Back to Bachmann

American Thinker ^ | December 18, 2011 | Jeff Lipkes

[neverdem]

Knute Romney is not going to win one for the Gipper.

It's deja vu all over again: as in 2008, the two frontrunners are not conservatives. The recent National Review editorial, despite reading as if it were written by a committee, was nonetheless correct. Newt is not a conservative. It's easy enough to count the ways, but there is one albatross that's particularly heavy and odoriferous: his tie with Freddie Mac.

The $1.6 million is not just part of his baggage -- of which he has more than the Partridge family on tour. "It's the economy, stupid" may be a motto for the ages, but it's going to be particularly spot-on in 2012. This election should be a referendum on the four-year recession. Blaming high unemployment, anemic growth, a swooning stock market and a moribund housing market on Bush, "deregulation," and the 1% may not play with informed voters, but we're a minority and this is going to be BHO's theme song. Let's not forget that Roosevelt -- the brilliant con artist whom Newt admires -- was reelected in 1936 with an unemployment rate of about 17%.

To win on this issue, the GOP needs someone who can connect the very large dots in the mortgage and credit meltdowns of 2008. That means, to shift metaphors, someone who can point to the fingerprints of the feds and quasi-government agencies. Someone who can talk about the role of the SEC, following Basel II, in lowering leverage requirements for investment banks in April of 2004. About Clinton weaponizing the CRA and, later joined by the Bush administration, pushing banks to write...

--snip--

If Newt can rise from the dead, Michele can, too. At least in the primary elections, we should be willing to vote for someone without first having to swill Pepto-Bismol.

[Lancey Howard]

It's easy enough to count the ways, but there is one albatross that's particularly heavy and odoriferous: his tie with Freddie Mac.

Oh, horse manure. What a yawn.
What does private whoring for Freddie Mac have to do with "conservatism"?

[Jim Robinson]

Leading a Republican Revolution to victory after 40 years of democrat rule is not conservative? Cutting the deficit and balancing the federal budget four years running is not conservative? Blocking socialist HillaryCare, reforming welfare and reducing unemployment are not conservative? Give me a break. I love Michelle’s constitutional stand on issues, but what great conservative feats has she actually accomplished?

[VanDeKoik]

He has someone else he supports, so that stuff gets overlooked.

Goodness knows Bachmann has nothing like that on her resume.

[ventanax5]

I would vote for Bachmann.

The press did a job on her and worked. Republicans think she is crazy.

To me she is the best candidate, and yes she has flaws.

[ventanax5]

“Re that NR editorial, I would like, politely, to dissent from my colleagues’ dismissal of Perry and Bachmann.

In the former case, a handful of poor debate performances should not disqualify a man from executive responsibility: Our age’s veneration for men with “nothing to do but think and talk” (in Churchill’s words, on the sort of chaps he didn’t want in his war cabinet) is one reason why the Western world is sliding off a cliff.

In the latter case, Congresswoman Bachmann has fought a principled, conservative campaign with only one significant misstep — her overreach on the Gardasil business. Again, that shouldn’t be a disqualification. Nor should having more chiefs of staff than she has foster children (I speak as a guy who believes citizen-legislators shouldn’t have chiefs of staff, anyway). To be sexist about it, President Bachmann at her best would be another Thatcher and at her worst another Merkel — and Chancellor Merkel currently presides over the least worst Western economy. What’s not to like? Go, Michele!

As for the assertion of our more hysterical commenters that being reluctant to support a man with an office on K Street and a retainer from Freddie Mac is a sure sign that NRO is full of Beltway cocktail-sippers angling for cosy sinecures in the Romney administration, yeah, sure, whatever: Fellows who try this line of attack on me have failed as spectacularly as it’s possible to fail. But, just for the record, in recent years I’ve visited Washington, D.C., once every 18 months or so, and plan to cut it down to once every 24 months in the next half-decade. And I have no interest in serving as Deputy Assistant Under-Secretary of the Department of Paperwork under Mitt or anyone else. Anyone who thinks that sentient beings require an ulterior motive to be wary of a Newt nomination should have an herbal tea and lie down in a darkened room for half an hour.”

