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Michele Bachmann's hard fall (Didn't go after Romney to keep VP options open?)
Polutico ^ | Thursday December 29, 2011

Posted on 12/29/2011 6:19:22 PM PST by Bigtigermike

Four months ago, Michele Bachmann seemed poised for a banner December.

She’d just won the Ames Straw Poll — vanquishing her Minnesota rival, Tim Pawlenty, in the process — and was getting accustomed to life in the top tier of 2012 candidates.

But as the race wraps up, the woman who was on a trajectory to become the first-ever female winner of the Iowa caucuses is fighting to avoid finishing dead last in the state where she was raised.

[....]

She repeatedly passed up opportunities to ding Mitt Romney in the debates — a product, Rollins said, of preserving her options for sharing a ticket with him.

“There was some talk early on between her and her husband that she could end up as the vice presidential nominee,” Rollins said.

And she repeatedly made claims on the campaign trail that she couldn’t back up — including the one where she recounted a mother telling her about a daughter developing “mental retardation” thanks to the HPV vaccination that Rick Perry had mandated in Texas for young girls. The medical community at large denounced the claim, and it added to a sense that she was unserious, and prone to making claims without having the facts first.

(Excerpt) Read more at mobile.politico.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2012; bachmann; gop; iowa
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Stalking horse for Mitt? Hmmm!
1 posted on 12/29/2011 6:19:35 PM PST by Bigtigermike
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To: Bigtigermike

No one has gone after him- media included.


2 posted on 12/29/2011 6:23:35 PM PST by VinL (It is better to suffer every wrong, than to consent to wrong.)
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To: Bigtigermike
Stalking horse for Mitt?

About as valid as the idiots on the left repeating the Sarah Palin can see Russia from her front porch crap.

For people who spend all their time thumping their chests about not being manipulated by the media, you sure dance to their tune a lot.
3 posted on 12/29/2011 6:24:09 PM PST by cripplecreek (Stand with courage or shut up and do as you're told.)
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To: cripplecreek

She went after mitt only “once” real hard in a debate....other times have been repeated attacks against the others. It makes one wonder


4 posted on 12/29/2011 6:32:03 PM PST by Bigtigermike
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To: Bigtigermike

You go after the leader. And Romney hasn’t led anything for a long time. It was Perry and then Gingrich, and she made Ron Paul put on the tinfoil hat.


5 posted on 12/29/2011 6:35:04 PM PST by writer33 (Mark Levin Is The Constitutional Engine Of Conservatism)
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To: Bigtigermike

Her continuous, selective sniping is unbecoming.

My recommendations for Bachmann: stop the sniping, get a step stool, and stay positive


6 posted on 12/29/2011 6:41:36 PM PST by Gene Eric (C'mon, Virginia -- are you with us or against us?!)
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To: Bigtigermike

I don’t know about her feelings towards Romney, but I have felt that Bachmann’s goal for some time now has been the Veep spot.

Coming from the House, Bachmann’s odds were historically long to begin with. Outside of Gerald Ford’s appointment and subsequent promotion, you’d have to go back pretty darn far to find a President or a Presidential nominee who came straight from the lower chamber instead of using it as a stepping stone to Presidential fast-track positions like the Senate or a Governorship.

Add in some of the unfortunate statements she made and more recent funding and organization woes, and I think she came to the realization her best remaining option was to stay in the race and draw enough support to warrant consideration for the #2 slot on the ticket with whomever becomes the eventual nominee.

Nothing wrong with any of that, of course. In fact, I’d wager every candidate in the race (except maybe Romney) has had Veep as a backup plan. I just think that in Bachmann’s case, it’s become the default option.


7 posted on 12/29/2011 6:46:58 PM PST by DemforBush (A Repo man is *always* intense!)
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To: Bigtigermike

She’s toast and thankfully we won’t be hearing much more from her. Once Mitt or Newt are crowned by the GOP establishment I don’t think that they’ll make the same mistake McRINO made last time, so no surprise woman VP choice (except maybe O bouncing that idiot Joe for Hillery) in the GOP line up. I expect them to go with a bland but proven “conservative” that hasn’t totally embarrassed himself recently. Most likely some mummified Senator that they’ll drag out of his tomb in DC, hey is Bob Dole still around? The campaign should be about as exciting as watching paint dry.


8 posted on 12/29/2011 6:50:33 PM PST by trapped_in_LA
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To: writer33

If anyone is a stalking horse for the GOP insiders its Ron Paul. He’s helped guarantee how many RINO nominations now?

If it weren’t for his perpetual no chance campaign, Bachmann and santorum would be the likely beneficiaries and the rest would go off and pout or vote democrat.


9 posted on 12/29/2011 6:51:23 PM PST by cripplecreek (Stand with courage or shut up and do as you're told.)
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To: Bigtigermike
She repeatedly passed up opportunities to ding Mitt Romney

http://features.rr.com/article/045Y5138F62XS?q=Michele+Bachmann

Michele Bachmann has criticized Ron Paul and Mitt Romney on gay marriage

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/26/news/la-pn-bachmann-settle-iowa-20110926

Bachmann criticized Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, for a state healthcare plan that includes a personal mandate

http://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/28/bachmann-hits-romney-again-for-not-signing-pro-life-pledge/

Michele Bachmann, the Minnesota congresswoman who announced her presidential bid on Monday, is hitting Mitt Romney again on his decision to not sign the pro-life pledge the Susan B. Anthony List put forward.

