I don't think she understands the concept of "video documentation of what she says."
Michele Bachmann Under Fire For Obama Anti-American Comment
Minn. Republican dials down the criticism
Last Edited: Sunday, 19 Oct 2008, 8:20 PM CDT
Created: Sunday, 19 Oct 2008, 5:50 PM CDT
MINNEAPOLIS -- U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann is under for a comment made on Hardball with Chris Matthews Friday night about Barack Obama.
Now, she's retreating from the statement, in which she said that Obama "may have anti-American views."
Bachmann, a first-term Republican, is up for reelection in Minnesota's 6th District. After the comment, campaign donations poured in to her opponent, Democrat Elwyn Tinklenberg.
His campaign announced that he has raised $640,00 since Friday night. "They're coming in from all over the country. I think we've had donations from almost every state in the union."
Bachmann appeared on WCCO on Sunday to say she didn't mean that Obama's views are anti-American. She says, "That was a misreading of what I said."
Oh, really. Well, here's a transcript of "what she said," courtesy of the Big E at the MNBlue blog:
MATTHEWS: So you think Barack Obama may have anti-American views?
BACHMANN: Absolutely. I'm very concerned that he may have anti-American views. That's what the American people are concerned about. That's why they want to know what his answers are. That's why Joe the plumber has figured so highly in had the last few days, because Joe the plumber asked the question that a lot of Americans want to know.
MATTHEWS: Sarah Palin was around today talking about pro-American parts of America, and assuming there's other non-American parts of the country. What parts of America would you say are anti-American? What parts of this country?
BACHMANN: Well, I would say that people who hold anti-American views. I don't think its geography. I think it's people who don't like America, who detest America. And on college campuses, Ward Churchill, another college campus, a Bill Ayers. You find people who hate America and unfortunately some of these people have positions teaching at higher institutions of higher learning. But you'll find them in all walks of life all throughout America.
MATTHEWS: What about people like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, the liberals you were mentioning a moment ago. Where would you put them? Would you consider them anti-American as well? Are they Anti-American?
BACHMANN: I would consider them to have far leftist views. I'm not going to say if they're anti-American or pro-American.
MATTHEWS: You were putting them together, you put three words together, liberal, leftist and anti-American. How do they all fit together, those three terms, liberal, leftist, and anti-American?
BACHMANN: Well, that's a good descriptor for Jeremiah Wright, it's a perfect descriptor for Bill Ayers and those are friends and people that Obama has pointed to as his mentors. In his book Barack Obama had pointed to Jeremiah Wright as one of his mentors and also hisfather Pfleger as one of his mentors. Two of the three mentors are father Pfleger and Jeremiah Wright. Now, these are very strange anti-American mentors if people like that were John McCain's mentors, you'd be all over John McCain.
MATTHEWS: Well let me ask you this. This country is roughly divided in the past, over our lifetimes between Republicans and Democrats and liberals and conservatives. Maybe the 30%, or 30-40% of the country is conservative and self-described. People tell you what they are. And 30% or whatever is liberals. Do you think those 30% liberals are anti-American? The 30% of this country that calls themselves liberals, are they anti-American?
BACHMANN: I think the people that Barack Obama has been associating with are anti-American by and large. The people who are radical leftists. That's the real question about Barack Obama. Saul Alineski, one of his teachers you might say out of the Chicago area, Tony Rezko, who was an associate also. these are very concerning figures that are in Barack Obama's past.
MATTHEWS: He's a leftist? I thought he was a business guy. Tony Rezko was some business guy. I didn't know he was a leftist anti-American guy.
BACHMANN: Yeah that's troubling, too. Take a look at these associations add them all up. This is the totality of the package that Barack Obama has been and Sarah Palin says is palling around with. These are his friends, associates. Very troubling.
MATTHEWS: How many Congresspeople, members of Congress, are in that anti-American crowd you describe? How many Congresspeople that you serve with?
BACHMANN: Right now --
MATTHEWS: How many are anti-American in the Congress right now that you serve with?
BACHMANN: You'd have to ask them, Chris. I'm focusing on Barack Obama and the people that he's been associated with and I'm very worried about their anti-American nature.
MATTHEWS: But do you suspect there are a lot of people you serve with -- well, he's the United States senator from Illinois, he's one of the people you suspect as being anti-American. How many people in Congress of the United States do you believe are ant-American? Is he alone or are there others? How many do you suspect of your colleagues of being anti-American.
BACHMANN: What I would say what I would say is that the news media should do a penetrating exposé 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 be -- would love to see an expose like that.
MATTHEWS: Okay, thank you very much. U.S. Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota.
Matthews gave her every opportunity to say that her colleagues in the federal legislature aren't anti-American. But she wouldn't say so. Michele Bachmann believes that "anti-Americans" are currently serving in the United States Senate and Congress. And because she said that, on national television, and called for an investigation: her opponent has raised more than $600,000 in the last forty eight hours. |
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