Just weeks after Rep. Michele Bachmann won the Ames Iowa straw poll, her campaign has seemed to fallen apart. The latest Power Outsiders poll conducted by The Huffington Post and Patch found that Bachmann is losing credibility.

Nearly half of the influential local Republicans were surveyed in the early primary states, including New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina, report a negative impression of Bachmann, and more than two thirds see little or no chance that Bachmann can either beat Barack Obama or win the Republican nomination.

This week, the HuffPost-Patch Power Outsiders poll of 160 political activists, party officials and officeholders in the early primary and caucus states focuses on Bachmann. The poll does not survey all Republican voters, but focused on influential local activists and political insiders that have historically driven the outcome of party nomination campaigns.

This week, we heard from 38 Power Outsiders in Iowa, 57 in New Hampshire and 65 in South Carolina. The poll first asked respondents to use one word to describe their impression of Bachmann. Unlike with the two frontrunners, nearly half the words (48 percent) to describe Bachmann were negative, including “inexperienced,” “crazy,” “lightweight” and “scary.”

Fewer words (43 percent) were unambiguously positive, including “passionate,” “energetic,” “principled,” “determined” and “feisty.” Although we classified 8 percent of the comments as neutral, these included words like “conservative” (mentioned by 4 percent) that could have either a positive or negative connotation for the respondent.

The comparison between the one-word reaction to Bachmann and the two front-runners is stark. The influential local Republican activists we talked to were nearly twice as likely to use a negative word to describe Bachmann (48 percent) as Romney (28 percent) or Perry (24 percent) on previous surveys.

The Power Outsiders do express affinity for Bachmann’s issue positions. Nearly four out of five (78 percent) describe her as someone who “takes stands on issues you agree with,” although less than a third (29 percent) say that phrase describes Bachmann “very well.”

Respondents gave far more negative reactions to Bachmann when asked about other characteristics. Only 40 percent describe her as someone who “would make a good president,” and her ratings plunge on matters of viability. Only 29 percent describe her as someone “who can beat Barack Obama in the general election,” and even fewer (26 percent) say she can win the Republican nomination.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/

The article Michele Bachmann’s Trouble Increase, According to New Poll appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Rep. Michele Bachmann attacked Governor Rick Perry during the last debate in Florida. She strongly criticized the Texas governor for his executive order in 2007 that mandated human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for sixth-grade girls. However, after the debate, Bachmann appeared on Fox News and spoke about a woman from the audience.

“There’s a woman who came up crying to me tonight after the debate. She said her daughter was given that vaccine,” Bachmann said. “She told me her daughter suffered mental retardation as a result. There are very dangerous consequences.”

Perry said Wednesday morning that Bachmann’s comment “had no truth in it, no basis in fact.” Other people have criticized Bachmann’s comments as well, including her former campaign manager, Ed Rollins. “She made a mistake. The quicker she admits she made a mistake and moves on, the better she is,” Rollins said in an interview on MSNBC on Wednesday.

“Ms. Bachmann’s an emotional person who basically has great feeling for people. I think that’s what she was trying to project. Obviously it would have been better if she had stayed on the issue,” he said. Rollins admitted to Chris Matthews on MSNBC that Bachmann has taken what was a positive issue for her and at the least tainted it, allowing Perry to escape the full brunt of scrutiny he would have otherwise borne.

“I think the bottom line here is she has made what was a very positive debate and made the issue about Perry to where it’s now an issue about her, and she needs to move on,” Rollins said. After a few days of silence, the Minnesota Congresswoman is on the defensive.

“During the debate, I didn’t make any statements that would indicate that I’m a doctor, I’m a scientist or that I’m making any conclusions about the drug one way or another,” the GOP presidential hopeful told reporters.

Asked whether she would apologize for comments that outraged medical experts say will discourage parents from getting their children immunized, Bachmann said: “Oh, I’m not going to answer that.”

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/ 

The article Michele Bachmann Stands Behind Controversial HPV Remarks appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has not campaigned on the one thing that sets her apart-her gender. As of now, there is no Sarah Palin in the race and Bachmann represents the lone female in the presidential ring. Bachmann has chosen to downplay her gender, unlike her predecessors, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton.

The presidential candidate does not mention that she would be the first female Republican presidential nominee. Jennifer Lawless, director of the Women and Politics Institute at American University, said Bachmann’s decision to downplay her gender in her campaign could be a smart electoral strategy to win over the evangelical, conservative base.

