Here’s a nice little piece (amazingly appearing n the Strib) about Michele Bachmann’s status on the national stage following her departure from the Republican Presidential contest. Its an interesting take in comparison to Goldwater in 1964, as in she’s not leaving battered and bruised, but even stronger.

Michele Bachmann’s national stature remains strong

• Article by: KIRSTEN DELEGARD

On Sunday, the anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann made her first public appearance since pulling out of the presidential race on Jan. 4. At a protest against abortion at the Minnesota State Capitol, the conservative congresswoman was in her element as she rallied the faithful.

 

Bachmann’s last-place finish in the Iowa caucuses and subsequent withdrawal from the presidential running had undoubtedly disappointed that audience.

Outside of those circles, many observers viewed Bachmann’s candidacy as a manifestation of our collective political dysfunction. Yet any relief at her poor showing needs to be tempered by caution.

Bachmann’s detractors run the risk of repeating the mistake liberals made in the wake of Barry Goldwater’s 1964 defeat, which many interpreted as a repudiation of his politics. Goldwater’s trouncing at the polls served to mobilize his sympathizers, who made his version of conservatism ascendant in American politics during the last decades of the 20th century.

As speculation mounts about Bachmann’s next move, her enthusiastic reception in St. Paul provides a reminder that her influence will likely not wane.

While Bachmann was unable to secure a primary win, the Iowa campaign allowed her to expand her national political reach, giving her a platform she could use to consolidate her influence within both the Republican Party and in the larger realm of political opinion.

Bachmann’s last-place finish only enhanced her status in the eyes of many of her followers, who took it as proof she was a political outsider, prepared to speak truth to power regardless of the consequences.

As long as the country remains mired in political disaffection, Bachmann will remain irresistible to many Americans who want to jettison politics as usual.

Bachmann relishes her role as the leader of a grass-roots insurgency, bringing to that task a commitment she lacks as a serious policymaker. This is not surprising in light of the fact that her political model, the woman she calls her “heroine,” never won elected office.

Forty years ago, conservative populist Phyllis Schlafly became a household name through her campaign against the Equal Rights Amendment, which infused traditional anticommunism with emerging anxieties about sexuality. A political lightning rod, Schlafly sparked firestorms, illuminating deep fissures in the political and cultural bedrock of the nation.

Bachmann calls Schlafly “the most important woman in the United States in the last 100 years” and has consciously embraced the incendiary politics of the woman she followed closely as a young mother.

While closely associated with the Republican Party, Schlafly’s leadership skills were nurtured by women’s groups, especially the Daughters of the American Revolution.

That organization helped her to build her political base, giving her a platform she used to develop her message over the 1950s and ’60s. She relied on the group’s stalwart support through these years, when both major political parties wanted women to follow but never lead.

By the time Schlafly became active in the DAR, the organization had been rallying women against radicalism for almost 30 years.

In the first decade after the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote in 1920, the group had teamed up with the American Legion Auxiliary to address fears raised by the Russian Revolution, offering female activists new outlets for political expression and a novel political identity.

These zealous women transformed women’s politics, linking progressive female reform to international Bolshevism.

They created a vibrant subculture that trained generations of women to crusade against communism; it was these grass-roots activists who rallied behind Schlafly for almost two decades before she became a national sensation in the 1970s.

As the first conservative woman to make a serious bid for the American presidency, Bachmann builds on these decades of grass-roots organizing. Inspired by Schlafly’s example, she is merely the latest in a line of women who have worked to mobilize their communities against what they see as radical influences.

Like her foremothers, Bachmann may ultimately find the ballot box to be her least effective political weapon. But it is certain that her electoral defeat will do little to diminish her influence over national political debates.

____

Kirsten Delegard, of Minneapolis, is a historian and researcher. Her book “Battling Miss Bolsheviki: The Origins of Female Conservatism in the United States” was just released by the University of Pennsylvania Press.

So I guess I can cancel my order for lawn signs.

Via KSTP Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann says she’ll seek a fourth term in the U.S. House following her failed presidential bid.

Bachmann declared her plans in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday. The Republican congresswoman had been mum on her plans since folding her presidential campaign after a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses earlier this month.

Bachmann says she’s looking forward to “coming back and bringing a strong powerful voice” to Washington D.C.

There’s a State of the Union viewing party tomorrow night in Duluth. The left is focused on pretending conservatism is over, that the people are abandoning free markets and our Constitutional form of Government. If you live in the northland, make sure you join other freedom loving Minnesotans at the Clyde Iron Works Restaurant in Duluth.

If we can show the media that there is a growing number of Minnesotans in so-called “blue districts” who are fed up with his policies and abuses of power, maybe we can get them to start covering elections fairly and accurately.

What: State of the Union Watch Party

When: Tuesday, January 24th

Time: 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM

Where: Clyde Iron Works Restaurant 2920 Michigan Street Duluth

Who: You and everyone you know!

