominoes.

Nor could any social-minded patriot sneeze at her recent somewhat unappreciated effort to maintain the purity of the American Home by barring from the motion-picture industry all persons, actors or directors or cameramen, who had: (a) ever been divorced; (b) been born in any foreign country--except Great Britain, since Mrs. Gimmitch thought very highly of Queen Mary, or (c) declined to take an oath to revere the Flag, the Constitution, the Bible, and all other peculiarly American institutions." <snip>

http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0301001h.html

[TahitiNut]

14. I'd regard tar and feathers as progress .... for democracy and the sovereignty of the people

As it is, we've become a nation of cowards and criminals, either collecting our "piece of the action" (while others are destroyed) or hiding behind our oh-so-well-informed opinions and riding the high-horse of too-civil-to-argue. For 30 years, fastidious 'liberals' have been misguidedly apologizing for people who had the guts and conscience to take to the streets in the 60s ... as though the Robert Borks of this country deserve any kind of respect.

I'll bring the feathers. :grr:

[Waiting For Everyman]

17. Tar-to-go. Exactly, Tahiti.

Bachmann's such a liar, she'd probably say tar and feathers is some new spa treatment.

I have no patience for the 60s dissing too. Like we'd ever see the guts that took now. To me, it's just like dissing vets, only actually worse.

[rasputin1952]

18. And I'll start the fire under the tar-pot...

[Fuzz]

15. She is a dingbat extraordinaire of the first order.

[peacetalksforall]

20. I recommend everyone listen to the latest tape of Limbaugh. Then, someone should.

make a new video with Limbaugh and Bachmann relays of hate baiting and throw in Palin smirks after each sample of hate baiting by Limbaugh and Bachmann.

[opihimoimoi]

26. She is helping to make the GOP go EXTINCT....she is outta touch w Reality

:toast:

[rasputin1952]

28. Cleaning up the gene pool...

what an idea!

:hi:

[opihimoimoi]

30. The GOP StageCoach Company still trying to compete with CARS

She is so 1900's its pathetic.....

[Hubert Flottz]

32. The rest of the GOPers in Washington are just about as nuts as

that freak.

I was watching as she made a total ass of herself yesterday and I was thinking that she's really no different than Newt and Tom Delay and Cheney and Bush.

The "have mores" all think of the poorer 95% of Americans as their very own flock of Untermenschen. Pat PukeCannon agreed with that nutbag almost to the letter.

[opihimoimoi]

34. What the HELL is it that them Pubs think that way? Is it the friggen Food? The Water?

Is it their cigars?

The way they entwine?

Are they not aware of REASON?

Reality?

Sanity?

Logic?

They expose themselves as WEEDS and not sweet smelling Flowers/Herbs/ but rather obnoxious weeds....

[Hubert Flottz]

35. I think it's a mixture of Jim Jones Kool-Aid and bad DNA.

Too much inbreeding?

[opihimoimoi]

37. A BREED TOO FAR???? Oh Oh...The Race is on...and no wonder they want more babies

The more to Fool Ya With....

[dkofos]

33. Bachmann put her foot in her mouth and put $500,000 in Tinklenberg's campaign fund.

Some you win some you lose.
And some teach you to STFU.

[TexasObserver]

36. Agreed. She's channeling Martin Dies. She has to be defeated.

[rasputin1952]

38. Remarkably, her ignorance was so profound, she

being a Congresscritter, never realized that what she was saying, was precisely what was being said before the Civil War, much less than during the McCarthy Era.

This nation has always had a pretty contentious political history; these types of insane tactics however are so beyond the pale, that they can only lead to division/destruction of our Republic.

The fear, born of ignorance and intolerance, brings forth nothing but hatred and more fear...the cycle does not end because rational thought never enters the process.

I think her defeat is inevitable...even cowards despise being called cowards...but when you call Americans "Un-American"...even cowards will rise to the occasion.

[TexasObserver]

39. And the irony is, they almost never realize the history of such efforts in America.

They don't realize our country has had to stop their type repeatedly from treating half the country as unpatriotic criminals.

[rasputin1952]

40. I am willing to bet that few have ever read, much less understand many of our greatest documents...

The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address or his 2nd Inaugural Speech...the FDR "Fear" speech.