“She does not embrace feminist policies or feminist principles,” said Lawless. “For them to portray her as breaking a glass ceiling becomes tricky. I think the campaign has rightly tried not to do that. The counter to that is Sarah Palin, who didn’t embrace feminist principles or feminist policies, but was a self-identified feminist and said she was out there to finish the work that Hillary Clinton started.

That disconnect between what her beliefs were and what her rhetoric said ultimately raised a lot of questions.” Women’s groups such as the National Organization for Women and NARAL Pro-Choice America have expressed concern that Bachmann as the first female president would actually be a setback for women rather than a victory.

“She is so opposed to women’s equality and women’s rights that I suppose it’s appropriate that she’s not touting herself as a woman candidate,” said Terry O’Neill, president of NOW. “Palin at least claims to support Title IX. I’m searching for an issue on which Bachmann and NOW would agree.”

Conservative women groups, however, do not understand why other women groups wouldn’t support Bachmann.. Ciara Matthews, communications director at the Susan B. Anthony List, which works to elect women who oppose abortion rights, said she can’t understand why any women’s group wouldn’t be pleased to see the first woman president elected.

“If we’re trying to send the message that women are as strong as men are, why do we need to highlight the fact that we are women doing something that women are expected to be able to do as well as men?” said Matthews. “And Bachmann has a very pro-woman agenda. She’s pro-life, and I think that the most pro-woman position you can take — wanting to defend women against the horrors of abortion.”

Bachmann’s campaign spokeswoman said the candidate doesn’t need to identify as a feminist or play up the fact that she is the only woman running because she leads by example. “Michele speaks with great pride about being a mother to her five wonderful children, foster mother to 23 children and wife of almost 33 years,” Alice Stewart said.

“She has talked about the many fond memories of raising her children and being a homemaker. She has shared the most personal story a woman can tell — that of losing a child due to a miscarriage. At campaign events across the country, mothers bring their daughters to meet Michele and say she is a tremendous role model to girls and women everywhere.”

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/

The article Michele Bachmann Downplays Gender appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Rep. Michele Bachmann’s campaign suffered a major shake-up on Monday as her campaign manager and his close deputy, although her aides tried to downplay the changes.

Veteran GOP strategist Ed Rollins stepped down as campaign manager for health reasons. The Bachmann campaign stated a strategist is filling in until a replacement is named. Rollins will continue to advise the campaign, according to Bachmann.

“In less than 50 days and with fewer resources than other campaigns, Ed was the architect that led our campaign to a historic victory in Iowa,” Bachmann said in a statement released late Monday, pointing to her win in the Ames Straw Poll last month.

“I am grateful for his guidance and leadership, and fortunate to retain his valuable advice even though his health no longer permits him to oversee the day-to-day operations of the campaign.” Rollins told CNN that the front-runners of the GOP race are Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, stating that Perry’s late entry has affected fundraising for Bachmann.

“I think legitimately it’s a Romney-Perry race,” he said. “I think she’s the third candidate at this point in time – which is way different and better than we’d thought when we started this thing – and she’s very much in this thing.”Rollins suffered a stroke a year ago and doesn’t feel he can carry on as campaign manager.

“I have great affection for her. I’ll do everything I can to help her. It’s still very much the team I put in place. I just don’t have the endurance to go 12-, 14-hour days seven days a week anymore,” he said.

His deputy, David Polyansky, who worked with him when they ran former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s presidential bid in 2008, also planned to step aside, Rollins told CNN.”David and I have been a team for a long time,” he said. “It’s just a good time to make a change.”

Campaign strategist Keith Nahigian is taking over as campaign manager for the short-term. Prior to the Bachmann campaign, he was a government consultant at the Health and Human Services Department to the Homeland Security Department, as well as to the National Security Council.

“Keith has played a vital role in the success we have had to date and I’m confident he can lead us to a strong finish in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and across the country,” Bachmann said in her statement.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/

The article Michele Bachmann’s Campaign Manager Quits appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Michele Bachmann proves once again she can dominate the news cycle with irrelevant statements and ideas. The representative from Minnesota who is vying for the republican presidential nomination stated that the United States can more energy resources than any other country but “radical environmentalists” won’t allow the government to exploit these resources.

Bachmann told a crowd in Florida that with shale oil, natural gas and coal, the United States shouldn’t be “begging” others for oil and energy supplies. She said “we are the king daddy dogs when it comes to energy,” but that environmentalists are preventing resources from being tapped.

Bachmann specifically pointed out untapped oil reserves in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and off the nation’s coasts along with shale oil in Western states and rich natural gas and coal deposits. Bachmann stated that the U.S. “is sitting on a mother lode of treasure.” Bachmann promises to unlock those resources and disband the Environmental Protection Agency if she was elected president.

