Posted on 01/29/2011 9:06:02 AM PST by Recovering_Democrat
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) broke unexpected ground this week, presenting a budget plan that included freezing Veterans Affairs health care spending and cutting veterans' disability benefits considerably.
To put it mildly, the Bachmann proposal has not gone over well among groups representing the needs and interests of veterans.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonmonthly.com ...
I'm glad your husband likes his doctor. Imho, that's crucial. If I didn't already say it, please thank him for his service.
That's what I helped do in post 42.
One way to start is to tell those self-conceived conservatives who are foolishly trashing Rep. Bachmann to cut the crap.
Or just post the truth about what she proposed.
You’re welcome. I’m glad I was able to contribute.
Bachmann and Tea Party showing their libertarian roots?
The woman has been toast for quite a while, delivering some sort of kooky proclamation at least once a week.
She appears to be trying to lead a shadow 3rd party movement which weakens and fractures Republican initiatives. Oh yeah, way to go lame brain Michele, just when Republicans have regained the majority in the House.
I guess talk radio hosts aren't taking her calls anymore and now she needs something to do. She used to spend most of each day calling in to various shows to air her (unending) grievances.
Amen! Your post was quite refreshing to me as I didn’t want to “bash” the military. It doesn’t help the situation when political correctness is employed to discourage an honest debate regarding military funding or cuts.
The same kind of PC talk is used in our area when it comes to the farm bill. Any talk against it and you “hate” farmers. After all, they’re “entitled”.
However, they must be prioritized. Spending on the military is the only spending authorized by the U.S. Constitution, to the best of my knowledge. Currently, the admin plans to cut Medicare and SS in order to fund the so-called healthcare program which is really, mainly for illegals. This is not acceptable. So, as I said: priorities.
Amen, my FRiend. Politicians need to think about real people and real situations like yours before they mouth off about cutting life lines. All the best to you and your husband.
The military is one of the few constitutional operations our government conducts. What is wrong with Michelle!
I supposed the unconstitutional Department of Education is happy as a clam.
Nope. I’m talking about how Bachmann *looks*, not what she says. If she is going to say something as controversial as “cut off VA benefits” then she damn well better look ultra credible when she does so. That is a sound bite that I guarantee will haunt her for her entire political career.
On her response to the SOTU, she did not know how to address the camera and could be seen looking elsewhere. You and I can forgive her but it “unsells” her message with folks she needs to be sold to. This stuff matters, like it or not. This is EXACTLY what torpedoed Christine O’Donnell. She fell to a more media-savvy opponent.
I’m not ready to agree that “..saying conservative things is the only way to promote conservatism.” There are other ways: Like showing the failure(s) of liberalism. If you say there is a hard-core contingent of leftists that cannot be reached, fine. I’ll abandon any hope of converting them, no problem. It does no good to preach to the converted, though. What DOES have a positive effect is to convert independents and open-minders. If you blow your messaging with that crowd, YOUR OPPONENTS WILL NOT MAKE THAT SAME MISTAKE. If your messaging is poor and you only reach those who are already on your side, nothing gets accomplished. If your messaging is poor and you look like a doofus delivering it, then you are doing damage to yourself and your cause. Michele did NOT look good in that appearance. I hope she didn’t hurt herself but my sense is that she did.
I agree. But it sure helps to have the media in your corner. Obama bumped his head on AF1. If that was a Republican it would have been played over and over and over on TV. Obama and other dems have made many media mistakes. But they are played down not up. The only way any Republican can overcome the media is to be absolutely perfect ... and even then they find something to harp on and on an on about. The media still has the power to control the message even if someone hits a homerun. Paul Ryan is next once they chop down Michelle Bachmann.
You’re right. Repubs/Conservativess need to be much more perfect in their media appearances. This is an “environmental” thing, it is part of the game, we know it, we know we have to overcome it. Repubs are simply held to a much, much higher standard.
I know we are talking about human beings, we can not expect perfection. But we know that Democrats are never held accountable for phenomenally stupid gaffes , including the bats**t craziness of Weiner, Grayson, Maxine Waters, Barney Frank...not to mention their Dear Leader, BO himself.
We would like things to be different, but we’ll “never get the chance” (more likely, just make it much more difficult & time consuming) to prevail unless we get a tad smarter as to our approach. Not saying compromise our principles, just be smarter about the packaging. We would like for peoples’ brains to work off a better kernel than these 2-word bumper sticker sound bites. But for now, that’s the way it is.
Frankly, looks reasonable to me....
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2665588/posts
I was prepared to flame you right back, noting that you argue a lot like a liberal, leaning towards insults rather than facts. However, I'll cut you a little slack since I see you've been on FR for a few years and some of your other posts make sense.
Do you really think there is no fraud or waste whatsoever in DOD or DVA?
Never said that, never implied that. In fact, I believe just the opposite. These are large federal programs, therefore it is a virtual certainty there is waste.
Do you really think that education should be cut to zero and that all educators are freeloaders and lazy SOBs who do no work and receive free money?
Yes and absolutely not. Federal education "programs" should be cut completely. Educators as freeloaders? No, my wife would take issue with that seeing as how she is one.
If you are seeking to personify a stereotypical know-nothing right-wing hothead then mission accomplished. If you would like to make an intelligent contribution to a rational discussion of the present funding levels and spending priorities at the USDVA then try again.
Not a flame here, but you really need to back off the personal attacks - it makes you sound like a liberal. As I said, I see from your posts you're not, but I gotta warn you, from just reading one or two someone could be convinced you were using emotion and personal attacks in lieu of facts or at least opinion.
I stand behind my assertion that welfare and related "social" programs are in fact awash in lazy no-good freeloaders. Welfare, good bad or otherwise, was only ever intended to be a safety net, not a career. Far too many have made it a multi-generation career at our expense. Worse, it is un-Constitutional. Providing for the common defense - that's an enumerated power. I would argue that taking care of wounded service personnel falls under that category. However, the feds have absolutely no Constitutional authority to confiscate my money and re-distribute it as largess to people who have never worked a day in their lives, and have no intention of ever working or being self-sufficient. If you have a problem with my opinion fine, we'll just have to agree to disagree. There is absolutely nothing you or anyone else could do or say that'll change my opinion regarding welfare.
Can you imagine the outrage from the MSM if a Republican said this?
Our veterans sacrificed too much to be thrown away at the expense of paying for a useless person's welfare check.
Amen!
THANK YOU for that link! I did not see Bachmann’s interview from the “proper” angle (only the CNN one) and I’ll change my opinion. She did pretty well!
Was the use of the off-axis CNN camera a calculated piece of deviousness? Naaaah. They wouldn’t do that, would they?
My expectation is that the bias and corruption the leftist media will exhibit over the next two years leading up to the 2012 election will utterly eclipse that of the 2008 election, as bad as that was.
With the rise of the Tea Party Movement the left is facing oblivion. If they lose the White House and Senate in this next election then they will be unable to use our impending fiscal crisis to finish off the private sector and establish government-run health care. Instead we conservatives may be in a position to reduce regulation and restore federalism.
It's now or never for the left. Expect the absolute worst from them and prepare to be surprised still.
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