Print This Post
Oct
20
Minnesota Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann continues to try and defend what she said on MSNBC’s Hardball three days ago.
In an interview this morning on KMSP-TV, Channel 9 [the local Fox channel], the east metro Republican said her comments Friday on MSNBC’s “Hardball” during an interview with host Chris Matthews were “completely misconstrued.”
“I did not suggest the word ‘anti-American,’ ” she said. “I said the media should look into [Obama’s] views,” adding that the national press has “appalling lack of curiosity” about where the Democratic presidential candidate stands on the issues.
On Friday, Bachmann was asked by Matthews whether she believes that Obama may have anti-American views. She replied, “Absolutely. I’m very concerned that he may have anti-American views.”
Again, you can read the transcript and watch the video for yourself here.
UPDATE: Here’s the KMSP-TV, Channel 9 video.
Here is how the phrase “anti-American” entered the exchange between Bachmann and Matthews [emphasis added]:
MR. MATTHEWS: I mean, we’ve got a lot of problems in this country. Why is this [Obama's connection back in the 1990s with Bill Ayers] so important that it’s being pushed out on telephone calls to all the key states now with two weeks to go?
REP. BACHMANN: It’s important because we look at the collection of friends that Barack Obama has had over his life, and usually we associate with people who have similar ideas to us. And it seems that it calls into question what Barack Obama’s true beliefs and values and thoughts are — his attitudes, values and beliefs with Jeremiah Wright on his view of the United States –
MR. MATTHEWS: Okay –
REP. BACHMANN: — which is negative; Bill Ayers, his negative view of the United States. We’ve seen one friend after another. It calls into question his judgment, but also what is it that Barack Obama really believes? And we know that he’s the most liberal senator in the United States Senate, and that’s just after one year after being there. He’s the most liberal. Joe Biden is the third most liberal. You’ve got Harry Reid who’s liberal, Nancy Pelosi who’s liberal.
MR. MATTHEWS: Right. What’s the connection?
REP. BACHMANN: You have a troika of the most leftist administration in the history of our country.
MR. MATTHEWS: If you have liberal views, does that mean you have anti-American views? What’s the connection? I don’t get the connection. What’s the connection between liberal and leftist and anti-American?
REP. BACHMANN: Anti-American is the point, because –
MR. MATTHEWS: I mean, if you’re liberal, are you anti-American?
REP. BACHMANN: Well, the liberals that are Jeremiah Wright and that are Bill Ayers, they’re over-the-top anti-American. And that’s the question that Americans have. Remember, it was Michelle Obama who said she’s only recently proud of her country. And so these are very anti-American views.
So, after Matthews asks Bachmann twice to explain why she is connecting Obama and Ayers with stating that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are liberals, and offers up the phrase “anti-American,” Bachmann repeats the phrase anti-American twice (and several more times during the rest of the interview – she never rejects that phrase as being inappropriate in any way but rather embraces it) and at the end of the interview suggests that the media should look into, not just Obama’s views, but all members of Congress to see if they hold “anti-America” or “pro-America” views. Specifically:
REP. BACHMANN: What I would say — what I would say is that the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look. I wish they would. I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America? I think people would love to see an expose like that.S
Again, here’s what Fox 9 News says Bachmann said this morning:
This morning, Bachmann went on to explain that she is concerned about the prospect of having a “radical liberal in the White House” in Obama combined with liberal Democrats in control of Congress.
Bachmann added that what she believes are Obama’s most extreme positions are a health care plan akin to “socialized medicine” and a tax proposal that would “spread the wealth around.”
Okay, but yesterday morning, when she was on WCCO with Esme Murphy, Bachmann said that she is concerned about Barack Obama’s associations – which is also what she said to Matthews.
A statement from her campaign is mentioned in the Fox coverage:
“This has all been a political spin version of the children’s game of telephone.” And Bachmann, “never called all liberals anti-Americans, but that’s what the media hype has turned it into.”
You know – yeah, sometimes. But not this time. The video, the transcript and the fact that Bachmann has repeated at least two more times pretty much what she said to Matthews re: her fears of Obama and the “liberals” in Congress really discredits the spin from her campaign on alleged spin from elsewhere.