“The radical environmentalists have demanded that we lock up all our energy resources,” she said. “President Bachmann will take that key out of the door. I will unlock it.”She added that will eliminate the “job killing” Environmental Protection Agency.

“We will turn out the lights and we’ll lock the doors,” she said. The crowd at a retirement community cheered to those promises. I guess that will happen before she magically lowers gas prices.

Bachmann also spoke in Jacksonville last week. She told supporters there that the corporate income tax should be reduced to prevent more companies from moving jobs overseas. She was later asked by a reporter whether changes to the minimum wage should also be considered to balance the cost of labor here and overseas.”I’m not married to anything. I’m not saying that’s where I’m going to go,” she said.

“I want to bring advisers in from labor and from manufacturers and from the service industry and financial services. I want to know what they know, because that’s what we’ve been missing from President Obama. He has virtually no one in his Cabinet with private sector experience,” Bachmann said. “I want to bring people who know how to create jobs into my administration.”

Bachmann told the crowd she knows Florida will play an important role in the election.”We will be back here many, many, many, many, many times in Jacksonville, and we’re going to be old friends and neighbors by the time this is all done,” she said.

Image Courtesy of  Michele Bachmann

The article Bachmann Will Disband Environmental Protection Agency appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) does not like to be out of the news cycle for even a moment. While the national media was focused on potential destruction, in the form of Hurricane Irene and the earthquake, Bachmann was off the radar for a moment.

She didn’t seem to like it. So, she said something wacky and voila, we are back talking about the presidential candidate. Bachmann told a Florida crowd on Sunday that the hurricane and the earthquake were messages from God to warn “politicians” to start listening to divine guidance. It is weird to me that God is worried about that stuff when millions of people go to be hungry and stuff but what do I know.

“I don’t know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We’ve had an earthquake; we’ve had a hurricane. He said, ‘Are you going to start listening to me here?’”

Bachmann said in front of approximately 1,000 people. “Listen to the American people, because the American people are roaring right now,” Bachmann continued. “They know government is on a morbid obesity diet and we’ve got to rein in the spending.”

Bachmann, as crazy as her comments were, is not even the first to make the tenuous connection between two natural events and some wrath of God . Glenn Beck, radio personality, stated the events were a warning to the American people. “How many warnings do you think you’re going to get, and how many warnings do you deserve?

This hurricane that is coming through the East Coast, for anyone who’s in the East Coast and has been listening to me say ‘Food storage!’ ‘Be prepared!’” Beck said. “If you’ve waited, this hurricane is a blessing. It is a blessing. It is God reminding you — as was the earthquake last week — it’s God reminding you you’re not in control.”

I find it interesting that people like Bachmann and Beck can link a natural disaster to some politic policies but it is blasphemy to even suggest that our foreign policies may have caused 9/11- a manmade disaster. That seems so much more plausible to me.

Bachmann’s spokesperson, Alice Stewart, said the comments were made in jest and not serious. I am not sure about that though. The very day a hurricane is hitting the northeast and people are losing their lives isn’t really a good time to make a joke about it. Either Bachmann was being serious or she is very insensitive.

Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock.com

The article Bachmann: Hurricane and Earthquake Because of Government appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

A serious presidential contender believes the Soviet Union still exists and, unfortunately, because Rep. Michele Bachmann will make 10 more verbal gaffes just today, the story is overlooked. In an interview conducted by Christian radio host Jay Sekulow on Thursday, Bachmann again proves just how far out of her league she is.

When asked on-air about what different people all over the country are telling Bachmann on her campaign trail, the GOP hopeful said that jobs and economy are obviously a big concern among Americans. That’s not all that’s on their minds, however.

“What people recognize is that there’s a fear that the United States is in an unstoppable decline,” said Bachmann. “They see the rise of China, the rise of India, the rise of the Soviet Union and our loss militarily going forward.”

Yes, the Minnesota Republican believes that the Soviet Union is a threat, the same Soviet Union that has been a democracy for over twenty years. The Soviet Union was dismantled by Bachmann’s own hero-Ronald Reagan.

It seems like something she would know.  I don’t know if this is Bachmann’s gaffe or the people attending her rallies are really saying this. Either way, it is frightening.

Bachmann also proclaimed to a South Carolina crowd that if she were president, gas prices would decrease. “Under President Bachmann you will see gasoline come down below $2 a gallon again,” she stated, pointing out that gas prices were $1.79 when President Barack Obama took office. Of course, she failed to mention that Obama took office during a massive global recession.

