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President Obama’s presidential term is halfway over and Republicans are trying to get a jump on the Democrats as prospective Republican candidates begin campaigning in key primary states like Iowa. One of the up-and-coming possible candidates is Michelle Bachmann.
Bachmann, a Tea Party favorite, has expressed interest in running for the presidency in the 2012 elections, stating that she may form a presidential exploratory committee within weeks.
Bachmann gained notoriety during the rise of the Tea Party Movement and during the 2010 congressional elections, during which she raised $13.5 million dollars in campaign funds, according to The Washington Post.
A U.S. representative from Minnesota, Bachmann considers her political success during the past election as an opportunity to make a presidential run, going against well-known Republican candidates such as Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.
But does Bachmann have the credentials for the presidency? Sure, her success in the past election could demonstrate some potential as a viable presidential candidate.
However, her Tea Party roots might be the demise of her political campaign.
The Tea Party’s extremely conservative views might turn off moderate or nonpartisan voters considering voting red in the upcoming election. Additionally, Bachmann has had some controversy in the past.
After Obama gave his annual State of the Union address, Bachmann released her own response to openly oppose his message, going beyond the official Republican State of the Union response, according to The Washington Post.
Moreover, Bachmann has only served three terms in government positions, along with tenure as a tax attorney for the Treasury Department. She just might not have enough political experience to deal with the pressures and requirements the presidency entails.
However, Bachmann has also done some things that might aid her in pursuing the presidency.
She organized the Tea Party Caucus in the House of Representatives, which may prove imperative in gaining support from the ever-growing Tea Party Movement.
Additionally, her time as a tax attorney may have provided her with enough expertise and experience to approach economic policy and attempt to deal with the immense national debt.
Bachmann has also exemplified eloquent public speaking abilities, which may be a major factor in gaining support for angry Republicans and swing voters during the next election campaign.
According to CNN, Bachmann demonstrated her charismatic speaking skills by rallying the audience during a conference in Iowa this weekend.
“America has decided they’re in for 2012,” she said. “So, that’s my question for you today in Iowa. Are you in? Are you in for 2012? Are we going to make it happen? Are we going to take our country back?”
As for now, it is uncertain how well Bachmann will fare in the upcoming election.
But one thing’s for sure: Although Bachmann has a few characteristics that might inhibit her run for the presidency, she definitely has the ability to be a strong Republican contender in the primaries.
A version of this article appeared in the Mar 30 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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Bachmann would do better in the primary than status quo big government Republicans like Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee. However, she is not that far from those guys. All of them, including Bachmann, support never-ending wars and the PATRIOT Act.
Right now the grounds are ripe for a true small government conservative to run in the Republican primaries. If somebody like Ron Paul (Texas), Rand Paul (Kentucky) or Justin Amash (Michigan) ran for president, I think they would do rather well. Candidates like these REALLY adhere to the Constitution, whereas Bachmann, Palin and the rest only pay lip service to it.
Hopefully one of the Pauls, Amash, or even somebody like Mike Lee (R Utah) or Walter Jones (R NC), will run for president. All of these Republicans are against the current wars and the police state, and the Pauls and Amash would advocate ending the Fed, the Department of Education and other unconstitutional programs.
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And something to remember about Bachmann is that only half of "the Tea Party" even supporters her. If you go to a Tea Party event you will see that they are very diverse. Many are typical neocons who are jumping on the Constitution bandwagon, but others are true diehard small government conservatives. The ONLY thing all Tea Partiers agree on is that the government is too big and spends too much. Aside from that there are many differences.
Lots of Tea Partiers want to cut overseas military spending and get rid of the police state at home. Those kinds of Tea Partiers cant' stand Bachmann. However, the old ladies and soccer moms who are afraid of the boogie man terrorists still want to wage wars and support the police state. These types love Bachmann. But by no means do the majority of Tea Partiers support her. Look at the results of the CPAC straw poll... she bombed it.
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"Boogie man terrorists"
Give me a break kid. If only you knew what the PATRIOT Act did for you, I do not think you would be on here spouting of your idealistic rhetoric. It is pretty easy to sit in your college dorm room and talk about how the terrorists just aren't that big of a deal and "the man" is just trying to use us good citizens. When in reality you need to wake up and realize that if it weren't for acts like the PATRIOT Act many plots would not have been uncovered and many more Americans would have died.
Go over to Afghanistan or Iraq and try to be friends with one of these guys, I'm sure they'll greet you with open arms, lollipops, candy bars, sunshine, and rainbows.
If it weren't for these acts, these guys would be doing A LOT more damage. So quit sounding off on things you don't know.
If only college kids ruled the world.
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Our government is just as evil as any other. Educate yourself.
http://www.rollingstone.com/kill-team
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P.S. 9/11 was an inside job anyway. Pull your head out of your keister.
