Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

For Michele Bachmann, A Pattern of Getting Facts Wrong [makes Palin look like Count Metternich]
Politico ^ | 3/12/11 9:48 PM EST | By JONATHAN MARTIN & KENDRA MARR

Posted on 03/12/2011 9:38:34 PM PST by fight_truth_decay

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann’s suggestion Saturday that the Revolutionary War began in Concord, N.H., rather than Lexington and Concord, Mass., marks the third time in recent months that the potential GOP presidential hopeful has committed a puzzling gaffe about history and current affairs.

Making her first trek to New Hampshire as a 2012 prospect, Bachmann told a GOP crowd in Manchester: “You’re the state where the shot was heard around the world at Lexington and Concord.”

The Revolutionary War began, not in New Hampshire’s capital, but in the famous two towns more than 50 miles away in Massachusetts.

For Bachmann, who leads the House Tea Party caucus and champions a return to the Constitution, to get such basic facts wrong about the country’s birth is revealing.

Her comment wasn’t just an off-hand reference that she inserted in her remarks. At a fundraiser Friday night on the New Hampshire Seacoast, Bachmann said almost the exact same thing

(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Massachusetts; US: Minnesota; US: New Hampshire
KEYWORDS: americanhistory; bloopers; failingschools; history; iwojima; kendramarr; ma; massachusetts; me; michelebachmann; minnesota; mn; newhampshire; politico4obama; politico4romney; politicoflacks; politicoprrep; teaparty; vt
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-52 next last
Bachmann was also criticized for getting the Iwo Jima facts wrong back in February during her SOTU speech.

Bachmann playing off to her web camera instead of direct eye contact to the networks camera was a more minor WTF moment, as Sarah Palin might describe.

I seem to recall....

Obama: "I have now been in 57 states, [?] I think one one left to go...one left to go.. Alaska and Hawaii, I was not allowed to go to.. even though I really wanted to visit, but my staff would not justify it"

Biden: "Stand up Chuck!..Oh God love ya, what am I talking about!! Stand up for Chuck!! Good to see ya buddy!!"

1 posted on 03/12/2011 9:38:40 PM PST by fight_truth_decay
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: fight_truth_decay

What matters is her prudent applications of government, in all 57 States.


2 posted on 03/12/2011 9:50:13 PM PST by Loud Mime (If it is too stupid to be said, people will listen to it, if sung - - Voltaire)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: fight_truth_decay

Politicians are wise to have their stump speeches fact-checked before making them. (With the literacy level of the average public-schooled intern it still might go bad.)


3 posted on 03/12/2011 9:51:20 PM PST by GVnana
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All
However, New Hampshire, COLONY OF, was for many years a dependent of Massachusetts, but first to form an independent State government (Jan. 5, 1776) as temporary, to last only during the war; a permanent State government was not established until June 4, 1784.
4 posted on 03/12/2011 9:52:41 PM PST by fight_truth_decay
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: fight_truth_decay
Making her first trek to New Hampshire as a 2012 prospect, Bachmann told a GOP crowd in Manchester: “You’re the state where the shot was heard around the world at Lexington and Concord.”

The Revolutionary War began, not in New Hampshire’s capital, but in the famous two towns more than 50 miles away in Massachusetts.

Big deal. The sad fact of things is that 9 of 10 Americans would not recognize this as a mistake. There is only local impact on this gaff.

5 posted on 03/12/2011 9:54:54 PM PST by Barnacle (Is treason a high crime or misdemeanor?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Loud Mime

Once you’re the incumbant it doesn’t matter how many gaffes you make.


6 posted on 03/12/2011 9:56:12 PM PST by tsowellfan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Loud Mime

Once you’re the incumbent it doesn’t matter how many gaffes you make.


7 posted on 03/12/2011 9:56:26 PM PST by tsowellfan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: tsowellfan

If you are a good Democrat, it doesn’t matter what gaffes you make and how many. Only Repulicans are held to strict standards in this regard.


8 posted on 03/12/2011 9:57:54 PM PST by Dilbert San Diego
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: fight_truth_decay

These asswipe morons at the politico are drooling Hussein cultists...because any fair, objective CHECK on the gaffe meter would show the Kenyan Communist knows less about some basic facts than Michele Bachmann on any given subject.

Naval Corpsemen, the effects of capital gains taxes, and the 3000% percent raise, are the first examples that come to mind of the verbal idiocy displayed by the man-child occupant of the top of the executive branch.

But the “journalists” at the politico obviously have their noses buried so far up Hussein’s backside, they can’t hear him speak.


9 posted on 03/12/2011 9:59:32 PM PST by Recovering_Democrat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: fight_truth_decay

I wonder who filled in little Jonathan and Kendra about Concord and Lexington. I doubt they even knew about those two towns until someone pointed out Michelle’s mistake to them.


10 posted on 03/12/2011 9:59:55 PM PST by FlingWingFlyer (Look for the union label and just say, NO!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dilbert San Diego
Only Repulicans are held to strict standards in this regard.