Many policies that would reduce Americans dependence on oil, Bachmann has been against. She may believe that an increase in domestic drilling will somehow magically lower gas prices but this is not correct.

The Energy Information in 2009 estimated that by drilling on America’s continental shelf — where so much of America’s oil is — would only drop gas prices by a few cents by 2030.

It is completely conceivable that Bachmann believes that the president sets the gas prices. She, so far, has proven that she does not understand world history; it is not hard to believe that economics is past her comprehension.

Even though she is a tax lawyer, she clearly did not understand the whole debt ceiling debate. So vote for Bachmann and gas prices will drop, income will rise, new roads will be built and you won’t have to pay any taxes!!!! It is a magical world!! (And completely fiction.)

Image Courtesy of  http://www.facebook.com/teambachmann?ref=ts

The article Michele Bachmann, The Rise of the Soviet Union Is a Fear appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Rep. Michele Bachmann, the congresswoman from Minnesota that is trying to run for president, often gets her facts really screwed up. And just because she is running for the GOP nomination does not mean she has started to check her facts any better.

Trying to make a point for smaller government, Bachmann has taken on federal employees. I have much to say about picking on governmental workers when we tax the rich less than the middle class but we will save that for another day.

While on “Fox News Sunday” this past weekend, Bachmann said, “We had one employee at the federal Department of Transportation that made $170,000 a year at the beginning of the recession.”

“We had the trillion dollar stimulus, and 18 months into the recession, we had 1,690 employees making over $170,000,” she continued. “Government has really been growing at — a lot of largesse. But people in the real world aren’t. And that’s what has to change. Government has no conformity at all with the real world,” She stated.

Although federal transportation workers making $170,000 or more a year increased after Obama took office, the increase was authorized under President George W. Bush.

It was not associated with stimulus spending but was a modest pay raise for highly-trained employees.  Most of the pay raises were to air traffic controllers, experts responsible for thousands of airline passengers’ lives each day. Furthermore, the congresswoman herself voted in 2008 for a separate bill that increased federal worker pay.

Bachmann used her statistics from a USA Today article that talked about the increase in transportation workers pay. However, the article never mentioned any stimulus spending.

“Because of the technical difficulty, stressful nature, and critical importance of the air traffic controller work, many of the highest paid employees at the Department of Transportation work in air traffic control,” a Department of Transportation spokesperson wrote in a statement sent to The Huffington Post.

“In December 2007 (the beginning date used by USA Today in compiling their 2009 report), the statutory cap on yearly salary was set at $168,000, and a number of senior air traffic control employees were at the statutory cap.

For that reason, once the cap was raised by the Bush Administration in January 2008 and 2009, even modest year to year salary increases bumped a number of air traffic control employees over the arbitrarily chosen $170,000 limit used in the USA Today report.”

Percentage-wise, the pay increase Bachmann keeps referring to is actually quite small, John Palguta, vice president for policy and research at the Partnership for Public Service, pointed out. And most federal employees have been working under a pay freeze for the last couple years, he added.

“What you want to do is pay a salary that is in the ballpark competitive with other major employers, if you’re the government,” said Palguta. “No one wants to overpay federal workers — I certainly don’t.

I’m a taxpayer too, and I’m a former fed. But you don’t want to underpay either, such that you’re not getting people who are the best at what the job is.”

Image Courtesy of  http://www.facebook.com/RepMicheleBachmann?ref=ts

The article Michele Bachmann Misstates Facts…Again appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

In Ames, Iowa, Tea Party representative Michele Bachmann won a symbolic straw poll at a political festival held at the campus of Iowa State University. The vote was held on the same day as Rick Perry announced his candidacy and comes five months before the first official Iowa primaries, according to the BBC.

The Ames straw poll was a vote by attendees over the age of 18 and by the end of the day, Bachmann had received 4,823 of the 16,892 votes. Runner-up Ron Paul took a close 4,671 votes in the non-binding contest while former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlentry finished third with 2,283.

The straw poll is expected to give Bachmann’s campaign a boost and in her speech to the crowd after the count, she states “This is the first step towards taking the White house in 2012 and we have just sent a message that Barack Obama will be a one-term president.” The Boston Globe could report that the victor, who is the first female candidate to win the informal contest, had broken down in tears and hugged her husband after learning the result.

Despite the poll holding no official significance, observers agree that the poll has symbolic significance for the candidates. “It’s a big boost for her,” said Mike Huckabee, former winner of the caucuses, to reporters. “Whoever wins or comes in second, they get gas for their fire. Whoever doesn’t, they get water for theirs.”

