The American Conservative Compares Bachmann to Ann Coulter

Looks like other conservatives are following Colin Powell's example and throwing Michele BAchmann under the bus for trying to channel Senator Joe McCarthy. Sean Scallon tries to "explain" Michele Bachmann in a post on the American Conservative blog: Michele Bachmann - The Caricature Since Colin Powell mentioned Congresswoman Michele Bachmann’s remarks questioning whether Obama had anti-American views as a reason forendorsing Obama and since Bachmann is from my neck of the woods, let me try to explain her. Imagine if you will Ann Coulter as Congresswoman and that’s Michele Bachmann in a nutshell. Both make calculated statements or proposals designed to be outrageous enough to most people but pleasing enough to the crowd that either buys Ann’s books or in this case will vote for Bachmann. Rep. Bachmann represents Charles Lindbergh Sr.’s old Congressional District, the Minnesota 6th. When Lindbergh was in Congress the district covered German-Catholic Conservative Stearns County in central Minnesota all the way north to the Canadian border. Now the district still includes Stearns but moves southeast to include every Republican suburb and exurb on the north side of the Twin Cities metro all the way to Stillwater on the St. Croix River. In other words, it’s a politically drawn district which best suits her because she needs the fiercest of partisans in order to win. MN 6 CD should have been a safe district for Michele Bachman and now Ron Carey and crew has to take $$$ from other races to save the seat... bad news for GOP candidates in other parts of the state. Rep. Bachmann will say things who’s thought to them is how much this can rile of the base. Much like Coulter herself or any B-list talk radio host, the object is to say things that pleasing enough to your supporters and draw criticism from the media or liberals in order to get the double whammy of being controversial and a martyr at the same time for what you say. In other words, she’s becomes fairly predicatble and typical “conservative” of her day and age: the baying cannibal screaming for red meet or perhaps one of the ideologues Orwell’s “inner party” uses to casp aspersions on the enemy. She is a caricature of what conservatives have become just as Bella Abzug, Bachmann’s counterpart on the left, became a caricature for pushy radical feminism and liberalism. Bad comparison. Bella Abzug was nothing like Bachmann. Critics may compare her to Sen. Joseph McCarthy but at least McCarthy was right in saying there were Communist spies in government. The problem was he couldn’t find out who they were and his recklessness and buckshot approach only made it easier for his enemies to destroy him. Whether or not Obama and his allies in Congress hold anti-Amercian views is always the eyes of the beholder. After all, David Frum thought paleos held anti-American views and was given half a magazine to expound on his his views. Needless to say those on the receiving end on such blasts like being called anti-American any more than anyone else does and as such, Rep. Bachmann’s DFL opponent Elwyn Tinklenberg has raked in over $400,000 in contributions in just two days and may very well have a shot of beating her come Nov. 4 despite the heavy Republican lean of the district. Ann Coulter can get away with being outrageous because it’s good for ratings or book sales (at least for those who are willing to watch or read). Rep. Bachmann may find out there’s it wider world when it comes to the electorate. Good point. The people of the 6th District need a representative, not a bombastic ideologue. Michele Bachmann has spoken about her admiration for Ann Coulter on the Jason Lewis show: