Rep. Michele Bachmann is the target of a new $100,000 television ad campaign that criticizes her for voting against health care reform.
The liberal advocacy organization Americans United for Change will begin running the commercials against the Minnesota Republican Tuesday – the centerpiece of a broader attempt to hurt Republicans for voting against President Obama’s signature domestic issue. The organization will also be directing recorded telephone messages into the congressional districts of 14 House Republicans, including Bachmann and two others who are running for the Senate.
The theme of the TV ad and robo calls is that these lawmakers have insurance coverage paid for by taxpayers, but voted against health care reform. Americans United is not targeting the 34 Democrats who joined House Republicans in voting against the measure.
Here's the ad:
Dump Bachmann had a post yesterday about Bachmann's healthcare hypocrisy on the Larry King show. Here are a few comments to that post:
C.M.
This was a pretty disappointing interview with Michele. She is trying to be sane. It is not a good or natural look for her.
She does it say that part of being responsible parents is getting a job that offers health insurance.
I guess that means that none of Marcus Bachmann's staff are responsible parents.
Would you go to a mental health clinic where the entire staff is irresponsible?
PrChris
A copy of this article ought to be mailed to every person in Bachmann's district. It shows the ultimate hypocrisy of her position. If they send her back after the things she has said in the last year, the voters in the 6th district ought to have their collective heads examined. (But, Dare, don't bother...you've already demonstrated what is not in yours.)
Bachmann would be right at home in Soylant Green. She has no compassion, no understanding that our society is causing much of its own problems by refusing to step up and maximize the contributions of every person in the society. The 300 million + of Americans are not going away. And for every member of society there are only two choices: Help them be the healthiest, most educated, skilled person possible. Otherwise, we can spend the rest of their lives spending lots of money to deal with them when they cannot fit in productively to society. Aside from the immorality of walking past people who are suffering without trying to help, when we have a significant percentage of the people who are in prisons, are unable to work because of health problems, who cannot contribute to society because of a lack of education, etc., represent both a monetary and a human drag on the society. This bill tonight begins to help address this issue. Until we do, we are competing against other modern societies with one hand tied behind our backs.
Markh
In May of 2009, at the age of 48, I was diagnosed with a life-threatening health condition. If I hadn't had employer-paid heath insurance, my options would have been zeroing out my retire ment savings, less treatment (or no treatment and a funeral), or bankruptcy.
Yeah, HSA's can be a good idea for flu shots, broken arms and strep throat, but no amount of 'freedom' would have covered those costs. I've now got a relatively clean bill of health, but for the rest of my life I'll live in fear of 'pre-existing conditions' rules. No private insurer would ever sell me a policy.
Let freedom ring.
Anna
Thank God for the freedom. Freedom from the tyranny of the health insurers! I'm glad to hear that you are ok Markh. Several members of my family also have pre-existing conditions, so passage of this bill was VERY important to them (and the rest of the family who love and support them).
For my own child (with pre-existing condition) this was a huge vote. This child can now likely remain in the US. Other choices were Canada (could seek a Canadian spouse), UK or Australia, where my child could get healthcare and live a productive life without constant worry and insecurity.
Thanks Obama, Pelosi, and Democrats who voted for this bill.
What does is it mean for Bachmann to be on the losing side of a big bill like HR 3590? Read this dispatch from Washington D.C. from The New Republic's Michelle Cottle (at mpr.org):
In search of a little pick-me-up, Republican members took to wandering out on the balcony and revving up the crowd. Two or three scrawled 'No' on sheets of paper and began waving them over the railing, tittering like school boys. Tennessee's Zach Wamp snatched up a discarded poster board, propped it against a column, and, black marker in hand, began gleefully writing "LET'S MEET 'EM AT THE STATE LINE" in big block letters. (Homemade signs were all the rage among members. Inside high windows along the east side of the capitol, someone had put up more letters spelling out "VOTE NO' and "SCRAP THE BILL.") Caught up in the naughtiness of it all, Pennsylvania's Jim Gerlach rushed over to steady the posterboard while Wamp scribbled.
But it wasn't until a couple of the old guys goaded Tea Party prom queen Michele Bachmann onto the balcony that the fun really got started. After only a second or two of faux resistance, Bachmann sidled up to the edge, clasped her hands together and shook them above each shoulder like some kind of pink-clad prize fighter. The crowd below went hog wild, and more than one member made a snorting reference to Bachman's "Evita" moment. Soon, other Republicans began sliding out to stand beside her and bask in the reflected love.
Hours later, as the whole pre-vote back-and-forth really got rolling, Republicans were in no mood to sit still. They trotted out every parliamentary trick in the book to try and slow the process even further. They were quick to snicker, groan, and boo at Democats' comments, and they'd shout down any member of the majority who went even a second over their allotted speaking time. And whenever one of their own team spoke, the remarks would be met with enthusiastic applause and cheers. Bachman took to shouting "Good job! Good job!" at colleagues, like she was a proud T-ball parent cheering from the sideline.
On some level, it was sweet of Bachmann to try and keep everyone's spirits up in the face of what the party must realize is a grave injury. The GOP went all out to deliver President Obama a legislative Waterloo, and ultimately came up short. For a party that prides itself on being ruthless and efficient and competent, this is a particularly devastating blow, and we should probably cut members a little slack in dealing with it the best they could. In fact, earlier in the day, as I stood watching Wamp and Gerlach make their cute little sign for the protesters, Illinois's John Shimkus stretched an arm up over my head to snap a picture of the two men with his cell phone. "I should really get them off the balcony," he mused, more to himself than to me. We introduced ourselves, and I asked the congressman if he was having a good day. "Not really," he said with a heavy sigh, eyes still glued to his colleague's balcony antics. "But what are you gonna do?"
What indeed.
It's a good article - read the whole thing.
Will this defeat for the GOP and the Teabaggers hurt Bachmann's chances for re-election in November? Was passage of this bill yesterday Bachmann's Waterloo? What do you think?
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