Posted on 05/28/2011 12:18:23 PM PDT by ejdrapes
Michele Bachmann vs. Sarah Palin: Something's got to give Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann are nominally allies, two maverick conservative women who are among the GOP's brightest stars. Telegenic pols with devoted followings, both appeal to the tea party faithful and would make strong runs at evangelical Christians and social conservatives in Iowa. They're both favorite faces of Fox News, capable of raising huge amounts of money online. But despite - or perhaps because of - what they have in common, there are signs of tension between the camps. And the iron-clad laws of politics suggest there isn't enough room for the two powerful personalities to occupy the same political space in 2012. "We've never had really two dynamic women run for president in the Republican caucuses," said Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad before a Polk County GOP dinner Thursday in Des Moines that Bachmann had planned to attend. "I think it would be really interesting." Already, their interests are coming into conflict as Palin makes moves designed to reclaim some of the media appeal she's ceded to Bachmann this spring. The timing of Palin's announcement Thursday of a weekend East Coast bus tour overshadowed what appeared to be Bachmann's final steps toward a presidential bid, a "moneybomb" raising $250,000 in a day and a planned speech in Iowa. At the last minute, though, Bachmann's Thursday speech morphed into a telephone conference promising a June announcement. (Plans were changed, not for Palin but for a vote on the Patriot Act, her staff said.) Bachmann and her staff say they're ignoring Palin's steps, and when asked about Palin during her by-phone news conference with reporters who flew to Iowa for the speech Thursday, Bachmann lauded the Alaskan. But in the next breath she ticked off her resume, seeming to distinguish her own background from Palin's credentials. "Our decision is unique, and we are independent of what any other candidates decide - no matter which candidate gets in or which candidate gets out," she said, adding, "I want to make it very clear: I consider Governor Palin a friend, and I have great respect for Governor Palin. But, again, I don't believe that any two candidates are interchangeable. I believe each one of us brings our own unique skill set into this race. "I'm looking forward to letting people know who I am - the fact that I'm a former United States federal tax litigation attorney, the fact that my husband and I are successful business owners, we started and created jobs, I have a background in education reform and in activism, and I'm very proud of the work that I did in the Minnesota state Senate as well as in the United States Congress," Bachmann said. Publicly, Palin, Bachmann and their top staffers have nothing but praise for one another. Palin campaigned for Bachmann last spring in Minnesota, where Palin said the women were "buddies" and Bachmann called Palin "so much one of us." But each camp views the other with a level of suspicion, with some of Palin's supporters seeing Bachmann as a B-list version of their icon and some in Bachmann's camp regarding Palin as a short-timer without Bachmann's record or tenure. Palin "doesn't seem like a credible candidate," said Iowa state Sen. Kent Sorenson, who reportedly will serve as Bachmann's political director in the state. He said he thought Bachmann would beat Palin there head-to-head if need be. "She has not made any inroads at all to people in Iowa," Sorenson said. Bachmann strategist Guy Short told Politico on Thursday: "I haven't put any thought into what Mrs. Palin's doing." Bachmann's flood of fundraising email this week, meanwhile, was met with irritation by the online supporters who make up Palin's semi-official political operation. "Way to win (people) over Michele. Bug the crap out of them at work," wrote Stacy Drake, a blogger at Conservatives4Palin, hub of Palin's online support. "I've unsubscribed to your email list TWICE," tweeted the founder of Palin Promotions, a grassroots support group, Martha Cano, adding, "#Notinterested." Prominent Republicans speculated Thursday that Palin's bus tour timing is not unconnected to the Minnesota congresswoman's efforts. "Every time Bachmann gets some press, Palin will get herself out there a little more," said one well-placed observer. "There's a little jockeying going on." Craig Robinson, an Iowa operative who runs TheIowaRepublican.com, said a race that features both women "would create a battle royal for the straw poll. Whoever comes out on top from (the crucial Ames Straw Poll in August) would have an advantage. They're too similar. They attract the same people - social conservatives and tea party activists." A Palin entry "would shift the balance" of the overall GOP presidential race, said Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, one of Bachmann's closest allies in Congress. But he said she'd become one of a string of hopefuls playing for the same conservative vote, along with Bachmann, Herman Cain and Rick Santorum. Because of her absence, Palin already has started to fade in Iowa, the make-or-break early state for social conservatives. "If (Palin) doesn't engage in the straw poll and the debate, then I think most Iowans are going to say, 'I like you and respect you and I like your message, but if you can't come here and dialogue with me, I'm going to look somewhere else,' " Steve Scheffler, who heads the Iowa Christian Alliance, told Politico.
Politico Updated: 05/27/2011 10:54:13 PM CDT
born April 6, 1956 in Waterloo, IA (Meets the Jus Soli Requirement)
Parents were
David John Amble, born in MN
Jean Johnson, born in IA
Both parents were US Citizens at the time of her birth (Meets the Jus sanguinis Requirement)
Michele Bachmann is a NATURAL BORN CITIZEN unlike Barry Soetoro aka Barack Hussein Obama.
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Sarah Louise Palin
Born February 11, 1964 in Sandpoint, ID (Meets the Jus Soli Requirement)
Parents were
Charles R Heath, born in ID
Sarah Sheeran, born in WI
Both parents were US Citizens at the time of her birth (Meets the Jus Sanguinis Requirement)
Sarah Palin is a NATURAL BORN CITIZEN unlike Barry Soetoro aka Barack Hussein Obama.
It's a win-win for both of them.
Michelle gains the exposure, and Sarah bides her time.
Or the Journolistas are terrified that at the last hour, maybe around April or May of 2012, the two will form a ticket together
Palin/Bachmann 2012 - Twice the courage of the incumbents.
“the two will form a ticket together”
Palin/Bachman - my dream ticket. I can see the campaign slogan. “The boys screwed it up, now the girls are gonna fix it!” Run ladies run....red
The implication, in the minds of the media, could be that being a conservative female running for POTUS is a gimmick.
Yeah, like Obama's re-election chances.
Why? Both women have excellent qualifications and experience.
How about a Palin/Backmann ticket?
Wouldn’t THAT make the Libs heads explode? :)
_______________________
Saturday smiles:
Mother cat hugs baby kitten (adorable:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw4KVoEVcr0&feature=player_embedded
(Viral on YouTube, made it to Good Morning America)
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Phoebe Allen, the hummingbird, presently hatching her fifth clutch:
(Live cam)
.
“something’s gotta give.”
hah, that something is me. i’ve gotta give money to both!
seriously. we can’t go wrong here since both women put god, country and family above themselves. there’s no way we can lose.
Both women are so beautiful.
They make me proud.
Bachmann was on John King last night and when she said if she gets in she's in it to win it. Of course no candidate is going to say they can't win, but she sure sounded like this was more than just getting exposure or just warming the seats for Palin.
Nice! :)
I don't know why. It may be just the whole "celebrity politics" thing in their small minds. Add to that, it is likely incomprehensible to them how women and Blacks can be conservatives.
Both women have excellent qualifications and experience.
I heartily agree. The conservative candidate who prevails will get my adamant support and vote regardless their physiological characteristics.
Why the hell do we bother with Politico anyway?
There is no rivalry between them except in their minds
I thing they should team up- Palin/Bachman would be an UNBEATABLE TICKET
I am looking forward to the debates. I think they are going to be a learning tool for the American Public. There is FINALLY some very intelligent folks in this campaign and they just happen to be women. This is going to be great!!!!! Who would have ever guess that we will have three great candidates to chose from Palin, Bachmann, and Cain. This has to be a first ever!!!! It is so exciting to have a plentiful of riches.
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