Yep, nothing to see here! :)
Posted on 09/14/2011 6:05:05 AM PDT by freespirited
Up to now I’ve thought Michele Bachman was the most impressive performer in the GOP field, going toe-to-toe with the “big boys” in the field, out-arguing them on several occasions, and introducing serious constitutional arguments that the rest of the field (even Perry) are too timid to attempt. She’s right to go after Rick Perry on the issue of mandating the use of the Gardisil vaccine, along with the issue of “crony capitalism,” both of which get at the issue of a potential president’s sense of the reach and limits of state power. Perry is a mixed bag on this (as is Romney obviously) and he should be pressed hard to explain himself and refine his views.
But her embrace of the wacko idea that the vaccine is dangerous or causes autism, mental retardation, or other risks is simply irresponsible. Is Bachman, Glenn Reynolds quipped, trying to go after the Jenny McCarthy vote? (Glenn also links to Jonathan Adler’s quick take on this, which is the same as mine.)
Bachman passed along with complete credulity the claim of someone who she says came up to her after the debate attributing her child’s mental issues to the vaccine. I’ve heard a few people speculate darkly about whether such a person actually exists, or whether Bachman made it up or is trimming a bit from something she was told another time. You’d think our inquisitive news media would find this person and investigate, or that the person would now step forward (or that other people with similar claims would now step forward). Above all, this is a political mistake as well as a scientific one, as it has shifted the focus from Perry’s use of power to Bachmann’s scientific credibility—a lose-lose for everyone.
Which raises the last point. NBC Nightly News last night went to some trouble to attack Bachman’s views on the Gardisil vaccine. Fine; but why doesn’t NBC or the other major media perform the same service when anti-vaccine quackery comes from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or Jenny McCarthy? No mystery here.
“...The “vaccine” issue is a government control issue....”
I agree with you and disagree with you. It SHOULD be about government control, but she made it about other things. She made it about crony capitalism, which I agree is a first cousin of government control and is valid.
She also made it very emotional and about “innoculating innocent children” which turned it into a concentration camp lab experiment and just went way over the top with that.
And so she screwed it up IMO. Besides, Perry’s record on parental rights and government control over all is good, so there’s only so much rope to hang him with on this one issue. That’s why she went ballistic-emotional.
She looked phony and one wonders why she's helping Romney. I lost all respect for her.
Yep, nothing to see here! :)
What politician doesn't misstep?
It is a fact that Perry used an executive order to pass this, bypassing the legislature.
It is a fact that Perry wishes he had done it differently.
It is a fact that the government was trying to have some involvement in people's private medical decisions.
It is also a fact that this was not a true mandate, because people could opt out. So Bachmann did misstep when she characterized this as a mandate.
Normally, a politician missteps and then carries on. But the media (and some Republicans) smell blood and are trying to take Bachmann down over an issue in which I think she was more right than wrong -- and I would say that Perry was more wrong than right. I'm not against Perry, I am merely unhappy that people are using this to justify their disapproval of Bachmann.
What the heck is wrong with going after Perry over his executive orders? I think this is damned important and it’s giving me major pause over Perry.
I also think he looked like a deer in the headlights during her attack. Not impressive!
The deviation from Perry's normal record only adds to the appearance of impropriety though.
Kennedy simply doesn't care what the media say about him---because he's dead.
It was her “I’m not a witch. I’m you.” moment.
Of course everyone missteps, but you cannot hold michele blameless and blame others for it. Howard Dean climbed aboard the crazy train and brought about his own demise. Michele has had a series of missteps and this passionate and sort of overdone bit about the Gardasil has conservatives leery of her, and backing away at this point. I maintain that the Gardasil issue in the big picture is not going to gain traction with the voting public, but a candidate’s overreaction to something can stick with them. I have seen, on twitter and elsewhere, conservative pundits backing away from Michele, and I see that as a problem she caused. Maybe it was desperation, feeling the need to break out and take Perry on strenuously, but it may work out to have been a miscalculation.
Its depressing to see that all of these people who weren’t supporting Bachmann before have decided to continue not supporting her.
As a New Yorker, I enjoy many of Trump's antics and pronouncements. But he is not presidential material.
+1
Sure did not take long for this primary to devolve into the usual GOP circular firing squad.
I agree with you. It is perfectly valid. The left will be far more pointed with their attacks, and he needs to be better prepared.
Not my first choice, but I would vote for her over Obama any day of the week.
Bachmann
Cain
Santorum
Paul
Huntsman
Romney and Perry must be left as the only two choices. Anyone who is not a member of the Establishment must be pilloried whenever possible.
I expect Democrats to take Bachmann to task for the misstep she made.
I expect the media to take Bachmann to task for the misstep she made.
What I see are a lot of people who self-identify as Conservative who are trying to quash Bachmann's campaign.
Is that the best use of your time?
I’m afraid conservatives will just not accept a woman candidate. In this regard, they are way behind the times. From mandarins like Krauthammer to the most obscure conservative blogger, it is all out war on women candidates. Rush has spoken to this subject very well. He, too, is bewildered by it.
Trump is right.
Just as H. Ross Perot, before him.
We all laughed at Perot’s “giant sucking sound” at the time.
Nobody is laughing now...
And how’s that been working out?
And don’t forget the Merck guy who’s on the board of the “SuperPAC” funding a significant part of Perry’s campaign. Coincidence, I’m sure.
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