Money quote from the memo:
Unfortunately, this incident was no aberration. In the past, Bachmann has hidden in bushes to spy on rallies of people she opposes, announced a secret plan to isolate a section of Iraq to allow for Iran to train terrorists and blamed the global financial crisis on a federal program that encourages minorities to become homeowners.
Who were the people Bachmann opposed here? In this case, it was a rally by the Gay and Lesbian community, sponsored by OutFront Minnesota to oppose the Bachmann amendment. Why did the DFL hide this fact? They don't have a problem with standing up to her animus towards muslims, but it appears that they want to say this rally was "people she disagreed with", rather than acknowleging this was a rally by the gay community opposing her amendment to the constitution that would ban gays from participating in the institution of marriage. Bachmann's amendment as written, not only would have banned "gay marriage", but also Civil Unions, domestic partnerships, and broadly interpreted could have even overturned contractual arrangements such as wills and medical power of attorney. Bachmann is an unhinged bigot when it comes to gay people. I have never heard a leader in the Democratic Party take her on, on that topic. Public opinion has changed on this issue, but to the DFL, gays are "those people".
M E M O R A N D U M
TO: Media, Interested Parties
FROM: Minnesota DFL Party
DATE: October 25, 2008
RE: State of the Race: Tuning into the Sixth District
The race for Congress in Minnesota’s Sixth District turned on its head a week ago yesterday, following the divisive comments that incumbent Republican Representative Michele Bachmann made on MSNBC. Since that time, Bachmann’s DFL-endorsed opponent, Elywn Tinklenberg, has continued to position himself for victory. Tinklenberg has closed the gap in the polls, now leading in two public polls released late this week. Having raised more than $1.5 million in one week, Tinklenberg has also closed the money gap, hitting the airwaves with his message of change.
Minnesotans who have grown tired of Bachmann’s tired, partisan and destructive rhetoric have found in Tinklenberg the experience, temperament and vision to get our economy back on track. Minnesotans know that the key to economic growth and recovery is job creation — and as a former mayor and state transportation commissioner, Tinklenberg has a record of creating jobs, expanding economic-development opportunities and an overall commitment to results-driven leadership.
“Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word”
Generally when someone is caught red-handed doing something wrong, the next step is an apology. Today, eight days after Representative Michele Bachmann appeared on national television to call for a McCarthyite investigation into Members of Congress and question the patriotism of the Democratic nominee for president, voters continue to wait for a sincere act of contrition.
On at least two occasions this week, Bachmann appeared ready to apologize to the people of Minnesota, only to disappoint.
According to the AP, Bachmann told the editorial board of the St. Cloud Times Tuesday afternoon that she “made a big mistake” by appearing on “Hardball with Chris Matthews.” Bachmann said — apparently of her comments in which she called for an investigation of members of Congress and called many Americans, including Senator Obama, anti-American — “I deeply regret it because that is not what I meant.”
However, just hours earlier on Tuesday, Bachmann was blaming others for her actions, telling a St. Cloud business group that “a trap was laid” and she just “stepped into it.” On Monday she told a national conservative radio host that those who were reporting the incident, as well as and those who were calling for her to take responsibility for it, were lying.
Then on Friday afternoon, national press reports indicated that Bachmann planned to release a new campaign ad apologizing for her remarks. Instead, the commercial fell far short, featuring no apology at all.
“Friends in Low Places”
While Minnesota’s entire DFL congressional delegation denounced Bachmann’s comments on Monday, her Republican colleagues failed to act quickly, or act at all. Senator Norm Coleman, Representative John Kline and Third District Congressional Candidate Erik Paulsen failed to issue strong statements.
Minnesota DFL Chair Brian Melendez noted:
“Michele Bachmann’s divisive remarks stand by themselves as a testament to someone who has accomplished nothing in Congress except embarrass Minnesota and offend America. Now she has exposed herself as a latter-day Joseph McCarthy and as someone who lacks the temperament to serve in Congress.
“And the deafening silence of those Republicans who have silently acquiesced in her comments shows us either that they share her offensive views or that they are afraid to speak out against her and the radical fringe that she speaks for.
