Posted on 09/08/2011 7:33:58 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
For a while there, Rep. Michele Bachmann seemed to be all anyone could talk about in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
Telegenic, controversial and aligned with fiscal and social conservatives, she soaked up media coverage and seemed to be emerging as the GOP base's preferred alternative to Mitt Romney - particularly since Mike Huckabee decided to forgo the race and Sarah Palin continued waffling about whether she would jump in.
Then came August 13. It was, in once sense, a triumphant day for Bachmann: She won the (albeit overhyped) Iowa straw poll, generating headlines about how she was a top-tier contender with a legitimate shot at the nomination. But August 13 was also the day that Texas governor Rick Perry decided to throw his ten-gallon hat into the race.
Ever since then, Bachmann has steadily faded. Perry shot to the front of the polls on the strength of his dual establishment/base appeal, while Bachmann sank back to third or fourth, alongside Ron Paul. Unable to capitalize on her straw poll momentum, she shook up her campaign staff, removing campaign manager Ed Rollins - who promptly declared the contest a two-man race between Perry and Bachmann.
Wednesday's debate was Bachmann's chance to show she had come up with some sort of plan to regain some semblance of momentum. And despite a strong performance in past debates, she let the opportunity pass her by. While Perry and Romney sparred, a sbdued Bachmann failed to get in any memorable lines and looked like a footnote who belonged with the also-rans, not the contenders.
In the spin room after the debate, Rollins - who is still with the Bachmann campaign - tried to frame Bachmann's unmemorable debate performance as no big deal.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
This is silly. Last night the focus was on Perry, his first debate. Bachmann did a good job. Is she a long shot, yeah but it was not a FATAL night, in spite of the MSM wishes.
There was hesitancy on the part of Perry occasionally but when we analyze what was said, Perry was the one who showed the courage and correct positions on global warming, social security and the death penalty. The guy has guts and has to scare the daylights out of Obama.
People forget how hard the democrats have tried to defeat Michele Bachmann in Minnesota yet she’s always been there at the end.
The left spent something like $20 million trying to defeat her last year.
Ed Rollins certainly had sabotage of the Bachmann campaign in mind. But was the damage he did permanent?
At this point, probably not. In fact, just about any one of the candidates remaining in the field could still turn this around for themselves. There is still a lot more emotion than substance in these debates, but slowly, a concensus is emerging.
Obama must go. Nothing will happen until that one fact has been settled for good and all. The only question, what is the best strategy and agenda to pursue to achieve that end?
IF Palin gets in, some may look at her strategy as being brilliant and some may look at it as being cowardly to not get in an be subject to the same barbs and questions as the others.
She was finished before she got started.
Are we gonna allow them to pick our candidates again?
Ouch.
She got rid of Rollins.
IMHO she should be welcomed back in out of the cold.
To be honest, I was somewhat impressed with Romney. I have never liked the man, but his responses to questions about border security and jobs were quite good. I am having a hard time getting past Romneycare, but now could just barely stand having to vote for him if he gets the nom.
Perry has too many questions that he doesn’t address well. His support of mandatory HPV vaccinations is chilling to me. No conservative would support something like that. I have no problem with the death penalty, so his tepid defense of that didn’t cut much ice with me.
I rate them, based on last night’s performance 1) Bachmann 2) Romney 3) Perry.
Paul is always fun to watch, but I would never vote for the guy for Prez.
She roiled me when she said 47% of blacks don’t have jobs. Hell, they refure to work in school, too. Not all of course.
I wish she weren’t going to do a rebuttal tomight. I wish she’d just ignore Obama since we finally got the rest of the republicans to ignore him. sheesh!
She’s done. I want to learn more about Rubino because the present lot of candidates just aren’t getting the job done. Cain is the biggest dissapointment.
Not really!
PMSNBC has an interest in who ultimately ends up as the Republican nominee. They want a milquetoast candidate to go up against Obama, so that their voters will be more committed to vote on election day. They don't want conservative voters to have more forward momentum than the union goons, leftists, racists and other filthy radicals who will be buying votes and stuffing ballot boxes.
The focus was on Perry since he's the new kid on the block; and, being the sexist pigs that liberals are, they put Perry up against the man who was closest behind him in polls.
That said, the dope with the yellow tie last night needs to drop out and go order take out Chinese food, "in their language."
No way she is a VP pick...you can take that to the bank..
LOL, we humans are funny. Here you thought Bachmann won and others think she did herself in.
Yeah, I thought she was, but I’m leaning in your direction now.
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