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Let me ask you, Anonymous. How would you feel if China had a base in your backyard? Would you be friends with them? There's a reason countries in the middle east hate us -- we occupy their lands. We force our values down their throats. Go listen to Ron Paul. Are terrorists a threat? ABSOLUTELY. Does our defense budget need to be as big as it is? NO! Who is our enemy? Osama Bin Laden? Have we caught him? We can protect ourselves without occupying 30+ countries and waging perpetual wars. Get a grip
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P.S.S. This country was founded by idealists, not brainwashed idiots believes everything the government told them.
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well said, i agree!
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There have been a number of what I call failure of the imagination in the past few months such as the Japanese failure to imagine a thirty foot tidal wave knocking out electrical systems resulting in a major nuclear disaster. Now try to imagine Michele Bachmann as president of the United States. My imagination quakes at the thought.
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Bachmann is a hack. She would sell her soul to the devil if she could. The woman is playing the extreme wing of the Tea Party and buying into the the anti-Islam rhetoric. She should be ashamed of herself. She is teaming up with the likes of Frank Gaffney, Robert Spencer, and Pamela Gellar... these are folks that are making millions on the anti-Sharia craze and Islamaphobia. The Muslim Tea Party Patriots represent the mainstream wing of the GRASSROOTS movement! Please visit muslimteaparty.wordpress.com
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i agree with you, well said!
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I am a conservative and do not like that conservative talk show hosts keep thrusting these quasi qualified candidates at us and get mad if we don't support them. Let's use their own criteria. Talk show hosts always point to Reagan and as our standard, which he is. So let's look at Reagan. He had core values that he could articulate. He traveled the country as the representative of one of the largest companies in the world. He was a union president and a two term governor of our largest state. Other than Bush Sr. what Republican candidate since Reagan even comes close to this resume. Does Palin come close? Bachman? It is our duty as Conservatives to be intellectually honest with ourselves and the country.
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Reagan should not be your standard. He talked a big game while running for election, but once he got in things changed. Look up Robert Taft aka "Mr. Republican." Now he was a true conservative. Like Bush and Obama, Reagan expanded the size and scope of the federal government.
Turn off the talk radio and visit libertyforest.com, mises.org, or TomWoods.com to read up on true conservatism.
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Robert Taft ftw
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Look at the economic health of California since he left office. Now look at where we are. And don't blame the current administration. The 1985 tax reform laws made my late father, a Managing Partner at the largest CPA firm in the world, and devout Republican, almost hurl.
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I think I can speak for liberals everywhere when I say that I pray to The Flying Spaghetti Monster (http://www.venganza.org/) that Bachmann does become the Republican candidate. It would be awesome to see her out-stupid herself each time she speaks to the microphone during debates and interviews.
That said, we're going to have a hilarious primary that I can't wait for. Palin, Bachmann, Huckabee, Gingrich, and potentially Trump all running!?!?! It's a democrats dream! Palin and Bachmann are too dumb/inexperienced to win, Huckabee is a religious nut job who's son tortured a dog, and then got pardoned for it by his father, the governer, and Gingrich recently spoke about the "radical Islamist wing of secular athiesm."
I am excited for all the unplanned jokes they're going to say!
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Indeed. The list of potential GOP candidates is embarrassing. I'm a Republican and I just shake my head. Any of the ones you listed getting the nom would ensure Obama's re-election. He wouldn't even have to finance a campaign. Just give Palin, Bachmann, Gingrich, etc an open mic and let them sink themselves.
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Just don't ask them any questions about US history or the Constitution...they'll do fine!
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"Additionally, her time as a tax attorney may have provided her with enough expertise and experience to approach economic policy and attempt to deal with the immense national debt."
Bachmann was an IRS attorney who defended the IRS in court. Her government job had nothing to do with economic policy. And shat expertise has demonostrated? Apparently she didn't learn the difference between marginal tax rate and statutory rate. Just because you're in the 20% tax bracket doesn't result in ALL your income being taxed at 20%. But it makes for good rhetoric as Bachmann knows. She considers them one in the same. Her solutions to the country's debt show no in depth understanding of economic policy. She demonstrates knee jerk "leadership" but hardly expertise in anything beyond the abilty to generate headlines and raise money. Is this what we need from a President? She abandoned her desire for a leadership in the House because she didn't have the needed support from her own party.
"Bachmann has also exemplified eloquent public speaking abilities"...just don't expect an answer to the questions she's asked. She simply spouts her talking points under a hipnotic stare. That's not eloquent speaking ability.
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you NEED to check some of your facts
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Front page of DrudgeReport right now. Bachmann out raises Romney, but Paul out raises them all.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/52317.html
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Front page of DrudgeReport right now. Bachmann out raises Romney, but Paul out raises them all.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/52317.html
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