Posted on 06/14/2011 7:28:30 AM PDT by ejdrapes
Re: Bachmann Smart, Media Dumb I second Stanley’s analysis. I also saw Michele in person for the first time at David Horowitz’s retreat, and I was amazed at her combination of command and charisma. She spoke at great length about a wide variety of topics and took questions from the very engaged audience — without notes, with clarity and depth, and with a nice mix of humor and charm. She’s got a good lawyer’s mind for getting from A to B to C without losing the big picture, and she has the rare ability to grasp wonky details without sounding like a wonk. We ended up having a long chat afterwards. She wanted to talk about Gitmo, enemy combatants, and the relative merits of military commissions versus civilian trials. I was really impressed. This was not her area of the law (she was a tax lawyer in real life), but she clearly got it: Her questions were pointed, I got the sense that she really wanted to know why civilian trials were problematic (i.e., she wasn’t looking for a couple of soundbites that she could slide into the next speech), and she was a quick study — there was no need to revisit at the end of the conversation some esoteric point we’d covered at the beginning of the conversation. Obviously, I was impressed. We ended up collaborating on an op-ed — which ran here on NRO and in the New York Post — on why, if the Obama administration did not reverse its decision to give KSM and the 9/11 jihadists a civilian trial, Congress should step in and force the president’s hand. Michele was a dynamo on this issue, and her forcefulness had a lot to do with the public and congressional pressure that ultimately induced the administration to back down. It would be a huge mistake to underestimate her. I think she’s going to make a lot of her critics look awfully dumb by the time this is over. The Dems moved heaven and earth to try to unseat her in the last two elections because they know she’s a force to be reckoned with. Oh … and did I mention that she beat them handily?
By Andrew C. McCarthy
I like her a lot.
But I do hear from reliable sources that she’s had six chiefs of staff.
She raised 23 foster kids and a bunch of her own, and she’s smart and knows the issues cold.
Good on her!
The more great candidates we can put out there the better. I look forward to seeing how Bachmann progresses. I just hope she can pronounce “nuclear” without saying “nuke-u-lur”. It’s the one thing about Palin that drives me crazy!
Until Bachmann renounces Rollins and his Palin bashing, she is an underwhelming choice to me.
And to save the Bachmann supporters the trouble, no, I am not a Palin cultist. I am more than willing to consider other candidates, as I see firsthand the difficulties Palin is going to have in purple states such as Pennsylvania. But there is nothing to be gained by the Bachmann camp by joining the liberal and RINO morons in tearing down Palin.
I don’t recall any Andy McCarthy article that I disagreed with. He’s recently branched out some beyond just Islam, law, etc. topics into broader political analysis. If Andy McCarthy is impressed with Michele Bachmann, that’s good enough for me.
Loved Bachman last night!!! And.....was glad “all” of the potential POTUS candidates went after Obama with aggressive and attack mantra. Obama is toast!!! IMHO, Obama will be forced by the Dems to declare he has decided not to run for POTUS in 2012. If the Dems are smart they will broom him right now!!! Freepers, Americans, “All”, keep the pressure On!!! Obama must go and go now!!!!
Bachmann
B U M P
Romney his usual “slick” self, but tried to over analyze everything like always does. The other candidates were careful not to sound divisive and attack Romney, but that will come in the next round. Especially from Bachmann, now that she has firmly established herself as a contender and a candidate. She will be the Romney killer.
T-Paw was his usual wishy washy, non shiny self and Cain seemed like he was a true outsider, like in the audience “outsider”, he acted like he was lost. I don't think he stands much chance now that the issues are on the table. Cain just lacks too much experience in most areas to be a contender. I believe he will be the first to drop out and that his position will drop rapidly.
Didn’t bachmann used to be a democrat? Didn’t she work for carter? Didn’t her chief of staff attack palin? that’s enough for me...
That is not necessarily a bad thing. How many generals did Lincoln go thru before he got the results he wanted?
Or “corpse-men”. :-D
So that still is not pure enough for you? Life must be truly miserable for you on the extreme fringe.
It seems like only on FR are people still hung up about what Ed Rollins said. He hasn’t said anything since and wasn’t part of her post debate ‘spin’ team last night. He’s a non-issue.
I have NEVER seen a candidate suggested that hasn't been ravaged by one faction or another here on FreeRepublic.
So while I do have opinions about several potential good choices, I keep them to myself, because inevitably someone is going to pop out of the ether and tell me what a liberal, RINO idiot I am for supporting "Candidate X"
As a rule, on the Hill, this is not a good sign.
But you make a solid point.
Bachmann never distanced herself from Rollin’s comments. So she still has that issue hanging over her campaign. You can try to spin that away, but it’s up to Bachmann to put it to rest - and she hasn’t.
How sure are you that there have been six changes?
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