Michele Bachmann denies benefiting from government aid

latimes.com ^ | June 26, 2011 | Richard A. Serrano

[fightinJAG]

C’mon. It’s perfectly possible to receive ZERO actual benefit from an enterprise, yet still, because of tax or other rules that impute to you a benefit that you actually don’t get, have to report something as thought you did receive the benefit.

And, good grief. The charge is hurled that she, gasped, benefits from federal aid. What a hoax.

[FreeReign]

The point is that the federal government is so unflippinbelievable large and powerful that it’s almost IMPOSSIBLE TO AVOID benefiting from federal “aid” at some time or another.

Fine. Then she shouldn't give false information about it.

[newzjunkey]

I think they want her to take Iowa and maybe New Hampshire so that THEN they can destroy her and throw the Republicans into chaos. This plan will backfire though, because that is when Sarah will jump in and take everything.

In another thread I said "I'm sure she's on the verge of announcing this week July Fourth July 27th by September 12th 14th 22nd err ... by November 2011 2012."

I was kidding but now I see you suggesting she might jump in after the primaries have started!

[DoughtyOne]

Why are you doing this? When Bachmann started the Tea Party Caucus in the House folks here praised her for it.

People here supported the Tea Party effort, were thrilled to see it take off and flourish. Starting a caucus increased the Tea Party influence in the House. All good GBC.

Michelle Bachmann stepped up and did this for us.

You’re a good guy. I can’t believe you are so anti Bachmann that you would dismiss something very good that she has done, or even criticize her for it.

[BufordP]

Michelle Bachmann is NOT THE PALIN! NOT THE PALIN! HAHA!

84½ posted on 06/26/2011 6:16:02 PM EDT by Baby Sinclair

[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

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To: 3D-Joy; 50mm; AGreatPer; Bockscar; calcowgirl; cindyTrueSupporter; concretebob; Disco Dave; ...

Don't you get it, rabs? Bachmann, Cain, Pawlenty, et al - it doesn't matter. They are NOT THE PALIN!

If you want off my ping list get over it!

Michelle Bachmann is NOT THE PALIN! NOT THE PALIN! HAHA!

Don't you get it, rabs? Bachmann, Cain, Pawlenty, et al - it doesn't matter. They are NOT THE PALIN!

If you want off my ping list get over it!

[DoughtyOne]

Dirtboy, yesterday the smear was that Bachmann was a big supporter of Romney, complete with a supposedly damning photo.

Only later did the rest of the photos and the full story exhonerating her come out.

We don’ t know the full story on this income yet. What is obvios to me and others is the level of vitriole exhibited here. This is the same type of anger I see leveled at Obama, and that’s after a lot years of us watching him, his full character known to us. And this is leveled right out of the box for a person many of us have a great deal of respect for.

Where’s all this vitriol coming from? Bachmann has been a fine upstanding woman and she deserves the benefit of the doubt until the dust settles on this.

[dirtboy]

Dirtboy, yesterday the smear was that Bachmann was a big supporter of Romney, complete with a supposedly damning photo. Only later did the rest of the photos and the full story exhonerating her come out.

I never bought into that story, let alone repeated it.

We don’ t know the full story on this income yet. What is obvios to me and others is the level of vitriole exhibited here.

Sorry, but this is typical of the Bachmann camp. Issues are brushed aside, the subject is avoided and changed, and it turns into a Palin-bashing fest.

Bachmann did not publicly address the Rollins issue. We have seen nothing in response from Bachmann about use of Congressional funds for a political rally.

This is the same type of anger I see leveled at Obama, and that’s after a lot years of us watching him, his full character known to us. And this is leveled right out of the box for a person many of us have a great deal of respect for.

That's hyperbole and you know it. And we know how this all started - namely, Ed Rollins bashing Palin and then Bachmann refusing to publicly address the matter.

Where’s all this vitriol coming from? Bachmann has been a fine upstanding woman and she deserves the benefit of the doubt until the dust settles on this.

She needs to start taking action to clear the dust herself. So far, I havent' seen that.

[dirtboy]

It’s perfectly possible to receive ZERO actual benefit from an enterprise

That's not what Bachmann said:

"And my husband and I have never gotten a penny of money from the farm."

Yet her disclosure form indicates otherwise. We'll see what is done with this, but if recent events are any indication, Bachmann will probably try to stonewall this.

[org.whodat]

If she is on the kook meter you should know her by first name.

[rintense]

A good conservative wouldn't go all out for a RINO like McCain, especially against a conservative like Hayworth.

A good conservative would have beaten a RINO like McCain, let alone actually WIN re-election.