If ignorance is bliss, these people are dancing in the streets...:D

[TexasObserver]

58. They don't read actual historical documents. They read what guys like Sean Hannity write.

[rasputin1952]

60. I remember Hannity trying to shill his book by saying there...

"were no words longer than 3 syllables"...:D

[cosmic _mind]

41. she is indeed mentally ill

You don't even need her words to see it - you can mute the sound and see it in her expression, the look in her eyes. she scares me.

[cosmic _mind]

42. dupe

[howmad1]

43. Geeez, may McSchmuck should have picked her for VP.

That would have gotten him a few more votes from the lunatic fringe.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

44. Bachman is a complete nut on a lot of issues

Everyone should read this Wikipedia article about her.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michele_Bachmann

She went to a law school affiliated with Oral Roberts University and she's an ultra right wing Evangelical Christian with the desire to inject her religion in civil society. She sat on a board to establish a charter school in Minnesota where she proposed to teach creationism in the classroom and intelligent design. She even opposed the showing of Walt Disney's Aladdin in the school because she said it promoted magic, withcraft, and paganism.

She is one of the House's most vocal opponents of gay marriage or even civil unions. Several times she has tried to get anti-gay marriage propositions on the ballot in her state and she has attended rallies to promote Christian values and the display of the 10 Commandments in public buildings.

She belongs to a weird church that teaches that the Catholic Church is evil and that the Pope is the anti-Christ. She even addressed the congregation in her church to tell them that God called upon her to run for Congress.

She opposes increases in Pell grants, she opposes any increase in the minimum wage, and she is for the privatization of social security.

She has also blamed provisions in the law to make it easier for poor people to buy homes and she blames the ecomomic crisis on the poor.

[rasputin1952]

45. Looks like the quintessential GOP loon of the the

evangelical type that refuses to accept the Constitution...sounds pretty damn "un-America" to me...;)

[Swamp Rat]

46. The new 'Cover Girl of McCarthyism'

[rasputin1952]

47. I bet I'm on that list!

:hi:

[Hubert Flottz]

49. It kind of makes you wonder about the people who elected this thing

Now that she's laid her cards on the table for America to see you'd think that the people who sent her to Washington would see what a pig in a poke they bought.

[rasputin1952]

51. Willing to bet she loses this time around...

few people like being called "un-American", and that's just what she called every citizen in this nation, (including her district) that does not agree w/her POV...not very smart...;)

[Hubert Flottz]

56. I saw it as it unfolded on Hardball

I couldn't believe my eyes and ears...and then Pat came on and backed her up.

[rasputin1952]

57. Buchanan is one of the most incredibly stupid people I've ever seen....

he's little more than a semi-well dressed punk that lost too many barfights.

Where was he when bush/cheney were destroying this great nation? After all, those two are about as "un-American" as people can get...x(

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

48. Bachman

Well, I suppose a post here will put me on her enemies list, so here goes. I'm in Virginia, not far from CBN. I have said for years that someone has to keep an eye on them. The countryside is full of people that think the way she does. Don't be fooled, they do think, but it is a circuitous pattern of thought. No amount of logic will ever derail the train that these folks drive. The point, be and remain vigilant, let them know we are watching.

[rasputin1952]

55. Welcome to DU!

I grew up around these people, and I am currently in Nebraska...I know my nutjobs...:D

[Joe Fields]

50. Oh, I think you summed up many's feelings here quite eloquently.

I don't normally advocate violence, but in her case, as also in the cases of all of the Wall Street bums, I would take perverse pleasure in a little tarring and feathering.

K&R!

[Bette Noir]

52. There's a problem with the retrogressive campaign the Repubs are running this year.

It seems they want to turn back the clock to some very ugly periods of American history. Re-ignite the Cold War. Re-fight Viet Nam. Return to McCarthyism. Go back to lynch mobs. Re-live the Great Depression.

I'd just as soon we not go back to any of these things, but boldly go ahead, into a new era of peace, justice, and prosperity.

How about, instead of electing the Moose Hunter and the Warrior, we elect the law professor and the statesman? We could do worse.

[lonestarnot]

53. I'm glad you broke out!

:evilgrin: K & R

[southerncrone]

59. She is part of the "Christian Right" (Wrong) infiltration of our government.

Repukes selected & supported overly rabid, "Christian" candidates who are easily manipulated because they are ignorant.