Seems to me that Bachmann possesses a whole lot of fears and is projecting them onto “all Americans” whom she thinks would welcome an expose of who is pro and who is anti-American in our Congress. I for one don’t welcome McCarthyism back into the American landscape and would urge Bachmann to quit the fear-mongering behavior.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:13 am October 20th, 2008 in Barack Obama, Congress, Government, Politics, Republicans, WH2008, michele bachmann
Comments
6 Responses to “[video update] GOP’s Bachmann sticks to fears of “troika of the most leftist administration””
Leave a Reply
2010 WE Magazine 101 Women Bloggers to Watch
Category Specific RSS
Pepper Pike Cleveland+ Politics Women Ohio Elections Law Jewish
by Tips and TricksNews Now
Jill,
It looks like Chris Matthews threw Anti-American into the conversation first, though I would agree that it was poor judgment at best for Rep Bachmann to agree or continue to use the term. The fact that Rep Bachmann stuck her foot in her mouth does not answer the question though.
I too would like to know about these associations, since much of what we seem to get is deflection. Since it appears that Democrats will continue as the majority in the House and Senate, I would like to know what they propose to do if the control the Executive branch as well. The media appears not to care, the opposition candidate dances around the issue, and the candidate refuses to give anything but sound bites.
With the furor over the support of Colin Powell this weekend, and what it means to the Obama campaign, is it not fair to ask about others who have helped and supported the Senator in the past?
Tim – thanks for the comment.
Here’s what I don’t understand – why does anyone – anyone at all – continue to believe that there IS more to what we already know? That is what I don’t get.
What, exactly, does Bachmann and McCain and Palin and others think is still out there?
If they have evidence that there IS more we should know, then they should produce it. I believe that there isn’t anymore to know – certainly nothing of value regarding Barack Obama’s character or ability as they relate to being president of the U.S.
I am satisfied. What more do those who are not satisfied want?
And – I can’t hold back, but – how about all the associations of Gov. Palin, Tim? Obama has been coming out for 20 mos now – Palin? Only seven weeks.
Anyway – that’s how I see it – I know, we do not all see it that way.
Do Republicans really want to go there? Are these people so desperate that they’ll do anything including using the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as toilet paper? Who are these people and more importantly, if these are the kinds of people that Americans vote into office, it doesn’t say much about the American electorate.
Would Ms. Bachmann consider Sarah and Todd Palin (the latest darlings of the extreme Right) as anti-American? Todd was a card carrying member of the Alaskan Independence Party (and Sarah spoke at their convention last year) whose founder said, “”I’m an Alaskan, not an American. I’ve got no use for America or her damned institutions.”
Vogler is also recorded as saying “The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government. And I won’t be buried under their damn flag. I’ll be buried in Dawson. And when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home.” Wowza.
And Sarah’s witchdoctor pastor was a pretty scary guy too. So in closing, I would say that if Ms. Bachmann really wants to go back to McCarthyism, then let’s start with her miserable little life. Be careful what you wish for you despicable right wing nutcase.
I hope that the people in Ms. Bachmann’s district will vote her out in the next election. A person with the thought like hers should not be in the U.S. Congress. We all should not forget the McCarthyism era.
Linda — well you know, the “liberal media” can’t be counted on to cover all of those AIP connections. You know, that would ‘hurtful’ to the Palins and we must always protect their sensibilities.
Double standard? Oh sure but I’d love to see the Obama campaign do some ads about HER and the “first dude’s” associations and the whole witch doctor thing (ooh ee, oo aa aa ting tang walla walla bing bang) But, oh! Don’t upset the evangelical voters! The “liberal media” must always play nice to the thugs.
I’m never one to stay ‘above the fray’ when it comes to the fascists.
[...] Posted by John Hummel on October 21, 2008 Evidently, after Ms. Michele Bachmann’s rant on MSNBC about how there should be investigations to find “anti-American” people in Congress, she’s now lying about how the whole “We should check out anti-American people in Congress came about. [...]