[gov_bean_ counter]

The fact that she started the Tea Party caucus isn't an issue with me. It is the fact that she made herself the chairman and now that is a front page resume enhancer. I see the politicization of much of what she has touched in her life all the way down to the 23 foster children she and her husband took in from time to time.

What I would like to have seen is her active participation on one of the tax writing committees. She says she is a tax attorney, but hasn't put that skill set to work for her district or the American People. Wasted capacity.

IMO, she has fiddle farted around for the past 5 years and hasn't been able to legislatively advance the issues she says she cares about. There is much more that could be said about why they hasn't happened, but Lord knows I don't' want to be accused of any more Bachmann bashing.

[DoughtyOne]

Dirtboy, yesterday the smear was that Bachmann was a big supporter of Romney, complete with a supposedly damning photo. Only later did the rest of the photos and the full story exhonerating her come out.

I never bought into that story, let alone repeated it.  I didn't say you did did I.  None the less it is true, and it's indicative of a trend here.

We don’ t know the full story on this income yet. What is obvios to me and others is the level of vitriole exhibited here.

Sorry, but this is typical of the Bachmann camp. What is typical of the Bachmann camp?  You mean it's typical of the Bachmann camp to realize how all of a sudden Bachman is the target of very flimsey criticizms that mean absolutely nothing, and yet people are addressing these issue with anger and a lot of hostility?  Yeah, I've seen a lot of that.  Perhaps you should ask yourself why?

Issues are brushed aside, the subject is avoided and changed, and it turns into a Palin-bashing fest.  Issues are not being brushed aside, and you should know that.  The issue of her supposedly supporting Romney was outed as being completely fraudulent.  Other photos were provided, making it clear she wasn't there in adoration of Romney at all.  And then it was revealed what was going on that day, something that made it clear that the report she was there to support Romney was a complete fabrication.

Bachmann did not publicly address the Rollins issue.  Bachmann is under no obligation whatsoever to publicly admonish Rollins.  Palin said some things that weren't very complimentary of Romney.  So what.  Rollins said some things about Palin that weren't complimentary.  I have said I thought that was unfortunate, but so what.  It has been reported that Bachmann told Rollins to apologize.  She didn't even have to do that IMO.  Is this such a scandle that Bachmann is no longer viable as a candidate?  I can't imagine the mindset that could think that would be true.

Who's dodging this issue?  What's to dodge?  Essentially nothing.

We have seen nothing in response from Bachmann about use of Congressional funds for a political rally.

Honestly, this reaches the level of being so childish is hardly worthy of a response.  Congressional members have budgets that include funding for events like this one, if they have a mind to do so.  There's nothing ominous about this whatsoever.  It's just gotcha politics.  This explanation has been on the forum for days, and some folks still won't let go.  That's dodging the issue?

This is the same type of anger I see leveled at Obama, and that’s after a lot years of us watching him, his full character known to us. And this is leveled right out of the box for a person many of us have a great deal of respect for.

That's hyperbole and you know it.  It's fact, and you know it.  Read the level of hostility on this thread alone.

And we know how this all started - namely, Ed Rollins bashing Palin and then Bachmann refusing to publicly address the matter.

Oh B.S.  Ed Rollins made some statements based on fact.  It was his interprestion of those facts, and his statements about them that I disagreed wtih.  I don't think that's what this political debate should be about, and so I stated I thought his comments were unfortunate.  If Bachmann wants to address those comments in public, or not, it' her call.  Palin has had cheap shots from others and has weathered them quite well.  As you'll recall, Palin leveled some not so thinly vieled shots at Romney.  This sort of thing goes on every election cycle.  It's forgotten in hours if not days.

Where’s all this vitriol coming from? Bachmann has been a fine upstanding woman and she deserves the benefit of the doubt until the dust settles on this.

She needs to start taking action to clear the dust herself. So far, I havent' seen that.

LOL, yep, Bachmann hasn't taken action to indicate she has heard these idiotic vaporous charges, and you're holding her responsible.  That's silly...

I will say, I do think she needs to explain the farm/income problem.  It still amazes me how folks glom on to a Los Angeles Times story, and run with it like it's manna from heaven.

[DoughtyOne]

So what you’re saying is that Palin had no pull in Arizona whatsoever. Interesting...

[rabscuttle385]

Sorry, but nobody was going to save JD the buffoon.

J.D. and McCain were statistically tied in the polls (source) until Palin showed up to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory for Arizona Tea Partiers.

To make matters worse, she...