She is the poster child for this movement.


We MUST identify & do everything in our power to remove these brainwashed ignoramuses from Congress!

[FlaGranny]

62. Well, to be fair

the Republicans did not really select these nutjobs. It was Pat Robertson, Jerry Fallwell, etc., etc., back about 30 or more years ago. They undertook a concerted effort to have fundamentalism take over the country and they chose the Republican party as the route. Thank god they didn't choose Dems. Their plan was education (like Oral Roberts U), infiltration (running for small local offices without saying too much about ultimate goals), and then working up from there to national offices, and eventually turning this country into a fundamentalist "wet dream." When I first read about this in the early 80s I laughed about it - never thought Americans were dumb enough to fall for it. Now look what's happened. They're trying to turn a (relatively) free country into an oligarchy, something most Americans would abhor if they actually knew what it was. Hopefully most Americans are waking up to them.

Very frightening times we're living through.

[southerncrone]

68. Regardless of the vehicle, we've still got to get rid of these nutcases!

The reason they chose the Republicans was because Dems are more open minded & inclusive, something they stalwartly oppose. I, too, remember back then when this was proposed & thought it was crazy.
We now see what patience, contrived control of religious belief systems & unrelenting determination can do.......bring the most powerful country in the world to its knees.

The Republicans chose to lie with them, so they must accept the consequences. They've certainly embraced them over these last 3 decades.

[FlaGranny]

69. The Repubicans

did choose to lie with them, but I think that when they realized the extent of the infiltration, it was too late and there were so many of the infiltrators that Republicans were more or less forced to accept them or lose. They took the coward's way out. There are still some normal, relatively decent Republicans out there and I'm certain they are disturbed by these nutcases. Nixon and Ford look like perfectly reasonable, normal people compared to this "new breed" of Republican. Nixon's crookedness even seems tame.

[rasputin1952]

70. Just before his death, Goldwater, on live TV was asked about

the "new" R's...his flat out statement was, "These aren't Republicans, these are shitheads".

Talk about a "straight-shooter"...:D

[FlaGranny]

72. Goldwater -

His policies sure did scare me, but I couldn't help but like that man. You always knew where he stood. There was no "stealth" about him, no sneakiness.

[rasputin1952]

74. He was a true conservative, but he wasn't a cruel conservative...

foreign policies scared me to death...but hid dedication to fiscal responsibility and , as you say, you always knew where he stood, is admirable.

[FloridaJudy]

61. "You've done enough.".

"Have you no sense of decency, Ms. Bachmann? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"

For those not old enough to recognize the reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Welch

[rasputin1952]

65. Joe Welch...thanks for the search and the correction...

:hi:

I often misquote that, as I've only seen the clip a couple of times, it was a pivotal point in political history though. It showed that power can be challenged, and it's abuse curbed when confronted.

[Sorceress]

63. Well said, OP! K&R!

:applause:

[whistle]

64. Joe McCarthy reincarnated as Michele Backmann

[nickgutierrez]

66. This is a new low.

I can't say I'm surprised that somebody would go there, but I am stunned that it's a member of Congress. What we're seeing is the direct consequence of so many years of terrorist paranoia - you could argue that the only difference between what Bachmann is doing and what the Republican Party has been systematically doing since 9/11 is that Michelle Bachmann is too stupid to be subtle.

This absolutely reeks of McCarthy, but that's an easy comparison.

[rasputin1952]

67. Much to my chagrin, it also reeks of the "Alien and Sedition Act"

of Madsion...but the nation was young...at this point, one would think we've moved further ahead from all of the lessons of the past. Thank God we had a USSC/Congress that blew that right out of the water.

We live in a nation where basic Civics classes have been cut to point where people don't even realize we live in a Democratic Republic, and those we elect are responsible to WE THE PEOPLE. We are the victims of our own ignorance, the only "blame" can be found in a frightened American public that refuses to take the reigns of power away from those who would abuse us.

[democracy1st]

71. well said thank you rasputin1952

[rasputin1952]

75. Watching Hardball segment on Bachmann right now...

says response was overwhelming...although the usual mouthrunning rambling from Tweety, takes him 3 min's to get to a 3 second question...:eyes: