Michele Bachmann presidential campaign, 2012
Encyclopedia
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann
of Minnesota
began a campaign for the 2012 Republican Party nomination for president of the United States
in June 2011. Bachmann announced she was running for president during the CNN
Republican primary debate held June 13, 2011, and made her formal announcement two weeks later in her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa.
called her "a serious contender for 2012." Her visit planned for January 21 to the state of Iowa
, which holds the first caucuses of the season, raised suspicions after several aides hinted that she would make a bid for the White House
.
, declared her happiness that Iowans would be the first to weigh in on the candidates: "I'm so excited. Because I feel like I know you. Because I was born here. I was raised here. These are my values. I feel like we understand each other and I trust you to make that decision. But I also charge you with that decision today." Iowan Governor Terry Branstad stated he was greatly impressed by Bachmann's speech and stated that even if she did not run he felt "she'll certainly have an influence on the debate." Steve Scheffler, a Republican National Committee
member and head of the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, said of a possible Bachmann run that "she could take a serious look at it. She certainly would bring a lot of enthusiasm to the base." Dave Funk, a Tea Party movement
-sponsored candidate in the 2010 election, liked Bachmann's talk of American exceptionalism, saying, "It was almost like 'a new day in America' speech, like Reagan. Everybody else is talking policy, issues, ideas - she's talking about motivating the people to get out and do something."
Bachmann had a very strong turnout for the speech which led The Des Moines Register to declare that if she "is considering a run, this first trip to Iowa has to be considered a success", but they went on to note that "She'd still have work to do to turn favorable interest and curiosity into support." In addition to the speech, Bachmann visited the governor, Iowa's legislative leaders, and the state's GOP headquarters. Reflecting on the trip, Bachmann stated, "I am very encouraged by what I heard and the level of support that I saw today." Bachmann was set to return to the state "to participate in a series of lectures for presidential candidate prospects held in Iowa in April."
, taken January 22, 2011, Bachmann placed fifth with five percent of the vote, tying Jim DeMint
and following Mitt Romney
(35%), Ron Paul
(11%), fellow Minnesotan Tim Pawlenty
(8%), and Sarah Palin
(7%). The poll listed twenty individuals and an option for "other" (which received 2%). Among the notables she outpolled were Rick Santorum
(3%), Newt Gingrich
(3%), Mike Pence
(3%), and Rudy Giuliani
(2%).
Former staff
Departure of New Hampshire campaign staff
On October 21, 2011, it was reported that Bachmann's paid staff in New Hampshire had all resigned, citing frustration with the national campaign and Bachmann's lack of time campaigning in the state. The departing staffers issued a press release stating their reasons for leaving the campaign.
, Bachmann announced that she had filed to run for president, skipping the exploratory committee
process. She formally announced her candidacy on June 26, 2011, in her hometown of Waterloo
, Iowa.
Bachmann performed well in the June 13th debate, held in Manchester
, New Hampshire. USA Today
described her as "lively, confident, personable".
On Fox News Sunday
on Fox News on June 26, 2011, show host Chris Wallace
said to Bachmann, "The rap on you here in Washington is that you have a history of questionable statements, some would say gaffes, ranging from talking about anti-American members of Congress [to] on this show a couple of months ago, when you suggested that NATO airstrikes had killed up to 30,000 civilians. Are you a flake?" Bachmann responded by saying the question was "insulting". Wallace later apologized, saying, "I messed up, I’m sorry. I didn't mean any disrespect."
Bachmann became the first woman to win the Iowa Straw Poll, winning with 4,823 votes (28.55%) out of about 16,892 cast.
On July 19, according to the Bachmann campaign, when attempting to question Bachmann about her migraines, ABC News
reporter Brian Ross
"rushed toward" Bachmann and her staff and "disregarded repeated requests to stay back". According to Michael Crowley
, a reporter for Time
who witnessed the resulting intervention by Bachmann staffers, the staffers "pounced on [Ross], grabbing and pushing him multiple times with what looked [...] like unusual force. In fact, [Crowley had] never seen a reporter treated so roughly at a campaign event, especially not a presidential one."
poll of national Republican primary voters found her in the lead with 21%; her nearest competitor, Mitt Romney
, received 20% in the poll. On August 13, 2011, she won the Iowa Ames Straw Poll
with 28.6% of the vote, one point more than her nearest competitor, Ron Paul.
Bachmann was featured on the cover of Newsweek
magazine in August, dubbed "the Queen of Rage". The photo of her was perceived as unflattering, as it portrayed her with a wide eyed expression some said made her look "crazy". Sources called the depiction "sexist",. Newsweek defended the cover's depiction of her, saying its other photos of Bachmann showed similar intensity.
's record as governor of Texas in a televised debate, saying he trampled parental rights by vaccinating all teenage girls statewide with the human papillomavirus vaccine. She said the vaccine caused mental retardation in a young girl. The American Academy of Pediatrics
said that there is "absolutely no scientific validity" to Bachmann's assertion.
In a speech in New Hampshire, Bachmann stated that New Hampshire was "the state where the shot heard round the world in Lexington and Concord." Lexington and Concord
are located in Massachusetts
.
In an interview, Bachmann stated that the last swine flu outbreak had occurred under President Carter
, and suggested that there was a relation between Democratic presidents and swine flu outbreaks. In fact, the last two swine flu outbreaks occurred under President Ford and President Reagan, both Republicans.
In a speech in Iowa, Bachmann referred to John Quincy Adams
as a U.S. Founding Father
. Adams was eight when the Declaration of Independence
was adopted, and is not considered to be a Founding Father. Commentators suggested that Bachmann had confused John Quincy Adams with his father, John Adams
, a Founding Father and the second president of the United States.
During her campaign announcement, she likened her spirit to John Wayne
, who she said was from Waterloo, Iowa. Although Wayne's parents had lived in Waterloo and met there, after they were married they moved to Winterset
, Iowa, where Wayne was born. Commentators suggested that the error originated in that similarly named serial killer John Wayne Gacy
was from Waterloo.
Bachmann has also been criticized as "playing fast and loose with the truth". In a June 26, 2011, interview, Bob Schieffer
noted that only one of twenty-three Bachmann claims analyzed by PolitiFact.com
was found to be completely true while seven statements were rated "pants on fire".
At the 2011 Iowa GOP debate, Byron York
asked whether "As president would you be submissive to your husband?" referring to a comment made in 2006. Bachmann responded by stating that "What submission means to us—if that's what your question is—it means respect." In an interview with David Gregory
on Meet the Press
, when asked about submission, Bachmann responded that "submission means respect." Gregory joked "Congresswoman, I didn't even have to check with my wife, and I know those two things aren’t equal." to which Bachmann responded "in our household it does." The question has raised concerns of sexism, while Bachmann's deflection of the question has been criticized.
Michele Bachmann
Michele Marie Bachmann is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing , a post she has held since 2007. The district includes several of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Woodbury, and Blaine as well as Stillwater and St. Cloud.She is currently a...
of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
began a campaign for the 2012 Republican Party nomination for president of the United States
Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2012
The 2012 Republican presidential primaries are the selection processes in which voters of the Republican Party will choose their nominee for President of the United States in the 2012 presidential election. The primary contest began with a fairly wide field, and is the first presidential primary...
in June 2011. Bachmann announced she was running for president during the CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
Republican primary debate held June 13, 2011, and made her formal announcement two weeks later in her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa.
Background
In early 2011, the media speculated about Bachmann's potential run for president. The New RepublicThe New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
called her "a serious contender for 2012." Her visit planned for January 21 to the state of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, which holds the first caucuses of the season, raised suspicions after several aides hinted that she would make a bid for the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
.
Iowans for Tax Relief
In the midst of much speculation about a run for the presidency, Bachmann visited Iowa on January 21, 2011, to address the conservative group Iowans for Tax Relief. Bachmann said, "There's been no decision about candidacy, but I want to be a part of the conversation." Bachmann, born in Iowa and close friend to U.S. Representative Steve KingSteve King
Steven Arnold "Steve" King is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.The district is located in the western part of the state and includes Sioux City and Council Bluffs....
