Posted on 11/09/2006 10:37:05 AM PST by Caleb1411
If you were a candidate with "Republican" printed directly beneath your name on the ballot Tuesday, you're probably sprucing up your résumé today. Sure, there were a few exceptions, such as Jim Ramstad, who seems to have spent his adult life in Congress, and Tim Pawlenty, whose opponent's anger-management problem helped him to a slim win. Otherwise, there was major Republican carnage. Someone forgot to mention this script to Michele Bachmann in Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District. She ran proudly as a conservative, took it on the chin from hostile media outlets and faced an unprecedented assault on her religious beliefs.
The result? Bachmann won her race hands down, outpolling Patty Wetterling 50 to 42 percent. That's a landslide in the current political climate and in a race that pundits labeled a tossup. And it's news for another reason: Bachmann is the first Republican woman Minnesotans have sent to Congress.
One secret to Bachmann's success was her vast "family" of volunteers, she said. "The volunteers have been a pure joy," she told me Wednesday. "We had so many people flood in that we ran out of phones to do our 'get-out-the-vote' calls, and had to go out and buy more phones. One 12-year-old girl made over 800 calls. A home-school mom came in with her five children and said, 'Put us to work.' A couple I've known since I was 16 took two days off of work to do door-knocking. In one day, they knocked on 146 doors."
Despite this kind of support, Bachmann found herself constantly swimming upstream against what she perceives as the religious bigotry of some of her political adversaries. "I was attacked repeatedly for my religious faith, and the media was a willing accomplice," she said. "I'm really disturbed by the media's lack of tolerance and understanding
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
A star is born.
So much for the alleged virtues of moderation.
Wasn't she Daisy Duke on the original Dukes of Hazzard TV show?
Thanks for a good and positive post.
I personally think that Wetterling's deeply misleading and disgraceful ads after the Mark Foley revelations cost her trememndously. Even the Red Star called her on them.
That was Catherine Bach (who truly was memorable).
Good will and likeability trumps EVERYTHING.
More good news.
MN is proof that a high turnout yields (R) victories. (Remember MN is a Blue state and voted for Kerry) Pawlenty and Bachmann won.
Every year the Washington Post used to run a joke contest to name hypothetical legislation using creative combinations of names of Congressmen. My favorite was "The Kildee-Dole Welfare Reform Act." But the "Bachmann-Turner Overdrive Act" could be my new one!
There's nobody in the party today better than Michelle. I say Bachmann for minority leader!
Why do you say "Reaganesque"?
What about Dingell-Norwood?
Mrs. Bachmann will be a great new face for Republicans in Congress if they have the sense to put her forward. We cannot have the same gang of white men representing us to the public. And Mrs. Bachmann is a true religious conservative who actually lives her family values. Democrats cannot touch her without opening themselves up to charges of sexism and religious bigotry. I often wonder if there is a liberal politician in America who has actually had a foster child. Bachmann has had 23! What a great story she is.
Thanks. But Austin Powers already did a version of this joke.
Christian news and commentary at: sacredscoop.com ...
I thought after 2004 that MN was labeled a possible take-over state for the GOP, once they figure out how to get the dead people off voter rolls and the voting irregularities (read, Democrat ballot stuffing) fixed. Or am I thinking something different?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.