Fire is definitely burning in the Republican camp where the race for a chance to challenge President Obama on key issues such as the recent downgrade, unemployment, health care and Wall Street will be critical in the bid to convince voters of what camp can best resuscitate the ‘ailing America’ as the Huffington Post puts it.

On the day of the straw poll, thousands of GOP activist gather at the Iowa State University campus to enjoy the festival that also serves as a fundraiser for the state GOP. Despite the attempt of several candidates to sway voters, Michele Bachmann stole the show. Her rhetoric and energy was noted as the important ingredient in her triumphant day.

In her speech, she emphasized her connection to the state and her opposition to abortion and gay marriage. Later, she danced on stage with her husband before 3,000 supporters and hundreds more who had gathered outside in hopes of catching a glimpse.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.facebook.com/teambachmann

The article Michele Bachmann 2012 Campaign, Wooing Iowa in Straw Poll appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

It is official. Michele Bachmann could not wait until her planned announcement later in the month. She had to get it out now.  She IS running for president. During the GOP presidential debate on Monday night, the Minnesota congresswoman could not contain herself. Out of the blue, she announced that she has filed the papers to be an official candidate for the Republican nomination.

Just an hour before the debate began, a fundraising letter was sent to supporters about the decision. “We cannot risk giving President Obama four more years to dismantle our nation. We must act now,” Bachmann wrote in the letter. “That’s why I’ve made the decision to get in this race.”

Despite Bachmann’s relative political inexperience, she is relatively well known. She has made some controversial statements and gaffes. She makes frequent television appearances and has proven before that she can raise extraordinary amounts of money. Bachmann is the first woman to enter the race officially.

“Our country needs a leader who understands the hardships that people across America have been facing over the past few years, and who will do what it takes to renew the American dream. We must become a strong and proud America again, and I see clearly a better path to a brighter future,” Bachmann said in a statement issued through her new campaign.

Not to be outdone, former Utah governor Jon Huntsman announced that he will announce his candidacy. Yes, there is where we are at now. Candidates are making formal announcements that they will announce that they are running at a later date. I don’t understand either.  Huntman, who clearly is enjoying announcing his candidacy, also stated on his Facebook page that he is “getting in.” His campaign “leaked” his initial campaign schedule as a presidential candidate. I guess just to cover all of his bases.

The Republican, who served as President Obama’s ambassador to China until this spring, told reporters of his plan in New York on Tuesday. “I intend to announce my candidacy for the presidency of the United States of America a week from today,” Huntsman said during a discussion about China policy with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

Huntsman has been building his campaign for a month. He made his third trip to New Hampshire over the weekend and has been constructing his national campaign headquarters in Orlando, Florida for some reason.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldeconomicforum/

The article Two More Enter the GOP Fray appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Although not even running against each yet and certainly past high school, Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann are apparently feuding. Let the cat fighting sexist comments commence. The battle began when Bachmann’s campaign grabbed Ed Rollins to be manager of her increasingly likely presidential campaign.

Last Tuesday, Rollins disparaged Palin in a radio interview. “Sarah has not been serious over the last couple of years,” Rollins said. “She got the vice presidential thing handed to her. She didn’t go to work in the sense of trying to gain more substance. She gave up her governorship.” In an interview with Politico, Rollins made the point again. Bachmann will “be so much more substantive. People are going to say, ‘I gotta make a choice and go with the intelligent woman who’s every bit as attractive.’ ”

Not to be outdone, Michael Glassner, Palin’s chief of staff, responded on Wednesday with a statement of his own: “Beltway political strategist Ed Rollins has a long, long track record of taking high profile jobs and promptly sticking his foot in his mouth.”

Rollins admitted that he talks before he thinks sometimes. He told CNN on Wednesday that he needs to adjust from “being a political analyst back to being a strategist.”

“I don’t think Palin runs, and if she does, we will deal with it. There obviously is a trend in the media to link them,” he added. “In the long run we want Palin and her people as our allies.”

Of course, let’s get some things straight. When the fight started, neither of these potential Republican candidates have admitted that they are running for the presidential nomination. Rep. Bachmann, from Minnesota, may be closer than Palin and insiders suggest that she will formally announce her campaign in Iowa, where she spent some time as a child, later this month or sooner as it turned out.  Palin is still leaving everyone guessing, taking a secret bus tour of the United States to visit historical spots but continuing her position as a paid commentator on Fox News.  So, maybe that is why Rollins believes she hasn’t been serious.  She hasn’t even seriously declared her candidacy.  But, either way, the little fighting is fun to watch. It will be an entertaining election season if nothing else.

The article Round 1: Michele Bachmann Vs. Sarah Palin appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.