Saturday, August 8, 2009

Michele Bachmann news links tonight

Tonight, it looks like journalists with real jobs are just recycling the same Politico article. They keep talking about a Bachmann staffer named "Michelle Martson", mentioned in the Politico article that these reporters seem to be re-typing. (Bachmann chief of staff gives out her name to the public as "Michelle MARSTON, so tonight we have a chance to see how quickly a Politico spelling and story get recycled by other reporters.)

Here is the original Politico article, which is actually pretty good. It claims that Michele is now "Public Enemy Number 1," with Dems--and explains why.

Then we have an article that seems to have been based on that article. According to the Examiner, she may be the new Sarah Palin. This one's kind of amusing, because the writer's tone indicates that she just heard of this person Bachmann. (The author reports that Bachmann has emerged as a "possible" target of the left's ire. And the author uses the mindless label "social conservative" to describe Bachmann's politics; always a bad sign.)

One of the "Godzillas" of news gathering, the United Press International, lobs in the report from Politico, noting that Michele's in for a fight next year. UPI reports on the Sixth District:

Bachmann's chief of staff, Michelle Martson (sic), said the congresswoman likely holds a high spot on Democrats' list of possible political targets given her open stances on key issues such as global warming, the Politico reported Saturday.

"She's definitely somewhere up there," Martson said.


That's right, she is, "Martson." In the same article, Minnesota Republican political mastermind Michael Brodkorb opines on *why* Democrats don't like Bachmann:

"I think she probably frustrates them because she's able to win every time," he told the Politico.

That's one reason she frustrates Dems, Michael--the other reason is that she's a notorious nut, bigot and liar serving in the U.S. Congress. That, too, pissed Dems off.

The UPI article also identifies Mr. Brodkorb as "Minnesota Republican Party of Democratic deputy chairman." I have never heard of such an office, and I don't understand this title they have given to him. But they spelled his name right, I think.

Finally: Harold Pollack, a New Republic's special correspondent on health care issues writes a thoughtful piece called "Have You No Decency?" (The title of the article compares the integrity of Bachmann and Palin to that of McCarthy.) Pollack takes Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann to task for spreading disinformation about what's in the health care reform bill. It's a good article that tries to refute the lies. Excerpts:

...To be clear, it is downright evil to establish a “death panel” that decides who is allowed to live based on their “level of productivity in society” (as Sarah Palin claims the health care plan does.) Less clear is what the heck Palin or Bachmann are talking about. I can’t find the words “death panel” in any administration position paper, the stimulus package, or the House and Senate draft health reform bills. Don’t take my word for it. Read the bills...


Another excerpt:

...Palin and Bachmann remind no one of Hillary Clinton in their success in grasping complex policy issues, or in their desire to do so. It may be too much to expect them to trace the origin and veracity of these talking points. These originate in a New York Post op-ed by Betsy McCaughey, which Bachmann essentially recites on the House floor...


...and the article has a link to Bachmann's speech on the House floor. Finally:

...publicity-seeking politicians subtract a lot from these conversations. Palin, Bachmann, and others score cheap points by scaring people and by spreading falsehoods. Their disrespect goes beyond their own political base to those whose views they so recklessly misconstrue...

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