Bachmann Teas off against Mitt (Bachmann attacks Romney as "flip flopper")

The Boston Herald ^ | 2011-06-26 | Jessica Fargen

[rabscuttle385]

Tea Party queen U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is touting her airtight conservative credentials in a veiled dig at GOP presidential nomination opponent Mitt Romney.

Bachmann, speaking via Skype.com to the National Right to Life Convention in Florida last week, didn’t mention Romney by name, but it was obvious she was taking aim at him for his previous wavering on the abortion issue, the Huffington Post reports. The 2012 race is “not the time for Republicans to put up a candidate who is weak on this issue and has a history of flip-flopping on this issue,” she said.

[Sun]

““not the time for Republicans to put up a candidate who is weak on this issue and has a history of flip-flopping on this issue,”’

Somebody had to say it!

[BuddhaBrown]

“She’s not going to win.”

I’ve heard that about Bachmann since her first state senate victory slaughtering a long-term Republican incumbent. And before her first congressional victory. And before her second House win. And the third.

She is the winningest loser in the race.

Reagan heard the same. Palin too. Michele is in good company.

[BuddhaBrown]

“With all the guff... being called stupid by Ed Rollins... a mildly stubbed toe”

Yes, I believe Sarah herself probably has that properly uninterested attitude toward the whole silly, puffed up Rollins related whining.

[Berlin_Freeper]

Tea Party queen U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is touting her airtight conservative credentials...

Anti-socialist Bachmann got $250K in federal farm subsidies
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) — so fond of accusing the Obama administration of foisting socialism on an unwilling America — has apparently been the recipient of about a quarter of million bucks in government handouts.

Michele Bachmann Literally Praised Government Pork In Letter To Obama OfficialA Freedom of Information Act request for communications the Minnesota Republican has had with the Department of Agriculture shows that she leaned heavily on federal officials for help -- never more so than when it came to aiding the pork and dairy producers in her state.

On Oct. 5, 2009, Bachmann wrote Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack praising him for injecting money into the pork industry through the form of direct government purchases. She went on to request additional assistance.

[monocle]

Disputing is wholly different from accepting.

[Deagle]

Heh! Not a lot of difference here... I dispute the argument and not only think that it is specious but false as well.. After all, Romney has made so many turns in his political career that it becomes difficult to pinpoint where he stands today. If Michelle points that out, more power to her.

[Agamemnon]

The hiring of Ed Rollins was a stupid decision.

Perhaps.

While hiring Rollins is not necessarily the best decision for campaign strategy execution you seem to forget that Jack Kemp hired Rollins in 1996 for his own presidential run.

Would you also like to dump on Kemp -- pioneer of Reagan's 1981 30% across the board Income tax reduction plan that made up the core of Reaganomics and the entire '80's boom?

Seems a little history lesson is due here.

Rollins was an adviser to Reagan's campaigns even as Sears got the boot in 1980. Was Reagan ill-advised or did you fail to recall that it was Rollins who was the National Campaign Director for the Reagan-Bush '84 campaign, winning 49 of 50 states?

Like it or not Rollins is a player, and he has a track record. For all we know Michelle may have enough on the ball to keep this jackal at close quarters, making him unavailable to other Washington "darlings," so as not to botch or bog down the Tea Party message.

Friends close, enemies closer.

We all think so linearly around here sometimes. For some Freepers their presumed mastery of keeping their well-meaning "eyes-on-the-prize" just results in alot of "perfection-enemy-of-the- good"-style tunnel vision.

In the end, all we end up doing is sniping at our natural allies. Yeah, you're "perfect," but "they" win. Our enemies are content with the odds in that battleground.

Try thinking a little asymetrically.

Pass a little less judgment and think a little more strategically.

FReegards!

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

While hiring Rollins is not necessarily the best decision for campaign strategy execution you seem to forget that Jack Kemp hired Rollins in 1996 for his own presidential run.

Ah, yes. Followed, in turn, by the Kemp Inauguration, and two four-year terms for the fabulously successful Kemp administration. ;)

[SoConPubbie]

He didn't call her stupid. He said she wasn't a serious candidate. Bachmann did tell him to apologize.