Yes, they are by the liberal media.

For republicans or democrats, when they see a candidate in the primaries known to make gaffes it should be a red flag. Last thing we want to see is for a gaffe making nominee going up against a gaffe making incumbent.

11 posted on 03/12/2011 10:02:34 PM PST by tsowellfan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: fight_truth_decay
While the facts are important, I really can't buy into the "Katic Couric" plan that presidential candidates be potential "Jeopardy" winners.

A leader should possess many things other than rote memorization of historic dates, times and places.

The most needed quality for a leader for America right now is courage. With countless advisors at hand, not to mention a tireless staff, any situation required historical accuracy can be researched at a moment's notice, just like obama's teleprompter writers do.

Governor Scott Walker is a perfect example of a leader - courage and integrity beyond reproach. Knowing the right thing, and doing...damn the torpedoes.

Fixing all of America's ills will be a be a gigantuan task; it will take a super hero just to undo obama's messes. But now that the left has had a taste of unbridled power, they are not going gently into that good night, we have a fight on our hands.

The upcoming battle is not for the faint of heart like Jimmy Carter, nor the appeasers, like John McCain. The left has a lot of good "intimidators"...who use terrorist-like scare tactics to weaken our resolve. They hope that fear will keep us from fighting, as they don't really want a fight. It's like the old schoolyard saying, "One is scared, and the other one is glad of it.".

Whichever candidate, or potential presidental candidate comes forward, the left if going to leash the Kracken on them with their favorite weapon, the politics of personal destruction. With their screwy policies and liberal/socialist ideology, it's the only thing they have...well, except cheating at the ballot box.

However, i disagree with the notion that our side must pass a pop quiz in history and adhere to Courics approved reading list to be a president - especially looking at what we have in office now.
12 posted on 03/12/2011 10:06:07 PM PST by FrankR (The Evil Are Powerless If The Good Are Unafraid! - R. Reagan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GVnana
Would it not be refreshing if they just spoke "straight from the heart".. and especially not give history lessons to those in states, where the speaker does not live. Safer that way. They stray away their comfort zone. It becomes unnatural and that turns off a voter.

Mrs. Clinton stumping in Maine as a Democratic candidate made me laugh when she said that when she drove by the Maine mills inactive, they should get up and running [words to that effect]... they should be burning wood- with all the trees in Maine. It was in her speech in Lewiston, Maine; but never reported. I could just picture little Leprechaun laborers lugging logs to an enormous wood fired furnace all day long..for what purpose?

13 posted on 03/12/2011 10:12:11 PM PST by fight_truth_decay
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Loud Mime

And supporting those brave corpsemen!


14 posted on 03/12/2011 10:13:49 PM PST by aquila48
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Loud Mime

only makes politico seem PETTY and SMALL!


15 posted on 03/12/2011 10:19:06 PM PST by gwilhelm56 (To anger a Christian, Lie to them. To anger a muslim, tell them the TRUTH!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: fight_truth_decay

Concord NH is kind of close to Lexington MA.

Not that close but... Whatnot, when you are talking to the retarded.

I have been on the Concord green many times. I can walk from my house to where a band of 200 men mustered and walked 16 miles to fight that day at Concord MA. Most of them never survived the war.

If you are living in a housing project in Manchester NH, any Concord may as well be on Mars... Just get out and vote in November. There are rides available for you too...


16 posted on 03/12/2011 10:21:53 PM PST by mmercier
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: fight_truth_decay
"Would it not be refreshing if they just spoke "straight from the heart".. and especially not give history lessons to those in states, where the speaker does not live."

It would be refreshing if a pol knew American history intimately enough to stir local crowds by speaking to their unique American inheritance. I would want a Pennsylvania speech to rally the community to the sacrifices of Valley Forge, a Texas crowd to the Alamo, an Hawaiian crowd to Pearl Harbor, etc. For somebody conversant with, and passionate about our history, those types of things are straight from the heart.

17 posted on 03/12/2011 10:27:36 PM PST by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Barnacle
The sad fact of things is that 9 of 10 Americans would not recognize this as a mistake

Ah...but in New England voters of a more adult age with roots in the same..take pride in the history of our 13 colonies [and still fly the flag on the 4th] as so we are often related to the early founders, governors, Tories, etc. Maine was an exclave of Massachusetts until 1820.

Now once I spoke to a customer service person [and not India] and she asked if New England was in Europe..so...lol will give you that.

Plus, remember you can't fool a 5th grader!!

18 posted on 03/12/2011 10:37:39 PM PST by fight_truth_decay
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: mmercier

Is Aunt Zeituni allowed to vote?


19 posted on 03/12/2011 10:40:52 PM PST by fight_truth_decay
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Joe 6-pack
if a pol knew American history intimately enough to stir local crowds by speaking to their unique American inheritance

Newt's strong suit..to bad his other suits are soiled.

20 posted on 03/12/2011 10:43:17 PM PST by fight_truth_decay
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-52 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson