The wrong John Wayne (Rollins appears to be Bachman's Idiot)

washington times ^ | 6/27 | Dinan

[RummyChick]

Rep. Michele Bachmann kicked off her presidential campaign on Monday in Waterloo, Iowa, and in one interview surrounding the official event she promised to mimic the spirit of Waterloo's own John Wayne.

The only problem, as one eagle-eyed reader notes: Waterloo's John Wayne was not the beloved movie star, but rather John Wayne Gacy, the serial killer.

Mrs. Bachmann grew up in Waterloo, and used the town as the backdrop for her campaign announcement, where she told Fox News: "Well what I want them to know is just like, John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa. That's the kind of spirit that I have, too."

(Someone has already posted the clip to YouTube under the name BachmannLovesGacy) John Wayne, the movie legend, is in fact from Iowa and the John Wayne birthplace is a celebrated landmark — only it's in Winterset, which is a nearly three hour drive away from Waterloo. Gacy, though, had his first taste of the criminal life in Waterloo, where he lived for a short time, and where he had his first criminal conviction for an attempted homosexual assault, which landed him in prison for 18 months. He would move back to Illinois, where his killing spree started, and lasted about six years. In 1980 he was convicted on 33 counts of murder, and was executed in 1994.

[Pan_Yan]

and in one interview surrounding the official event she promised to mimic the spirit of Waterloo's own John Wayne.

Interview, not speech. That would have been much, much worse.

[Cicero]

If she really grew up in Waterloo, then I don’t see how she could possibly have made this mistake. Unless she had no interest in John Wayne until he became a convenient political symbol.

[andy58-in-nh]

Napoleon’s defeat was actually outside the village of Plancenoit,which was more than four miles from Waterloo.

That's true, and I've actually driven around the area. But as a matter of historical metaphor, no one ever says, "This might just turn out to be his 'Plancenoit'!"

[RummyChick]

The problem is that Bachmann is from Waterloo.

She should know that the Hero was not born there and the infamous killer did live there.

[FReepaholic]

[kevkrom]

No, it was an off the cuff comment to a reporter. Don’t think she said it in the speech

Well, that's different then. Still a gaffe, but nowhere near as devastating.

[andy58-in-nh]

Gacy wasn't really even that good in True Grit.

[rintense]

Please delete my dup post in 32. Hit post too fast!

[Darkwolf377]

So when we don`t like someone, like Obama, he`s a doofus for saying something dumb, but she`s on our side it`s the campaign underling`s fault? This woman wants to be leader of the free world and I sure won`t lower my standards to Obama-level awfulness because she`s of the right. If her campaign messed up, SHE hired the one who screwed up. This kind of sloppiness is intolerable for our side—you know, the side that`s supposed to have the highest standards and not support people because of feeeeelings of because we `like` her? Obama is infinitely beatable, but not by any of these boobs who are current possibilities. Damn, where are the smart conservatives with accomplishment, with life experience, with high intellectual and ethical standards?

[Sherman Logan]

I don’t think that would have worked as well as lyrics for an Abba song.

[rintense]

LOL. I thought Gacy was fabulous with Maureen O’Hara.

[RummyChick]

I think she just blew her theme right out of the water in Waterloo.

You see, she was hawking John Wayne as a central theme. John Wayne’s America.

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/bachmann-newsmax-interview-romney/2011/06/26/id/401507

[Elendur]

Yes, I had a good laugh with this one; however I blame her staff. I hope someone is not doing this deliberately to her.
///
if it was simply on the press release, i’d agree. but, Bachmann DOES come from there, and she herself made that direct quote.
and this is not one. she has been shooting down her own campaign, since she hired Rollins.
...maybe she was trying too hard, but exaggerating about things is not endearing. whether “voluntarily” giving up her house seat, or a tax attorney calling $50,000 “not a penny”, or others.
people here dumped on Gingrich and others for mistakes.
it would be nice if people would be honest and objective in venting.
personally, i wish people would support Cain. ...and i’m even liking Pawlenty more.
seriously, what is wrong with Cain for President?

[Minus_The_Bear]

I hope she get's the Boston Strangler & Son of Sam's endorsement next.

This woman is a complete moron.

[Williams]

Staff? It’s very hard to understand how anyone would confuse Gacy and John Wayne.

The most charitable explanation is just that she mistakenly believed John Wayne was from her home town as opposed to his real Iowa town. I gather she hasn’t lived in Iowa in a long time.

She also may simply have meant John Wayne was from Iowa but made the gaffe of mentioning the specific town she was in.

It’s the writers who are making the connection that she confused J W Gacy being born there with John Wayne. She probably never knew Gacy was born there.

[RummyChick]

Gacy wasn’t born there. He lived there. And did some deeds there.

[sillsfan]

I’m not a Bachmann fan, but I hate to see dumb sh*t like this. It hurts us all- the media will be all over this, especially after the flake comment.
0bama can say 57 states, “corps” etc, and not a peep.
Michelle, welcome to Sarah’s world.

[rintense]

Did Michele’s Waterloo become her Waterloo moment?

[Java4Jay]

I’m from Minnesota and know of Bachmann.

She is ditzy... no way presidential material.

[windcliff]

Alrighty!!