[Utmost Certainty]

FFS. Please inform yourself.

$1.6 million paid out to a consulting firm over the course of 10 years—that’s chump change, not a bribe for buying influence. Further, apparently Newt didn’t do anything that Freddie Mac believed they could use on their behalf—perhaps because Newt told them what they didn’t want to hear?:

“He was expected to provide written material that could be circulated among free-market conservatives in Congress and in outside organizations, said two former company executives familiar with Gingrich’s role at the firm. He didn’t produce a white paper or any other document the firm could use on its behalf, they said.”

From: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-16/gingrich-said-to-be-paid-at-least-1-6-million-by-freddie-mac.html

[Old Sarge]

Awwww, someone has their knickers twisted over Newt?

[MrEdd]

I will say that the socialist eminent domain abuse scandal that was the Trans Texas Corridor absolutely should be a permanent career ender.

I and others who worked hard to block it go third party or write in if Perry were to be the Republican nominee.

This is non negotiable.

[hosepipe]

[ Newt is not a conservative. ]

True but neither is Myth Romney..

[mylife]

Oh Puhleeze she is in Mitts pocket.

[mylife]

Your national panties are in a twist over a freeking road?

[mylife]

How is eminent domain for roads socialist?

[ventanax5]

That quote was Mark Steyn

[Carthego delenda est]

” I love Michelle’s constitutional stand on issues, but what great conservative feats has she actually accomplished?”

None.

[Lancey Howard]

Oh Puhleeze she is in Mitts pocket.

I don't know how you can say that after she tore into Cain, Perry, and Gingrich.
Wait... what?

[mylife]

Precisely

[Lancey Howard]

Oh Puhleeze she is in Mitts pocket.

Bachman is running for VP.

[mylife]

I am so confused!

[Utmost Certainty]

I have decided I am pulling for Newt. He’s the only candidate who gives me any confidence at all. I think he’s ready.

Awesome.

[sheikdetailfeather]

Michele Bachmann Goes on Meet the Press and Complains that Newt Gingrich was “Condescending” to Her because He Disagreed with Her! – Video 12/18/11

http://freedomslighthouse.net/2011/12/18/michele-bachmann-goes-on-meet-the-press-and-complains-that-newt-gingrich-was-condescending-to-her-because-he-disagreed-with-her-video-121811/

This is the type of stuff that turns me off about Michele Bachmann.

[mylife]

I don’t want her handling my nuclear footballs.

She is to edgy and wound up.

[MrEdd]

Because the plan was to also seize the land at access points, where restaurants and gas stations are generally developed. Couldn't allow the land owner to profit from the part of his land not seized below market value for the road. But wait there was more. Land enough for a freaking industrial park at the interstate ten junction. Probably trucking companies would set up there, so lets just take that too.

It was when this came out that I became involved.

And mylife, I really don't give a crap if you love every piece of Kelo vs. New London style land grab, or whether you just couldn't be bothered to pay a damned bit of attention to the world around you unless some liberal journalist clues you in to what he thinks you should know - I won't be giving Perry a pass on this ever, and the more you support his worthless ass with snide remarks the more of your time you waste.

Some things don't get forgiven, even if they are defeated. The people who defeated them, you see, remember.

So no Perry under any circumstance for me.

[Sun]

“At least in the primary elections, we should be willing to vote for someone without first having to swill Pepto-Bismol.”

If conservatives are afraid to vote for the most conservative candidate in the PRIMARIES, when we have such a flawed president, it shows we lack the courage to ever get out of this liberal mess of a government that we are now in.

[D-fendr]

The author brings up some interesting points that i hadn't thought of concerning Newt as the candidate. The main one being that the economy is likely to, still, be the major concern.

To win on this issue, the GOP needs someone who can connect the very large dots in the mortgage and credit meltdowns of 2008.