“Both options are bad for Minnesota.”
“Time in a Bottle”
For many years, Minnesotans have come to know Representative Michele Bachmann not by a record of accomplishment, but a long string of embarrassing comments. Her outlandish rhetoric reached a new level on a recent edition of MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews” when she called for an investigation into whether members of Congress were “pro-America or anti-America.”
Unfortunately, this incident was no aberration. In the past, Bachmann has hidden in bushes to spy on rallies of people she opposes, announced a secret plan to isolate a section of Iraq to allow for Iran to train terrorists and blamed the global financial crisis on a federal program that encourages minorities to become homeowners.
Yesterday, the citizen-journalist project The Uptake released new footage from their archives of more outrageous comments that Bachmann made in late 2005 that until now have received little to no attention.
The Uptake writes:
“One comment that she has never explained was made in a debate she had while running for Congress the first time in November of 2005. Prompted by the rioting that was going on in France at the time, Bachmann said ‘not all cultures are equal, not all values are equal.’ and implied heavily that people of the Muslim faith had an inferior culture to that of the United States.”
The video is available here.
“Numbers”
Polling released late Thursday and early Friday showed Bachmann’s earlier lead in the race evaporate, with Tinklenberg in command.
On Thursday evening, KSTP released dramatic new polling conducted by SurveyUSA in the Sixth District race that shows Elwyn Tinklenberg with a small lead over Michele Bachmann:
Tinklenberg 47%
Bachmann 44%
The entire poll results can be found here.
In response to the results, Larry Jacobs of the University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute told KSTP, “Michele Bachmann is fighting for her political life in the next two weeks.”
A Minnesota Public Radio/University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute poll released Friday morning showed similar results.
MPR reports: “The shows Republican U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann's recent comments about Barack Obama and liberals are threatening her re-election bid. The results show Bachmann in a statistical dead heat with her DFL challenger Elwyn Tinklenberg.”
Tinklenberg 45%
Bachmann 43%
The poll showed that two-thirds of Sixth District voters disagreed with Bachmann’s comments.
Pundits Note: The “Tide Is Turning”
Cook Political Report moved the Sixth District race from “leans Republican” to “toss-up” this week, noting that “Bachmann’s comments likely changed the complexion of her reelection race overnight and helped to turn the race into even more of a referendum on her. In seven minutes on Friday’s edition of MSNBC’s Hardball, Bachmann did herself more harm than she ever could have done Sen. John McCain good in all her many appearances as his campaign surrogate.”
The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza prominently ranked the Sixth District race, saying, “Note to vulnerable incumbents: Don't go on national TV two weeks before an election. Just don't do it.”
Prominent Republicans: The “Reason Is You”
Former Republican Governor Arne Carlson pointed to Bachmann’s divisive comments as a reason for his decision to endorse Senator Barack Obama. He endorsed the Democratic presidential nominee during an event at the Minnesota State Capitol on Thursday with U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar.
The Star Tribune reported:
“Carlson also took aim at U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, saying that her controversial remarks of the past week suggesting that Obama may have anti-American views, had led him to endorse the Democratic nominee. After hearing Bachmann's comments, he said he telephoned former Vice President Walter Mondale, the Minnesota Democrat, to tell him of his plan.”
According to The Politico, Carlson continued in his criticism of Bachmann, comparing her to Joe McCarthy:
"At one point, Carlson compared Bachmann's statements to the tactics of Joseph McCarthy, the Wisconsin senator during the 1950s who helped define an era when the patriotism of many Americans was publicly questioned.
‘I don't want Minnesota to continue to be seen in the national picture as some sort of a land that has these rather strange views -- we don't,’ he said.”
Carlson is the second prominent Republican to note that Bachmann’s comments played a pivotal role in his decision to endorse Senator Obama. Last Sunday, former Secretary of State Colin Powell called Bachmann’s comments as “nonsense” and pointed to them as one of the reasons that led him to endorse the Democratic nominee.
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