Bachmann Supporters Praise Image, Backbone, Purity

Augusta Chronicle ^ | Dec. 3, 2011 | By Sarita Chourey

[Son House]

Gail Harville supports GOP presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann because she wants a candidate who can debate President Obama “and beat him.”

Republican presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., talks during the book-signing event for her book "Core of Conviction" Saturday in Aiken, S.C. Advertisement

No, that’s not enough, said her husband, Bill, adding, “someone who will shred him!”

The North Augusta couple were among about four dozen fans, activists and skeptics who turned out for the Minnesota congresswoman’s book signing at Books-A-Million in Aiken on Saturday morning.

A handful hoped to see a ticket that combines Bachmann and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the latest contender to march to the front of the GOP field.

“I could go either way, Bachmann-Gingrich or Gingrich-Bachmann,” said Harville. Her husband favored a pairing with Gingrich in the presidential slot.

But Roy Luke of Martinez said putting Gingrich with Bachmann would be a mistake, in part because he said former Georgia congressman “turns people off. It’s his image.”

What’s more, Luke said, the ticket would be imbalanced. Pairing Bachmann with the more moderate Mitt Romney as a vice presidential candidate would stretch the GOP ticket’s appeal, he said.

“That would work because we’ve got to bring in the political middle ground,” Luke said.

Brian Raborn, 17, who is home schooled and serves as the vice chairman of Teenage Republicans of Aiken, said he's still making up his mind about the field but that Bachmann "seems to have a backbone."

Bachmann offered brief comments about repealing President Obama’s health care law, while signing copies of her memoir Core of Conviction.

“People recognize that the federal government doesn’t do a very good job at running anything, and they don’t want their healthcare run by the federal government either,” she said.

When asked what she would say to Herman Cain supporters who may soon be looking for a new home, considering speculation about the collapse of the businessman’s campaign, the congresswoman had no tailored pitch.

“I think that for all the candidates’ supporters, I would be the best candidate, so I ask them all to come and support me,” said Bachmann, who was elected to Congress in 2006 after serving in the Minnesota State Senate from 2000-2006.

But despite the soaring confidence of the morning’s supporters, poll numbers force the congresswoman’s candidacy back to Earth.

An InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion Research poll conducted Nov. 28 for The Augusta Chronicle about South Carolina’s Republican primary had Gingrich leading with 38 percent support, followed by Romney with 15, Cain 13, Ron Paul 7, Rick Perry 4, Bachmann 3 percent, Rick Santorum 2, “someone else” at 5 percent and 13 percent of respondents offering no opinion. The telephone survey targeted 519 registered voters who say they are likely to vote in the state’s Jan. 21 GOP primary.

A campaign spokeswoman said Bachmann would be leaving later in the day for New York City to participate in Mike Huckabee’s Fox News Channel presidential forum. She planned to return to South Carolina on Sunday to visit Myrtle Beach and Florence before returning to New York, then Washington, D.C., and Iowa.

S.C. Sen. Lee Bright, a Spartanburg Republican with Bachmann’s team, said the previous day the candidate had attracted a wrap-a-round crowd in Greenville. He said she is the only candidate whose supporters don’t have to condition their pitch with excuses for various policy inconsistencies.

Ideological purity was key to Susan Swanson’s support for Bachmann, too.

“Michele Bachmann is the conservative candidate,” said the North Augusta woman.

“She’s been the real leader of the Tea Party, and other people just try to say that.”

There was at least one Democrat in the crowd, too.

“I come from a very divided family,” said Barnwell resident Harold Geddings, a 33-year-old sheet metal worker at the Savannah River Site. He attended the event to have Bachmann sign her book as a Christmas gift to his mother, who is a Republican.

Geddings said Bachmann is his preferred Republican candidate because she would be easiest for Obama to defeat in the general election, noting that he is a member of the Facebook group, Democrats for Bachmann.

“I like her as a person, but she just has too much ideological baggage,” said Geddings. “But she did just encourage me to run for Congress.”

[Son House]

Obviously as Cain is suspended his campaign, Bachmann is becoming this conservative's front-runner. Thinking: If you want a job done right, you’ve got to do it yourself, Bachmann has articulated well the detail and intent to legislatively get rid of the 'Health Care Insurance Reform' bill. She is also opposing Boehner's RINO ways, and we have to have someone who is going to tell the Washington Elites NO!

[BarnacleCenturion]

“Obviously as Cain is suspended his campaign, Bachmann is becoming this conservative’s front-runner.”

Agreed!!

With Newt and Romney splitting the lib vote, I see an opening for Michele now that Cain is out.