I don't think so. I think it's not so much why it happened as why are we still in it? And why have we done so much to make it worse? Then what is needed to get out of it and reverse the damage done since.

I'm still left with wanting Newt to discuss economics more.

Thanks for posting this...

[Olog-hai]

---

Leading a Republican Revolution to victory after 40 years of democrat rule is not conservative?

---

Not necessarily, no. It's only party labels, after all.

---

Cutting the deficit and balancing the federal budget four years running is not conservative? Blocking socialist HillaryCare, reforming welfare and reducing unemployment are not conservative?

---

It wasn't coupled with a significant reduction in the national debt (just a minuscule one), or a larger-scale reversal of welfare, or a reversal of the gutting of the military or the CIA, or a strengthening of foreign policy, or stopping our nuke secrets being handed to China and North Korea on a silver platter, or preventing the gutting of strategic infrastructure (ref. Alexander Hamilton's Report on Manufactures) so token stuff like that only goes so far and doesn't put a dent in the damage the liberals have done.

[maine-iac7]

Newt

http://www.usmessageboard.com/politics/196987-1998-acu-ratings-gingrich-100-paul-88-santorum-84-last-year-all-3-were-in-cong.html

and

http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/07/gingrichs-unimpeachable-conservative-credential/

and

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/12/14/newts_past_and_future_leadership_112396.html

and

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/12/14/newts_past_and_future_leadership_112396.html

******************

mittens

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7OQoBxZZPqU

and

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/06/us-usa-campaign-romney-computers-idUSTRE7B500X20111206

and

http://mrctv.org/videos/mitt-romney-2002-my-views-are-progressive

*************

I post, you decide

[mylife]

Kelo vs New London was obviously wrong.
The state over stepped its bounds.

[sheikdetailfeather]

I think America has been asked to settle for chihuahuas with no gonads from the Republican establishment over and over and now they are sending out the biggest rotweillers they can find. First it was Trump, then Bachmann, then Perry, now Newt. Look what a big applause Perry got when he talked about the drones. America watched them take Caine down and they want a fighter because we know we are up against some ruthless people.

[Carthego delenda est]

What does private whoring for Freddie Mac have to do with “conservatism”?

so.... Fannie?

[maine-iac7]

“perhaps because Newt told them what they didn’t want to hear?:”

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/15/gingrich-fires-back-at-lobbying-charge/

and WHO forced the banks to make those loans - by suing them in court on these grounds - “(denying poor people loans because of their ethnic heritage).

http://www.mediacircus.com/2008/10/obama-sued-citibank-under-cra-to-force-it-to-make-bad-loans/

Who was their lawyer - a young, “clean and articulate” lawyer from Chicago -

I wish someone would bring this out -

[mylife]

You are disingenuous if you portray Perry as a land grabber.

Tx has the most privately owned land by percentage in the entire USA

[D-fendr]

Sorry, but i think you meant to address your post to someone else?

[Future Useless Eater]

This is the type of stuff that turns me off about Michele Bachmann.

.

Michele Bachmann should be a bit ashamed of herself for her recent bad-mouthed Newt over Fannie/Freddie.
She KNEW better.

She knew that Gingrich slammed Fannie/Freddie for mismanagement in 2008, weeks before the financial meltdown that Fannie/Freddie largely caused. She knew this because she stood on the same stage, and she introduced him!

---

It has been YEARS that Freddie/Fannie have been known to be corrupt.
And Gingrich was pointing out HOW CORRUPT they were, even in 2008.

Here is a transcript of Newt saying on CSPAN, how horrible Freddie and Fannie were managed
and they should be dismantled...

"Governing & Political Change" held in St. Paul Minnesota, September 3, 2008

Bachmann: The question is on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the outrage and will it go private?
or where are Fannie Mae and Feddie Mac going to go?



Gingrich: Well, I think this is one of the great tests of reform- 
of a populist reform conservatism. 