, declared her happiness that Iowans would be the first to weigh in on the candidates: "I'm so excited. Because I feel like I know you. Because I was born here. I was raised here. These are my values. I feel like we understand each other and I trust you to make that decision. But I also charge you with that decision today." Iowan Governor Terry Branstad stated he was greatly impressed by Bachmann's speech and stated that even if she did not run he felt "she'll certainly have an influence on the debate." Steve Scheffler, a Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
member and head of the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, said of a possible Bachmann run that "she could take a serious look at it. She certainly would bring a lot of enthusiasm to the base." Dave Funk, a Tea Party movement
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
-sponsored candidate in the 2010 election, liked Bachmann's talk of American exceptionalism, saying, "It was almost like 'a new day in America' speech, like Reagan. Everybody else is talking policy, issues, ideas - she's talking about motivating the people to get out and do something."
Bachmann had a very strong turnout for the speech which led The Des Moines Register to declare that if she "is considering a run, this first trip to Iowa has to be considered a success", but they went on to note that "She'd still have work to do to turn favorable interest and curiosity into support." In addition to the speech, Bachmann visited the governor, Iowa's legislative leaders, and the state's GOP headquarters. Reflecting on the trip, Bachmann stated, "I am very encouraged by what I heard and the level of support that I saw today." Bachmann was set to return to the state "to participate in a series of lectures for presidential candidate prospects held in Iowa in April."
New Hampshire Straw Poll
In the New Hampshire GOP 2012 Straw PollNew Hampshire Straw Poll
The New Hampshire Straw Poll is a straw poll for the United States Republican presidential primary elections that was started in 2011 through promotion by ABC News and WMUR-TV...
, taken January 22, 2011, Bachmann placed fifth with five percent of the vote, tying Jim DeMint
Jim DeMint
James Warren "Jim" DeMint is the junior U.S. Senator from South Carolina, serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party and a leader in the Tea Party movement. He previously served as the U.S. Representative for from 1999 to 2005.-Early life and education:DeMint was born in...
and following Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
(35%), Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...
(11%), fellow Minnesotan Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...
(8%), and Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
(7%). The poll listed twenty individuals and an option for "other" (which received 2%). Among the notables she outpolled were Rick Santorum
Rick Santorum
Richard John "Rick" Santorum is a lawyer and a former United States Senator from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Santorum was the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference -making him the third-ranking Senate Republican from 2001 until his leave in 2007. Santorum is considered both a social...
(3%), Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
(3%), Mike Pence
Mike Pence
Michael Richard "Mike" Pence is the U.S. Representative for Indiana's , and previously the , serving since 2001. The 6th district covers much of Eastern Indiana. He is a member of the Republican Party....
(3%), and Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
(2%).
Campaign staff
Current staff- Keith Nahigian, manager
- Alice Stewart, press secretary
- Brett O'Donnell, advisor
- Bob Heckman, advisor
- Becki Donatelli, advisor
- Marcus Bachmann, advisor
- Jody Thomas, finance director
- Mary Heitman, finance director
Former staff
- Ed RollinsEd RollinsEdward John "Ed" Rollins is a Republican campaign consultant and advisor who has worked on several high-profile political campaigns in the United States. In 1983-84, he was National Campaign Director for the Reagan-Bush '84 campaign, winning 49 of 50 states...
, manager - David Polyansky, deputy manager
Departure of New Hampshire campaign staff
On October 21, 2011, it was reported that Bachmann's paid staff in New Hampshire had all resigned, citing frustration with the national campaign and Bachmann's lack of time campaigning in the state. The departing staffers issued a press release stating their reasons for leaving the campaign.
Campaign progress
During a June 13, 2011, debate on CNNCNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, Bachmann announced that she had filed to run for president, skipping the exploratory committee
Exploratory Committee
In the election politics of the United States, an exploratory committee is an organization established to help determine whether a potential candidate should run for an elected office. They are most often cited in reference to United States Presidential hopefuls, prior to the primaries.Exploratory...
process. She formally announced her candidacy on June 26, 2011, in her hometown of Waterloo
Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two...
