[rogue yam]

I would prefer she proceeded a litle more gingerly and I will not diminish my support of her, but the impression is created that she does not know what she is doing walking into this type of hornet’s nest and so she *also* may not know what she’s doing over here, and over here.

You are unwittingly aping a leftist argument. To wit: Because conservatives are savaged by leftists this proves that conservatives are "stupid" because if they were "smart" they would "know" not to say things that "cause" leftists to savage them.

Here's how I see it: Conservatives say conservative things because that is the only way to promote conservatism. Leftists respond with outrage whenever conservatives say conservative things because leftists are crazy and evil. People who blame conservatives for leftist outrage are themselves either crazy and evil leftists, or else they are stupid and are allowing themselves to be suckered by the leftists.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

Nope. I’m talking about how Bachmann *looks*, not what she says. If she is going to say something as controversial as “cut off VA benefits” then she damn well better look ultra credible when she does so. That is a sound bite that I guarantee will haunt her for her entire political career.

On her response to the SOTU, she did not know how to address the camera and could be seen looking elsewhere. You and I can forgive her but it “unsells” her message with folks she needs to be sold to. This stuff matters, like it or not. This is EXACTLY what torpedoed Christine O’Donnell. She fell to a more media-savvy opponent.

I’m not ready to agree that “..saying conservative things is the only way to promote conservatism.” There are other ways: Like showing the failure(s) of liberalism. If you say there is a hard-core contingent of leftists that cannot be reached, fine. I’ll abandon any hope of converting them, no problem. It does no good to preach to the converted, though. What DOES have a positive effect is to convert independents and open-minders. If you blow your messaging with that crowd, YOUR OPPONENTS WILL NOT MAKE THAT SAME MISTAKE. If your messaging is poor and you only reach those who are already on your side, nothing gets accomplished. If your messaging is poor and you look like a doofus delivering it, then you are doing damage to yourself and your cause. Michele did NOT look good in that appearance. I hope she didn’t hurt herself but my sense is that she did.