By Karl Bremer © 2010
Michele Bachmann has been caught lying redhanded—again. This time it’s about her support for the 2008 “Legacy Amendment”—the constitutional amendment passed overwhelmingly by Minnesota voters that raised the state sales tax by .375 percent to provide a dedicated fund for the outdoors and the arts.
Bachmann has used Tarryl Clark’s State Senate vote to put the amendment on the 2008 ballot as evidence that Clark “loves taxes” and voted to raise taxes on State Fair corn dogs and deep-fried bacon. The charge is the basis for Bachmann’s latest ad that claims Clark also voted to raise taxes on color crayons for kids.
But as first reported on the Dump Bachmann blog, Sept. 6, Bachmann herself supported the corn-dog-tax-raising amendment. Respected Star-Tribune outdoor writer Dennis Anderson stated in his Oct. 23, 2008 column:
“Lawn signs advocating the campaigns of candidates for various offices are strewn across Minnesota in these concluding days of the election cycle.
Perhaps none imply a more incorrect message than those of Sen. Norm Coleman and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann when they are grouped, side by side, with signs advocating "Vote no" on the proposed Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.
--snip--
The combination of signs suggests that Republicans Coleman and Bachmann, both of whom generally support low taxes, oppose the amendment (the amendment, if approved, would increase the state sales tax three-eighths of 1 percent).
In fact, Coleman and Bachmann support the proposed amendment, as do most, if not all, of the Minnesota congressional delegation...”
Anderson continues:
“Coleman, Bachmann and Franken spoke in August at Game Fair in Anoka of their support of the Clean Water amendment. Coleman and Bachmann also displayed blaze orange "Sportsmen vote yes" placards in their Game Fair booths …”
But in the September 12 St. Cloud Times, Bachmann mouthpiece Sergio Gor flatly denied that Bachmann supported the Legacy Amendment:
“The Clark campaign said this week that Bachmann also supported the sales-tax amendment, citing a newspaper article from 2008. But Bachmann spokesman Sergio Gor said she never supported the tax.”
When informed that Bachmann claimed he was lying about her support for the amendment, Anderson responded in an email:
"I'm telling the truth, as a thousand or so other people can attest. She expressed her unqualified support for the amendment over the PA system at Game Fair in August 2008. (Star-Tribune outdoor writer) Ron Schara was the interviewer … Of course, that doesn't mean she didn't tell other people just the opposite.”
Once again, the truth and Michele Bachmann appear to be perfect strangers.
A footnote: The Legacy Amendment garnered 217,501 votes in the 6th Congressional District in 2008, while Bachmann herself received only 187,814 votes. In other words, 29,687 more 6th District voters voted to raise taxes on themselves than voted for Bachmann.
If anyone has photographic or audio evidence of Bachmann expressing her support for the 2008 corn-dog-tax-raising Legacy Amendment, feel free to forward it to DumpBachmann.
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