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/270511/bachmann-hits-romney-defends-herself-against-flake-charges-katrina-trinko

She didn’t shy away from outlining clear differences between herself and Mitt Romney, who is statistically tied with her for the lead among Iowa voters according to a Des Moines Register poll released yesterday.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/12/09/bachmann_hits_gingrich_romney_on_health_care_mandates_112352.html

Michele Bachmann on Friday landed direct hits against Republican front-runners Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney over their previous support for health care individual mandates.

Bachmann also set her sights on Romney, hitting the former Massachusetts governor for the universal health care plan he initiated in the state.

“We’ve seen it play out in Massachusetts where Mitt Romney was the governor,” Bachmann said. “The system in Massachusetts meant that health insurance policies went up dramatically.”

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/09/05/bachmann-swipes-at-romney-calls-state-health-care-mandate-unconstitutional/

Rep. Michele Bachmann, taking an indirect swipe at Mitt Romney, said Monday that she believes it is "unconstitutional" for states to require residents to buy health insurance.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/07/8682662-bachmann-takes-veiled-shot-at-frugal-socialist-romney-confused-on-core-beliefs

Without calling GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney or any of her other rivals by name, Republican presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann on Monday described others in the GOP field as "frugal socialists," adding that some are "confused" about their core beliefs on abortion, same sex marriage, and the "urgency" of repealing the Obama-passed health care law.

http://iowapolitics.com/index.iml?Article=255485

She took aim at former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for supporting the “individual mandate” that requires people to purchase health insurance and threatens punishment for those who don't.

Just some examples of how she has passed up the opportunity to criticize Romney, I guess.

10 posted on 12/29/2011 6:51:37 PM PST by TBP (Obama lies, Granny dies.)
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To: Bigtigermike; Antoninus
Super Defection: Pro-Bachmann Super PAC switches to Romney

The plan all along was for her to enter the race early to try and slice off Sarah Palin's supporters to help Romney and the GOP-E.

Next for GOP leaders: Stopping Sarah Palin

Now that she's done her job, the GOP powers-that-be are reneging on whatever promises they made to her (and her staff), and are discarding her like an old rag.

11 posted on 12/29/2011 6:52:41 PM PST by Timber Rattler (Just say NO! to RINOS and the GOP-E)
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To: cripplecreek
If anyone is a stalking horse for the GOP insiders its Ron Paul. He’s helped guarantee how many RINO nominations now?

Yes, sir. I do believe you're right.

12 posted on 12/29/2011 6:55:30 PM PST by writer33 (Mark Levin Is The Constitutional Engine Of Conservatism)
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To: Bigtigermike

Her husband is gay!


13 posted on 12/29/2011 6:58:00 PM PST by BunnySlippers (I LOVE BULL MARKETS . . .)
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To: Gene Eric

I agree, and I think she is incapable of being civil, much less pleasant. I regret sending her money in the past.


14 posted on 12/29/2011 7:01:46 PM PST by Cobra64 (Common sense isn't common anymore.)
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To: Bigtigermike

“......is fighting to avoid finishing dead last in the state where she was raised.”

Bachmann has earned the position of dead last.


15 posted on 12/29/2011 7:02:25 PM PST by Gator113 (~Just livin' life, my way~.. Newt/Palin-West-2012."got a lot swirling around in my head.")
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To: BunnySlippers

No he’s not,that’s a terrible thing to say.


16 posted on 12/29/2011 7:05:43 PM PST by Drayah
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To: cripplecreek; Bigtigermike

Ron Paul is said to be buoyed as much by non-Republican supporters Libertarians, for mischief making purposes. If this is true, he strictly serves the utilitarian purposes of the Left, making him a stalking horse for no one.

Face it, these candidates believe they need some support from the Establishment RINOs to make the long game work. Romney is their pick and it shows, leaving the non-Romneys in some fix. Seems they won’t go against Romney for a reason. It must be the RINO factor.

However, Bachmann panicked early against Perry, instead of Romney, with overstatement and overkill and she offended Perry supporters permanently, the ones she would need in order to advance and regain some standing. Even today some polls show Perry up by four, now at 10%. That ten percent could have been hers, but for her hysteria against him.

The Romney kiss and the mild touch against him have made it very old news and obvious that she has been flacking for his VP ticket share, for weeks and weeks. Her strategy for dealing with Perry and Romney have gone quite unappreciated by the supporters of other candidates. She has been banished and will soon give her “outta here” speech, along with passing her debt totals over to Romney for payment in kind. She kept his arse in place as long as she could for her part and the field divided. Some conservative, that Michelle, huh?

Now Romney needs Santorum to follow suit.


17 posted on 12/29/2011 7:24:22 PM PST by RitaOK (wRasmussen- the polling standard for accuracy.)
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To: cripplecreek
You can gibber all you want to, but this Bachmann woman ain't right in the head.
18 posted on 12/29/2011 7:25:43 PM PST by hinckley buzzard
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To: Bigtigermike

Bachmann should have quit the race months ago.


19 posted on 12/29/2011 7:27:09 PM PST by cmj328
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To: hinckley buzzard

Yeah I’ll worry about what Newtsuckers think when they man up enough to talk about his upcoming climate change book.


20 posted on 12/29/2011 7:31:22 PM PST by cripplecreek (Stand with courage or shut up and do as you're told.)
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