, Iowa.
Bachmann performed well in the June 13th debate, held in Manchester
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
, New Hampshire. USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
described her as "lively, confident, personable".
On Fox News Sunday
Fox News Sunday
Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace is a public affairs program on the Fox network, hosted by Chris Wallace and airing on Sunday mornings. The show began on April 28, 1996, which predated the launch of Fox News Channel, and usually talks about items similar to Sunday morning talk shows...
on Fox News on June 26, 2011, show host Chris Wallace
Chris Wallace (journalist)
Christopher "Chris" Wallace is an American journalist, currently the host of the Fox Network program, Fox News Sunday. Wallace has won three Emmy Awards, the Dupont-Columbia Silver Baton Award, and a Peabody Award. Wallace has been with Fox News since 2003...
said to Bachmann, "The rap on you here in Washington is that you have a history of questionable statements, some would say gaffes, ranging from talking about anti-American members of Congress [to] on this show a couple of months ago, when you suggested that NATO airstrikes had killed up to 30,000 civilians. Are you a flake?" Bachmann responded by saying the question was "insulting". Wallace later apologized, saying, "I messed up, I’m sorry. I didn't mean any disrespect."
Bachmann became the first woman to win the Iowa Straw Poll, winning with 4,823 votes (28.55%) out of about 16,892 cast.
Personal health
Bachmann has stated that she has suffered migraines, but that they have been controlled by prescription medicine, have not had an impact on her service in Congress, and would not affect her ability to serve as president. Politico reported that the migraines had caused Bachmann to miss multiple Congressional votes.On July 19, according to the Bachmann campaign, when attempting to question Bachmann about her migraines, ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
reporter Brian Ross
Brian Ross (journalist)
Brian Elliot Ross is an American investigative correspondent for ABC News. He has been with ABC News since July 1994. From 1974 until 1994, Ross was a correspondent for NBC News.-Major scoops:...
"rushed toward" Bachmann and her staff and "disregarded repeated requests to stay back". According to Michael Crowley
Michael Crowley
Michael Crowley is a senior correspondent and deputy Washington bureau chief for . From 2000 to 2010 he was a writer for The New Republic. His work has also been published in The New York Times, The Atlantic, GQ, New York and Slate. Michael Crichton allegedly based a minor character on him in his...
, a reporter for Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
who witnessed the resulting intervention by Bachmann staffers, the staffers "pounced on [Ross], grabbing and pushing him multiple times with what looked [...] like unusual force. In fact, [Crowley had] never seen a reporter treated so roughly at a campaign event, especially not a presidential one."
Victory in Iowa
Bachmann has performed well in polling of the Republican presidential primary. By late July, a PPPPublic Policy Polling
Public Policy Polling is an American Democratic Party-affiliated polling firm based in Raleigh, North Carolina. PPP was founded in 2001 by businessman and Democratic pollster Dean Debnam, the firm's current president and chief executive officer...
poll of national Republican primary voters found her in the lead with 21%; her nearest competitor, Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
, received 20% in the poll. On August 13, 2011, she won the Iowa Ames Straw Poll
Ames Straw Poll
The Ames Straw Poll is a presidential straw poll taken by Iowa Republicans. It occurs in Ames, Iowa on the campus of Iowa State University, on a Saturday in August of years in an election cycle in which the Republican presidential nomination seems to be undecided...
with 28.6% of the vote, one point more than her nearest competitor, Ron Paul.
Bachmann was featured on the cover of Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine in August, dubbed "the Queen of Rage". The photo of her was perceived as unflattering, as it portrayed her with a wide eyed expression some said made her look "crazy". Sources called the depiction "sexist",. Newsweek defended the cover's depiction of her, saying its other photos of Bachmann showed similar intensity.