Aye carrumba.

Is now an okay time to say I told you so? Or should I sit back and allow 2 people to claim ALL the credit? At least I can say I never changed my tune, not everyone can do that.

Oh well, onward and …….

Anyways, that link is to a story that digs into the Republican Party problems created by the Sutton/Brodkorb/Carey regime.

Update: And to clarify: I’m not claiming I was the only one, nor that I knew of these details. Its just that there were a lot of us asking to see the books and to know what was really going on long before some people have taken to the glitz. Some of us have been raging against the machine for years and have been destroyed for doing so.  This shouldn’t be about grandstanding or credit for me or anyone, if it is for anyone, then you’re no better than the people who created the mess.

Its not about me, you, or them, this should be about what’s best for the party as a whole. That’s all I ever wanted. A better party. A party that isn’t run by an individual or by some weird alliance or cronyism. Dare I say where best practices rule the day, not who has won favor or who owes who.

I’m going to upset some, but I think the Newt war on Romney is early similar to the Seifert war on Emmer and is worthy of some reflection. 

I’m one who thinks Newt Gingrich’s time to be great was over long ago. For the last decade he’s tried to suck all the oxygen out of the conservative tent and has self-appointed himself to be the smartest guy in the room. You shrugged it off since he was supposedly the guy who lead the Contract with America revolution….. Then he sat on that couch with Nancy Pelosi embracing man made global warming.

The jackhole is a populist, not a principled conservative.

Then his hatred campaign against Romney started. Its what the guy who thinks something belongs to him, or if they are the heir apparent and some other person swoops in and steals the show. The front runner turned also ran turns to a negative campaign to make people dislike the person they are losing to in hopes of regaining the momentum. This was the tactic employed by Marty Seifert’s Gubernatorial campaign.

It is a dangerous game because it does a couple things very beneficial for the Democrats. It makes people hate both people and leads activists to hate each other. There are some people who I actually question the intelligence and/or motives of, after the Emmer – Seifert battle. There are Republicans who actually think Emmer killed that lady’s kid from that ad. Wounds first opened by Seifert. Republicans and leaners, no longer trusted Emmer. Sure, people will be very quick to point to Emmer own stumbles but the wounds that cost him votes, volunteers, and donations were first opened by a fellow Republican’s team of desperate consultants and staffers.

Both Emmer and Seifert came out of the endorsement claiming unity and promising to help the GOP win, but it never happened and the waves of dissension (Miss me yet) still wash up on the GOP beaches like a hazardous waste that stifles unity and reenergizes misguided battles of old. We’re left arguing about last years battle, rather than this years.

Am I saying that Marty Seifert singlehandedly made Emmer lose? Absolutely not, but you can’t ignore that ‘Operation Kitchensink” did have lasting effects and was in no way worth it given Emmer lost in the end. There is testing and vetting a candidate, and then there is unleashing the minions to lie and mislead people through whispers and one on one phone calls to the point where people start to hate the other Emmer and refuse to defend him against the lies Dayton was spreading.

That’s exactly what Newt Gingrich is up to right now. He’s determined to capitalize on the anti-Romney populism at any cost. Rick Perry’s decision to drop out and endorse Newt answers the question: Social, fiscal, crony, or compassionate conservative? Clearly not a social conservative as he endorsed the guy who wants to be the next philanderer in chief over Santorum. The obvious choice for fiscally conservatives was Ron Paul. Compassionate  conservatives just want to win the argument, not the war. Crony conservatives just want to remain relevant. Which btw Newt got filthy rich himself off of playing on the conservative movement with his American Solutions stuff while also taking money telling people how to defeat conservatism and limited Government…….

Newt needs people to hate Romney. Its his only chance. Some already short sighted conservatives who are easy to be fooled – do hate Mitt Romney. Its a flaw in many conservatives to believe that perfect is achievable, and refuses to accept that good enough is better than socialism. Instead, there’s a wave of sentiment out there that we Republicans just can’t let that (in some cases) a Mormon, (in others) another liberal Republican, (and sadly) that rich SOB successful business guy Romney get the endorsement.

Mitt Romney is far from the perfect conservative candidate. But so is each and every other candidate in the race. Its intellectually dishonest to assume anyone else still standing besides Mitt is a better conservative, cause they aren’t. Each of them has huge errors in their records or current philosophy. The fact is the perfect candidate has either left the race or never bothered to get in- depending on your specific qualities you desired.

Newt wants, no Newt NEEDS – me to hate Romney enough to forget Newt’s own mountains of lies and mistakes he has made. He needs me to ignore how he treated his wives/mistresses all the while trying to grandstand in the Clinton impeachment due to his own marital indiscretions. His sitting on the couch with Pelosi worshipping AL Gore, immigration, or just trying to suck all the air out of the conservative balloon so that he can simply amass more wealth and have people put him on a mantle – is too big of a pill for me to swallow and say yeah, Romney is not to be trusted.

