Posted on 07/08/2011 7:43:20 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
It’s a fair cop. Her four and a half years in Congress are notably thin on bills passed and committees chaired and thicker than expected on earmarks. There are ways to spin that — “I went to Washington to stop runaway government, not enable it,” etc — but if/when Palin and Perry get into the race, this’ll be their chief line of attack on her too. They’ve governed states. What has Bachmann done except cast marginal dissenting votes and wave the Gadsden flag?
Now, show of hands. How many people expected three months ago that Michele Bachmann, not Mitt Romney, would be Pawlenty’s prime target weeks before the Ames straw poll? Yeesh.
Asked about Bachmann, who in last month’s Des Moines Register Iowa Poll was sitting at 22 percent in Iowa among likely Republican caucusgoers versus his own 6 percent, Pawlenty said: “Each candidate brings some different strengths to the table, and mine include having been an executive of a large public enterprise in a difficult environment and actually getting things proposed and results to conclusion. I’m not sure what she would say in that regard. … She’s been in the legislative arena, as to specific results that have been achieved, I’m not sure what they would be.”
Pawlenty said he’s confident his poll numbers will rise.
Said one commenter in this morning’s Headlines thread, remembering T-Paw’s debate whiff on RomneyCare, “Will he say that when she’s present?” Damn. What’s interesting about this criticism is that, while Palin and Perry can also use it, Romney really can’t. If he starts needling Bachmann about how thin her record is, we all know what the response will be. And it won’t be good. So Pawlenty, of necessity, is inadvertently doing Mitt a favor by weakening Romney’s chief rival for the nomination in a way that’s unavailable to Romney himself. And Bachmann, also of necessity, is doing Mitt an inadvertent favor by signing an elaborate pro-marriage pledge being pushed by a prominent Iowa social con. That’s a smart way of solidifying support among the state’s Huckabee voters, which she needs to do with Palin and Perry looming and T-Paw having just hired Huck’s daughter as a top consultant. But it also gives centrists, libertarians, and the media ammo to attack her later if/when she ends up in a two-man race with Romney. The left’s already trying to claim that the pledge commits her to, er, banning pornography — it doesn’t — but there’s lots of other attack-ad fruit in there for the picking. Lucky for Mitt — especially since T-Paw, Palin, and Perry will be under intense pressure to sign the pledge too.
Here’s the latest campaign premortem postmortem for Pawlenty, this time courtesy of the Times. Exit question: Should I back him in the name of beta-male solidarity? The betas, united, can never be defeated. (Actually, they can. That’s what makes them betas.)
I know which one of the two who will be standing 6-10 months from now...and it won’t be Pawlenty. =.=
Because the Congress is run by liberals and moderates.
Unfortunately you cultists don't.
Pawlenty in desperation mode. He’ll be the first to throw in the towel, imo.
She has a pretty damn good record!
Pawlenty reminds me of Beaker from the muppet show.
Considering the fact that half of her time in congress was under the misadministration of speaker Pelousy.
Well, if you can get by ethanol and farm subsidies....
And if you can find something she's actually accomplished......
That wasn’t a deal breaker in 2008.
This is a perfect example of my test for 2012. Who was conservative in 2008 when it was not popular. My first impression in this particular head to head contest is:
1. Bachman was about as conservative in 2008 as she is now.
2. Pawlenty was backing or signing legislation to deal with global warming.
If that is the case, Bachman is a consistent conservative, while Pawlenty is a bit of a weather vane.
Now I have not fully researched this so maybe others can correct me if I am wrong. I will admit to some disquiet over Bachman supporting ethanol and starving the poor of the world because ethanol is big in Iowa.
Every time Congress “accomplishes” something, it costs us more money. I would rather they stay home and watch TV.
Polenta is a zero.
“She has voted well for a congresscritter.
Well, if you can get by ethanol and farm subsidies....
And if you can find something she’s actually accomplished”
She has a outstanding voting record;ACU
She was elected to her first term in 2006, so in her first two terms Nancy Pelosi and her hench’men’ like Barney Frank were in charge. It’s hardly surprising that she hasn’t passed many bills?
“Considering the fact that half of her time in congress was under the misadministration of speaker Pelousy.”
Yes ,Good point!
Unfortunately she's never actually, you know.....done anything......making her dead meat at some point in this campaign.
Go ahead, name something other than being elected and talking. I'll be waiting, no one on FR has said anything now to that challenge, and it's been two weeks I've been giving it.
Sorry, TPaw is right on this one thing, she's an empty suit and a bad candidate for prsident.
“By next week she will pass Willard in the polls, are you turning green yet??”
I like her and hope for the best.
Its the same line of attack both RINOs and the democrats used against my congressman in the last election.
He didn’t do anything because he was a freshman in Nazi Pelosi’s house of representatives.
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