Vaccine comments
Bachmann attacked Rick PerryRick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
's record as governor of Texas in a televised debate, saying he trampled parental rights by vaccinating all teenage girls statewide with the human papillomavirus vaccine. She said the vaccine caused mental retardation in a young girl. The American Academy of Pediatrics
American Academy of Pediatrics
The American Academy of Pediatrics is the major professional association of pediatricians in the United States. The AAP was founded in 1930 by 35 pediatricians to address pediatric healthcare standards. It currently has 60,000 members in primary care and sub-specialist areas...
said that there is "absolutely no scientific validity" to Bachmann's assertion.
Public reception
Bachmann has been the subject of criticism by the media for factual inaccuracies and gaffes in her speeches.In a speech in New Hampshire, Bachmann stated that New Hampshire was "the state where the shot heard round the world in Lexington and Concord." Lexington and Concord
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. They were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy , and Cambridge, near Boston...
are located in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
In an interview, Bachmann stated that the last swine flu outbreak had occurred under President Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, and suggested that there was a relation between Democratic presidents and swine flu outbreaks. In fact, the last two swine flu outbreaks occurred under President Ford and President Reagan, both Republicans.
In a speech in Iowa, Bachmann referred to John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
as a U.S. Founding Father
Founding Fathers of the United States
The Founding Fathers of the United States of America were political leaders and statesmen who participated in the American Revolution by signing the United States Declaration of Independence, taking part in the American Revolutionary War, establishing the United States Constitution, or by some...
. Adams was eight when the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
was adopted, and is not considered to be a Founding Father. Commentators suggested that Bachmann had confused John Quincy Adams with his father, John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
, a Founding Father and the second president of the United States.
During her campaign announcement, she likened her spirit to John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
, who she said was from Waterloo, Iowa. Although Wayne's parents had lived in Waterloo and met there, after they were married they moved to Winterset
Winterset, Iowa
Winterset is a city in Madison County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,768 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Madison County....
, Iowa, where Wayne was born. Commentators suggested that the error originated in that similarly named serial killer John Wayne Gacy
John Wayne Gacy
John Wayne Gacy, Jr. was an American serial killer, rapist and clown who sexually assaulted and murdered at least 33 teenage boys and young men between 1972 and 1978. Gacy buried 26 of his victims in the crawlspace of his home, buried three others elsewhere on his property, and discarded the...
was from Waterloo.
Bachmann has also been criticized as "playing fast and loose with the truth". In a June 26, 2011, interview, Bob Schieffer
Bob Schieffer
Bob Lloyd Schieffer is an American television journalist who has been with CBS News since 1969, serving 23 years as anchor on the Saturday edition of CBS Evening News from 1973 to 1996; chief Washington correspondent since 1982, moderator of the Sunday public affairs show Face the Nation since...
noted that only one of twenty-three Bachmann claims analyzed by PolitiFact.com
PolitiFact.com
PolitiFact.com is a project that is operated by the St. Petersburg Times, a project in which its reporters and editors "fact-check statements by members of Congress, the White House, lobbyists and interest groups...." They publish original statements and their evaluations on the PolitiFact.com...
was found to be completely true while seven statements were rated "pants on fire".
At the 2011 Iowa GOP debate, Byron York
Byron York
Byron York is a conservative American columnist for the Washington Examiner, Fox News contributor, and author who lives in Washington, D.C.-Career:...
asked whether "As president would you be submissive to your husband?" referring to a comment made in 2006. Bachmann responded by stating that "What submission means to us—if that's what your question is—it means respect." In an interview with David Gregory
David Gregory (journalist)
David Michael Gregory is an American television journalist, and moderator of NBC News' Sunday morning talk show Meet the Press.-Early life:...
on Meet the Press
Meet the Press
Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. It is the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, despite bearing little resemblance to the original format of the program seen in its television debut on November 6, 1947. It has been...
, when asked about submission, Bachmann responded that "submission means respect." Gregory joked "Congresswoman, I didn't even have to check with my wife, and I know those two things aren’t equal." to which Bachmann responded "in our household it does." The question has raised concerns of sexism, while Bachmann's deflection of the question has been criticized.
Endorsements
List of Michele Bachmann endorsements |
|---|
Bachmann has received endorsements from: Iowa
Other
|
External links
- MicheleBachmann.com, Bachmann's official campaign site