There is ZERO reasons to bail out these two institutions.

They have violated the fundamental principle of why they were created.

And I did a fair amount of-...  Let me be right up front... 
I did a fair amount of work with Freddie Mac, looking at it, consulting it,
but not at a fiduciary level, but at a general public policy level.

I am appalled at the degree of management irresponsibility 
that both places have had, and I think they should be treated 
precisely like a private sector institution, 

And the stockholders, and the senior management should fundamentally 
have to bear the brunt...
I don't think you want to let them go broke, because they're enormous, 
and that has a BIG second and third order consequence on the system. 

But I think what you want to say, is as a consequence of their survival, 
they should be broken up, they should go thru the equivalent of a receivership, 
and everybody who was profiting from them should pay the cost of having failed. 



And the general taxpayer should NOT bear that burden. 
and I think that could be handled totally different.

But there is ZERO reason, now that they've failed... 
I was perfectly happy to to not PUSH the issue, as long as they weren't failing, 
but NOW that they've clearly failed their fiduciary responsibility, 
there is zero reason for the average taxpayer to bail out these institutions.

And their senior managements have been DISGRACEFUL in the mismanagement, 
particularly I think,  of Fannie Mae which had huge, huge, internal problems 
in terms of accounting, in a way you can't quite understand,,, 

How could people run an institution THAT badly? 

---

To: Michele Bachmann

I like you. I like you a lot.

But you have been a U.S. Representative in Congress, representing a small portion of Minnesota, for less than five years, since January 2007.

That's still a little light on experience for running for President. But you're still young and you could be a stronger candidate in the future. Please keep up your good work!!

In 2008, you were apparently friends with Newt Gingrich, and you apparently invited him onto that same stage with you in Saint Paul. And you appeared to beam, and smile in approval as Newt blasted Fannie and Freddie.

So PLEASE tone down your current rhetoric against Newt, and please do not forget Romney is an abortionist, and an ObamneyCare and Gay Marriage advocate.

"We" who support Tea Party principles MIGHT want you on Newt's ticket for VP. And then, after eight years in Newt's administration, you could be ready to take over the reins, and continue after Newt demolishes and reverses this incredible Obama nightmare.

( Gingrich-haters, please do not address or reply to me.)

[Carthego delenda est]

“We who support Tea Party principles MIGHT want you on Newt’s ticket for VP”

You’ve figured it all out! Maybe someday I can aspire to meet an aide of yours?

[mylife]

So you support who?

[Pomosapien]

Sitting on a couch next to Princess Pelosi espousing the fraud known as global warming isn't conservative.

Campaigning for known liberal RINOs isn't conservative.

Supporting amnesty for illegals isn't conservative...

Even a broken clock is right 2 times a day.

[sheikdetailfeather]

Oh my goodness! I just realized something after reading your post. NO WONDER THEY ALL ARE SO AFRAID OF NEWT GETTING INTO THE WHITE HOUSE WITH WHAT HE KNOWS ABOUT FANNIE/FREDDIE!!!!

[Marcella]

“You are disingenuous if you portray Perry as a land grabber.”

You don’t understand what almost happened. He wanted to take land from owners all the way from the southern border to the northern border and sell it to a French company that would build a toll road and that company would get the toll money and there was no upper limit set on what that toll would be.

It was to be mainly a truck route from Mexico to link up with a route to keep going all the way to Canada.

My state senator was on the state transportation committee and he was instrumental in stopping this travesty. Yes, it was a serious problem in Texas and it was Perry’s project. Part of the legal work was given to Rudy Guiliani’s law company in Texas. That was shortly before Rudy ran for president. Guess how his VP was probably going to be?

This road problem happened the same year Perry tried to, by executive order, put the Guardasil shots in schools. We had to fight that plus that road to stop both of those. What I have just written is the absolute truth.

[mylife]

Your nutty.

[Pomosapien]

The $1.6 million is not just part of his baggage -- of which he has more than the Partridge family on tour.