Well, I still don’t love Romney, but I realize that he stands the best chance at beating Obama at this point and has the experience in the private sector to make some changes in the course of America. Everyone else in the race is easily beatable. So easy that I think I could manage Obama’s campaign. Each one (not names Mitt) has major flaws that can be highlighted to either drive away parts of the conservative base or swing voters. Democrats are chomping at the bit for a Newt, Santorum, or Paul candidacy.

They say give them Romney, but that’s only to embolden Santorum & Gingrich and further divide the GOP legs of the stool from each other. Its classic divide and conquer my friends. Newt’s no dummy, he is trying to steal the thunder and become the anti-Mitt, a grassfire being stoked by Democrats because they want Republicans to turn this little fire into a full blown scorched earth forest fire.

Newt’s problem is, I hate him more than the day he got in this race.

There is something to be said about a man who wants something so badly he’ll do and say anything to get it. Lie, cheat, steal…. Newt Gingrich has proven very skilled at each and every one of them which makes him more unfit for office that the current liar, cheater, and thief in the White House.

Great job Newt Gingrich, I hate you.

Unbelievable!

She refuses to even give a reason why she supports or opposes A BILL SHE IS CO-SPONSORING!!!!!!!!!

I want a damn news van outside her office and the DFL HQ until she comes clean to Minnesota.

Its quite amazing how the Minnesota media is complicit in Senator Amy Klobuchar’s scam record in the Senate. One of the biggest power grabs and assaults on free speech is underway in Congress right now, and Amy Klobuchar is a sponsor of the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act).

Its getting old to say that if this was a Republican the media would be camped out on their front lawns doing updates on the 9′s, but the fact that we know more about Congresswoman Bachmann’s personal life then we do Amy Klobuchar’s entries into the official record of the US Senate is astonishing.

Its a sign that the media here doesn’t follow news or try to educate people, they are puppets of the DFL who will do what they can to change the tides. The fact is is that Amy Klobuchar is a liberal lapdog of the fringe left. The utopian view that Minnesota is a deep blue liberal state is pure BS. Proof of that is how Amy Klobuchar is terrified of Minnesotans realizing she is as liberal as she is.

If you’re in the media and think I’m just picking on you, I triple dog dare you to compare your coverage of Bachmann to that of Klobuchar. Compare her 2006 campaign against Kennedy as a Bush lapdog to how she is now the lapdog to Obama. Don’t you think its important to the story?

Or is the fact that the MNGOP is in chaos thanks to 2 colossal mistakes as Chairs, and a lack of a serious challenger mean that you will simply sweep Klobuchar’s undesirables under the rug and protect her from her own liberal record?

It sickens me to know I’m write and have the self proclaimed guardians of the truth lie to the people. If Minnesotans knew what Amy Klobuchar was really doing in Washington, things would be different. But Minnesotans are being lied to. Members f the media and DFL don’t think voters can handle the truth. They are terrified if voters understood just what the DFL and its candidates stand for, by gosh, people would realize their are voting for socialist, command and control, anti-Capitalism, freedom hating, Democrats who have America’s best interests on their agenda to outlaw.

I challenge the media in Minnesota to take of the rose colored glasses, set their own beliefs aside, and tell the whole truth about what Democrats really stand for. Lay it out there just what they think and are trying to do and see what people think. Because when one party is determined to take away the fruits of one person’s labor and redistribute it as they see fit to who they need votes from, well, its socialism.

Let’s have one election cycle where the true stakes of the election results are on the table. Let’s educate the public at the differences between a Government run economy and society, and one of freedom, growth, and Capitalism. Let’s make sure that people understand the true nature of the Obama agenda for Congress, the Dayton agenda for the Legislature, and that each DFL candidate for Congress, US Senate, or the Legislature will be 100% supportive of Obama/Dayton and let the people decide if they choose freedom or the soft bigotry of low expectations.

One party believes in people, in America, and that this is the greatest nation ever. The other wants to fundamentally transform America. Obama ran as a centrist, backing away from his liberalism, but once elected he used Klobuchar to railroad horrible freedom squashing laws upon us. But no one knows that, and she has never had to defend herself.

But some mental midget dumps a box of pennies on a GOP candidate or throws glitter in a Republicans face and it worthy of deploying a fleet of news vans and leading the show with.

Will Minnesotans get to know the real Amy Klobuchar before she is reelected? Its going to take an honest media to make that happen, one that doesn’t focus on the Republican, but just does its job.

Why buy a bus for a few hundred thousand when you can get one for a cool million.

RF Flashback:

Which Came First, The Tax Or The Revenue?

It explores subsidized public bus upgrades where stupid purchases are done simply because someone else pays for it. As in, hybrid buses at 3 or 4 times the cost to be “green”.

Sorry, was watching youth hockey in St. Cloud all weekend and am swamped at work. More later…. maybe.