1. Cloaked McCain in the robes of Tea Partiers by saying that the Tea Party supported McCain (source).

2. Stated in public that she agrees with McCain "on the big picture, where it is that the country needs to go" (source).

3. Stated in an op-ed piece for The Arizona Republic that she had admired McCain long before 2008 and that she was "inspired by his willingness to buck his political party - and even his president - to do what he believed was right for this country" (source). Considering that McCain spent the bulk of the eight years leading up to the 2008 elections attacking conservatives and kissing up to Marxists like Ted Kennedy, Russ Feingold, and Barack Obama on nearly every issue imaginable, I question why she felt the need to praise him for such contemptible and treacherous conduct.

To date, not a single word of hers concerning her support for the bastard McCain in the 2010 Arizona primary - after the 2008 elections had ended and when she was supposedly a free individual not bound to the RINO McCain - has been repudiated. Not...one...word.

Just two years ago, one FReeper, who has been pinged to this post, wrote:

"John McCain, and anybody who dares to defend him, are enemies to our Republic and our civil rights and liberties."

Palin went all out for the most dangerous RINO in the United States today, and she gets a free pass from people like you...at the same time as people like you are savaging Bachmann, Hayworth, and other good conservatives merely because they posed threat to the ascendancy (or fantasy thereof) of Palin.

That is, if Palin even decides to run. I think she won't, or if she does, she will be a Fred Thompson déjà vu: lots of sizzle, lots of fizzle, and a subsequent endorsement for the RINO du jour - i.e., Romney.

[DoughtyOne]

The fact that she started the Tea Party caucus isn't an issue with me. It is the fact that she made herself the chairman and now that is a front page resume enhancer.

Okay, then it's your take that a good Conservative would have started a Caucus, and then walked away so Republicans could subvert the Caucus.  Is that about it?

And then it further bothers you that she touts having done something we should approve of, so other people that share our views would know that she does too.

Say what????

I see the politicization of much of what she has touched in her life all the way down to the 23 foster children she and her husband took in from time to time.

She is pro-life.  She has backed that up by taking in unwanted kids to help them.  Please, enlighten me.  What is wrong with doing this, and letting the public know so that some of them might think it was a good thing and take up the cause?

So far, you've mentioned things we should all be happy with, but you're unhappy because Bachmann isn't bashful about doing them, making it public, and by example encouraging others to.

Wow.

What I would like to have seen is her active participation on one of the tax writing committees. She says she is a tax attorney, but hasn't put that skill set to work for her district or the American People. Wasted capacity.

Okay, so now the list becomes a list things she hasn't done.  And if she had and broght it to the public's attention, you would be skewering her for that just like you did the above actions on her part.

How does this woman win with a person like you?  She does something good, you critcize her for it.  She tells folks she did it, and you don't like that either.  Then you list things she didn't do, and act as if that would have won you over, even though other things she did you agree with, didn't.

Whew.

IMO, she has fiddle farted around for the past 5 years and hasn't been able to legislatively advance the issues she says she cares about.

Hmmm, she cares about the Tea Party.  She did start a caucus.  She is the chairman of that caucus.  She advocates for sound policy all the time.  I've seen her on the talking head shows countless times echoing my stances on things.  She does help other Conservative causes in the house.  Is this what you refer to as fiddle-farting around?  If so, I'd sure like to see a lot more of it.  Perhaps you can add NOT starting a fiddle-farting Caucus to your list of things she should have done and didn't.

There is much more that could be said about why they hasn't happened, but Lord knows I don't' want to be accused of any more Bachmann bashing.

And I'm sure they'd be equally as powerful.  Thanks for sparing us.

[rabscuttle385]

#92

Entire thread, too.

[org.whodat]

You people need to keep up these attacks, and when Willard is the nominee, you can take credit for it.

[DoughtyOne]

I don’t remember ever having done this before, but you left one thing out of your post, and I think this is called for.

Those of you that are trashing Bachmann’s actions on flimsy grounds, please realize there is a wealth of things we could say in return.

Please read these Bible verses:

http://bible.cc/matthew/7-3.htm
http://bible.cc/luke/6-41.htm

[rintense]

Not even the Tea Party backed Haworth.

But, what Rabs is essentially saying is Palin DOES have pull, so much that she convinced otherwise conservatives to vote for a RINO. IOW, the people of Arizona can't think for themselves, especially with a RINO like McCain in office.

And lets not pretend Haworth was the perfect candidate. He had LOTS of baggage as well. But, even he didn't fault Palin for campaigning for McCain.

Anyone blaming Palin for McCain's re-election isn't living in reality.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Nice resume if we were interviewing for the next Mother Teresa. Not so much for President of the United States.

And if you are OK with her using the Tea Party for her own political gain, then so be it.