And Obama will unpack and air every bit of it...to our shame.

[cmomm44]

A ‘right to the point’ post——all the folks seem to be doing is making sure the Obamanation gets elected again-—this will finish our USA, so keep up the infighting among ourselves-—Bachnman is not going to be President but she will ruin the chance of anyone else to take over and pull us out of this mess the Demonrats have cooked up in their first 2 years of office-—frankly, I can go to my grave in peace as I am in my 90th year and served with men and women of honor for 5+ during WW2 which gave you fools almost 67 years of freedom to waste-—go to it —keep mouthing about 3rd parties, staying home on election day and refusing to support any Repub you don’t like-—give it back to the Rats and remember this post

[cmomm44]

A ‘right to the point’ post——all the folks seem to be doing is making sure the Obamanation gets elected again-—this will finish our USA, so keep up the infighting among ourselves-—Bachnman is not going to be President but she will ruin the chance of anyone else to take over and pull us out of this mess the Demonrats have cooked up in their first 2 years of office-—frankly, I can go to my grave in peace as I am in my 90th year and served with men and women of honor for 5+ during WW2 which gave you fools almost 67 years of freedom to waste-—go to it —keep mouthing about 3rd parties, staying home on election day and refusing to support any Repub you don’t like-—give it back to the Rats and remember this post

[Marcella]

“Your nutty.”

You are so wrong. I won’t waste my time responding to you again since you do not care what truth is. And that’s, “You’re nutty.”, not “Your nutty.”

[mylife]

Hey, I was here.

I had trepidation on how matters were going down.
I did not like work going to Cintra.

I figured we have Texas companys that can do the work, we can employ Texans.

We Need the roads, I dont like the tolls but we have low taxes so how do we pay for the roads?

[JediJones]

Can we please remind everyone that Chris Dodd, Obama and Kerry were the top 3 recipients of Freddie/Fannie campaign contributions? And that the Obama administration has been bailing them out to the tunes of billions of dollars? That’s the money that got Freddie/Fannie special treatment and taxpayer money. Newt wasn’t in government, and therefore hasn’t been responsible for one dime going to Freddie/Fannie. I also don’t believe they were owned by the government until the crash of 2008, so weren’t they basically self-funded agencies like the post office and not funded by the taxpayer?

I do wish Newt had explained some of this stuff better in the debates, that he was paid over 10 years time, that it was to his firm, not just to him, and so forth. Saying how he believes in finding conservative housing solutions isn’t the answer people are looking for. The answer he gave quoted above from 2008 is the one people are looking for. And how about he point out next time that he opposes the plan Romney stated last year to accelerate foreclosures because they just aren’t happening fast enough for him and the investors he wants to buy up the properties?

I continue to find it utterly laughable that the media paid no attention to Freddie/Fannie when the only politicians connected to it were Democrats. Are they now telling us all of a sudden that Freddie/Fannie played a role in the financial crisis? You mean it wasn’t just driven by corporate greed, slimy banksters and hedge fund investors on Wall Street?

[mylife]

So far as blaming Perry for the mexicali highway, Newt had more to do with that.

He pushed NAFTA through.

[JediJones]

Newt tearing apart Al Gore’s global warming testimony in 2009 is conservative:

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/greghengler/2009/04/24/newt_rips_gores_facts_to_pieces_in_testimony

Campaigning for Republicans he believes can win is conservative. Maybe he didn’t pick the winner every time but then neither did the Tea Party with Angle and O’Donnell, especially the latter.

Breaking up families which include some natural-born citizens and some illegal aliens with roots in their community going back two decades isn’t conservative.

Being right 2 times a day means Newt has been right about 2,000 times more than Obama has in the last 3 years. If you’re saying he’d be that much better a candidate than Obama, then I agree with you. As for Romney, it’s easy to be right when you look at the paper of the conservative kid you’re sitting next to and copy all his answers.

[mylife]

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/newt-gingrich-praises-nafta-shipping-out-a