Did he apologize publicly?

If he did not, why hasn't she fired him?

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Mitt is much lower than a flip flopper!

[SoConPubbie]

Rollins was an adviser to Reagan's campaigns even as Sears got the boot in 1980. Was Reagan ill-advised or did you fail to recall that it was Rollins who was the National Campaign Director for the Reagan-Bush '84 campaign, winning 49 of 50 states?

Like it or not Rollins is a player, and he has a track record. For all we know Michelle may have enough on the ball to keep this jackal at close quarters, making him unavailable to other Washington "darlings," so as not to botch or bog down the Tea Party message.

I believe the last MAJOR candidate that he has advised across the finish line was Reagan and I'm pretty sure that Reagan with or without his help would have won.

Not much of a track record if you ask me.

[des]

I think the woman intends to win. This is not a sorority.

[byteback]

We agree. If Perry gets in I think this is where Sarah goes in with her support. Bachmann won’t win mostly because Republicans like Governors or VPs after the last non-Governors Dole and McCain ran. Nixon and Bush the elder being VPs and even Goldwater who was before my time.

T-Paw isn’t catching on so it’s looking like Romney or Perry to me and Huntsman is new but I just don’t see where the support is. So the rest are looking at VP or maybe launching cable tv careers which Palin and Huckabee have already successfully done.

My bet on Palin is that she will run for McCain’s seat when he steps down once he finishes out his term. If Romney wins then I think McCain could get Sec Def and Palin gets the appointment to Senate but I have no idea what Perry would do. Perry might run with her as VP but I’m just guessing what Sarah would want to support him.

[Darkwolf377]

It will be interesting to see the media turn their guns on Bachmann—”Remember all that stuff we said about Palin? Well, okay, maybe we went a little overboard there, but trust us, THIS one is a REAL loon!”

Bachmann seems to be gaining credibility just because of her audacity, pardon the word. She’s just running.

That could make her the ‘candle that burns twice as bright lasts half as long,’ while Palin looks slower and steadier and more toughened by battle with the media. Or, she could be a contandah...

[BuddhaBrown]

“...why hasn’t she fired him?”

I know this will seem far fetched to some, but... ah... just maybe she LIKES winning.

And maybe, just maybe, she is adult enough to realize Rollins did nothing but give an honest opinion, unfavorable as it might have been to someone not currently running for anything. He was asked. And, doubtless from an old fashioned campaign guy’s point of view, building an audience and making tours and such are fine and dandy.

But a ‘serious’ candidate (again, from his perspective) is someone who is instead building election machines, winning or taking a different position before quitting your current one, staying as an active part of the political and governing processes, and making your intentions clear and your level of commitment credible.

I’m not sure why that is so difficult to comprehend for some.

Rollins expresses his own opinion of one of the non-candidates. RollinsPhobes freak out.

Dog bites man. Non-story.

By the Rollins-hating Bachmann bashers’ own logic, if Palin does not disown them, then she is unworthy of a conservative’s vote.

Irony bites bashers. Film at eleven.

[monocle]

I was restating the concept of cognitive dissonance which commonly afflicts those passionately committed to any movement whether it be religous, political and, even, scientific.

[Rapscallion]

How could the article be credible with such an egregious error in the headline? Tea is a beverage. Spell-checking does not prevent obvious ignorance.

[Diogenesis]

Bachmann the RINO and Romney sweetheart
DID NOT MENTION ROMNEY BY NAME.

This is paid advt by Romney, Rollins and Bachmann
the RINOs working for Carter and Obama.

Ms. Romney-Bachmann STILL has not fired Rollins
or publicly apologized.

[wolfman23601]

My head hurts. I thought Bachmann was a stalking horse running for Romney’s VP and preventing Palin from getting the nomination... but Palin isn’t running and now Bachmann is attacking Romney. I’m confused... any Freep conspiracy theorists care to take a stab?

[EQAndyBuzz]

I thought it wasn’t a flip flop. I thought she was offered the funding and said to put that money to rebuilding the bridge on I35.