[redpoll]

I agree. I’ve always liked her, and the crazy shit about gay bashing just told me about her enemies, not her position. My hope is that the two RINOs will battle it out, and allow Michelle to come forth and be the nominee.

My dream ticket is something like Bachmann-Alan West or Bachman-Bobby Jindal.

Gingrich, in my opinion, is the right-wing Obama. He’s an academic filled with ideas, although since he’s a conservative, those ideas are based in reality. He has a lifetime of wandering to and fro with his thoughts, he can speak well, and he is glib. Obama is a left-wing ideologue on NPR blathering about social change; Gingrich is that guy on the National Review cruise talking about health care policy. Neither are leaders in the real sense of the word. I’d love to see Gingrich in the cabinet or something, though.

All I want is a real conservative. God help us if we have another McCain.

[Son House]

Yeah, I hope she does do something to capitalize on it right away, like get out an articulate the tax code changes we need instead of being legislative tax puppets on a Democrat string every year.

There is also big TEA Party/Conservative influence at the voting both that should give her an unexpected edge that will dumbfound media and elites everywhere.

[mmanager]

C’Mon everyone let’s now get on the Bitch’s train!!! That is what the MSM wants. We are sooo screwed!

[freespirited]

I like Michele. Her voting record is really good. But I have trouble seeing her as qualified to be president. We have seen what happens when the president lacks the necessary executive experience.

[Paladin2]

You make sound like you are a Willard supporter.

[Paladin2]

You make it sound like you are a Willard supporter.

[grey_whiskers]

Dare I say it?

"Bachmann-Palin Overdrive"?

Cheers!

[elpadre]

“...she wants a candidate who can debate President Obama ...”

great debaters do not great presidents make!!

[bigbob]

So it will be interesting to see which direction the attack machine swivels to now.

While Newt is all over the map on various issues at different times, he’s got enough conservative support I look for new dirt to start hitting the MSM in the next week or two.

Attacking Bachmann might be a little tougher, should she rise to the point where they see her as worth worrying about. But after 3 years of Palin attacks, I suspect they’ve learned how to fight a girl.

[elpadre]

“...she wants a candidate who can debate President Obama ...”

great debaters do not great presidents make!!

[izzatzo]

I’d vote for Michelle Bachmann in a heartbeat.

[Maelstorm]

Michele is rising now. She has proven that even when it would’ve been easy to go along with her President (Bush) on things like Medicare Part D and No Child Left Behind etc. She’s shown that she does have a spine. Those who have criticized her for ‘not getting things done’ are stupid. She has consistently stood on principle and fought for smaller govt consistently. She was out front with the Tea Party. I hope her Team gets their act together because I just can’t jump to Gingrich. We had one Nixon and it was enough.

[Son House]

Yeah, not looking for a debate, I want the summer-slam after all the smack he talked about Bush and then went on to make things worse. There should be no debate, state the problem, show the poor judgement in solving the problem that has only made it worse, and give the proper American solution demanded by the rise of the TEA Party mind-set of doing it right by this Countries Founders and our Constitution.

[izzatzo]

” “I like her as a person, but she just has too much ideological baggage,” said Geddings.”

Spoken like a true ‘rat, as if this trud(purposeful sic)in the WH has no ideology/is not ideological.

[Future Useless Eater]

.

With Rasmussen
(and TOP 5 candidates minus Herman Cain)

Much like what the government does with unemployment statistics, the following chart represents a 4-poll "rolling average" for the latest 20+ polls listed at RealClearPolitics.com (plus other recent national polls).

I also weighted the polls by their size. For example, a poll with a survey size of 1000 was weighted proportionately heavier than an 324 survey size.

Weighted 4-Poll Rolling Averages of the latest 20+ Polls
listed at RCP   [as of Dec 3rd]
plus
YouGov polls 11/26 11/19, 11/12, 11/5, 10/29, 10/22, 10/15, 10/08, &
Poll Position 11/27, 11/22, 11/8, 11/1 polls inserted chronologically
I also broke the 11/9 - 11/14 Pew poll into two, (3-day) polls

(Example methodology for this chart will be on my profile page)

[Son House]

When she came out a winner in Iowa, the media did everything they could to diminish after they realized she wasn’t going to be an easy win after all.

[ASA Vet]

Michele Marie Bachmann

born April 6, 1956 in Waterloo, IA (Meets the Jus Soli Requirement)

Parents were
David John Amble, born in MN
Jean Johnson, born in IA

Both parents were US Citizens at the time of her birth (Meets the Jus sanguinis Requirement)

Michele Bachmann is a NATURAL BORN CITIZEN

Barry Soetoro aka Barack Hussein Obama ISN'T!

[perfect_rovian_storm]

That’s a ‘titanium backbone’ in case you hadn’t heard.