Posted on 11/07/2011 5:32:43 PM PST by markomalley
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), who is running for president, said Monday that "too many Republicans ... aspire to be frugal socialists” who "share the same core political philosophy about the purpose of government" as President Barack Obama.
When asked to name the Republicans she was speaking about, Bachman jokingly told a reporter, "That's part of the puzzle you get to figure out when I give the speech."
Speaking at the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C., Bachmann warned that if the United States was not willing to make major changes in cutting spending it would end up like Greece, which has gone bankrupt and required a bailout from European neighbors.
“While Greece is crashing, President Obama has called for America to be even more like Greece,” Bachmann said. “He’s calling for even more government welfare, more government student loans, more government mortgages and more government spending to create yet more government jobs. What he’s calling for is more failure. What America needs is more success, because socialism is a principle that I will reject.
“I will work to eradicate socialism all across the United States government, but unfortunately for too many Republicans, they also aspire to be frugal socialists,” Bachmann said. “The reason President Obama and some Republicans can get behind socialized medicine is because they share the same core political philosophy about the purpose of government. We can’t preserve liberty if the choice a year from now is between a frugal socialist and an out of control socialist.”
The only candidate who has ever supported anything that resembled socialized medicine would be the Massachusetts health care system signed into law in 2006 by then Gov. Mitt Romney, who along with all other GOP contenders wants to repeal Obamacare. However, he has defended his health care plan at the state level.
Romney told a New Hampshire town hall gathering in October that he was solidly opposed to gay marriage but would support “partnership agreements” for homosexual couples for things such as hospital visitation. Romney’s campaign spokesman Ryan Williams said Romney believed the issue of gay adoption should be decided on a state-by-state basis.
CNSNews.com asked her about Romney’s position, but she answered only by repeating her position on the matter.
“I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman,” Bachmann told CNSNews.com. “I don’t stand for the proposition that marriage can include people of different sexes. Marriage is one man and one woman.”
Bachmann said crony capitalism is a major problem and cited the $535 million government loan from the Energy Department to Solyndra, which went into bankruptcy shortly before it was raided by the FBI.
“Government does what the Constitution and what decent morality prohibit. That is crony capitalism. That is what is making up Washington, D.C., today: crony capitalism – forcefully taking the people’s money for the purpose of a politician’s political friends,” Bachmann said. “And this president and other politicians aren’t even doing good at hiding it anymore. It is to our shame that members of both political parties do this.”
“The most egregious example we’ve seen recently is Solyndra and other organizations,” Bachmann added. “That’s the way of a banana republic, and that’s not reflective of my principle of equal treatment under the law. This practice, whether it occurs at the state level or the federal level, is letting the interest of a few outweigh the majority of Americans who don’t have access to the system. The solution is beyond obvious.”
Ultimately, the answer to both Greece and America’s fiscal situation is simple, Bachmann said.
“Every one of us knows exactly what Greece needs to do. Greece needs to stop spending money that they don’t have,” Bachmann said. “Greece needs to cut up their credit card. Greece needs to shut down a few government agencies and let a few government employees go.
“Everyone in this room knows exactly what Greece needs to do. So all we need to do is look in the mirror, because that is exactly America’s problem too. We are going the way of Greece if we don’t take our own medicine,” she said.
Can’t say I disagree with the lady.
She just described the GOP and Romney.
Cue .gif of hammer hitting nail.
Very, very well stated. Smart lady.
“aspire to be frugal socialists” what a great turn of a phrase.
The entire debate at this point needs to be on spending cuts—not silver bullet “tax plans” that coould not pass Congress in a hundred years.
Of course, spending cuts encompasses regulations cuts and bureaucracy cuts and THAT is where private sector jobs are.
None of these politicians “create” jobs. But they can INCREASE private setor jobs by an order of 5-1 if they reduce government via cuts cuts cuts cuts cuts in government spending.
Let’s take “daffy” Ron Paul’s proposed $1 trillion annual cuts proposal, put it on the overhead projector, and have a two-hour debate about how to get there.
Cut cut cut cut cut cut cut.
Like Al Davis once said, “Just cut baby.”
I got one word for the Republican wannabes. Can you guess what it is?
(I knew you could.)
Right on target... Fire For Effect.
If she were polling like Herman Cain, this contradictory statement would go viral.
I absolutely agree there are "frugal socialist" Republicans.
“I will work to eradicate socialism all across the United States government, but unfortunately for too many Republicans, they also aspire to be frugal socialists,” Bachmann said. “The reason President Obama and some Republicans can get behind socialized medicine is because they share the same core political philosophy about the purpose of government. We can’t preserve liberty if the choice a year from now is between a frugal socialist and an out of control socialist.”
Bachmann BUMP.
Why isn’t she higher in the polls????
Her ideas are great. If only she could manage to have the timing to make her statements remembered as being great.
An unapologetic conservative. Imagine that.
She’s understands what is happening. Wish she had the self control and focus to be elected.
She, Ron Paul, and newt are my three favs.
She's delusional. Last seen in July stating that she would not raise the debt ceiling under any circumstances, thereby suggesting that the U.S. could reduce government spending by $1.5 trillion overnight during a psuedo-recession without devastating economic consequences now criticizes her opponents for supporting some level of social retirement and medical insurance for senior citizens? It is perfectly reasonable to argue that Medicare and social security are poorly structured, not actuarially sound and headed for disaster. It is another thing entirely to suggest that a politician who proposes to reform the programs rather than abolish them is a socialist. These are the ravings of an extremist. And not a very bright one at that. The Right needs to distance itself from this sort of nuttiness. Cong. Bachman makes Christine O'Donnell seem like a level headed gal. Please people, we have a country to save. We can't indulge in this sort of self destructive insanity.
great line
That is what Bachmann has been saying. I've never heard her propose to eliminate SS and Medicare. Otherwise, her comments in the article referred to "socialized medicine."
keep dreaming, but the standard milque-toast Dems and Repubs will not "compromise" until forces out of their control force them to act.
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