By Staff Writers, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, October 20, 2006
21 Oct 2006 // The thousands, even millions, of dollars spent on television advertising trying to create a public persona for a candidate is no match for a blogger with a video camera.
Michele Bachmann found that out this week.
The Republican candidate for the Sixth District U.S. House seat had done a remarkable -- one might even say deceptive -- job presenting herself as a moderate tax-cutter to voters until her appearance on Sunday at Living Word Christian Center in Brooklyn Park. While the media have focused on the complaint filed with the IRS by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which claimed that, for endorsing Bachmann, the church's tax-exempt status should be revoked, bloggers focused more on the content of Bachmann's "sermon."
Courtesy of Ken Avidor and his Michele Bachmann Video Blog (1), voters were able to see the candidate claim:
• "From there, my husband said, 'Now you need to go and get a postdoctorate degree in tax law.' Tax law? I hate taxes. Why should I go do something like that? But the Lord said, 'Be submissive. Wives, you are to be submissive to your husbands.' ... I was going to be faithful to what God was calling me to do through my husband."
• "In the midst of all this, if we didn't have enough to do, he called me to run for the Minnesota State Senate."
• "In the midst of that calling, God then called me to run for the United States Congress. ... And my husband said, 'You need to do this,' but I wasn't so sure. And we took three days, and we fasted and we prayed, and we said, 'Lord, is this what you want? Is this your will?' And along about the afternoon of Day Two, he made that calling sure."
• "You may have seen how God has, in his own will and in his own plan, has focused like a laser beam after this scandal that came up about a week or so ago. He is focused like a laser beam, in his reasoning, on this race."
Now that's an endorsement. But there were many bloggers who took exception to his opinion.
"I have a sort of grudging respect for Michele Bachmann," wrote Jeff Fecke of Blog of the Moderate Left (2). "Oh, don't get me wrong, she's crazy. Cray. Zee. With a capital CRAZY. But unlike many GOPers, she actually believes the crazy, rather than using it as a simple means to get the rubes to vote for her."
Sven of Sven's Personal Memos (3) had some questions about Bachmann's powwows with the almighty. "Did God tell you to hate gay people? ... Did God tell you to legislate against a minimum wage? Did God tell you to claim [that] education is your #1 issue and yet center your efforts on destroying public schools? ... Did God tell you we should consider nuking Iran? If God had told you not to run would you have listened?"
Leader, heal thyself
After weeks of getting buried by revelations about Jack Abramoff, Bob Ney and Mark Foley, Republicans got a little payback when Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid found himself on the wrong end of an ethics microscope. Let the gloating begin.
Michelle Malkin (4) crowed, citing editorials critical of Reid, "Lo and behold, a few in the MSM are coming down hard on Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) for his failure to disclose real estate deal profits. It's good to see major newspaper editorial boards taking on the Democratic culture of corruption."
But Joe in D.C. at AMERICAblog (5) noted that Reid defused much of the controversy through full disclosure. "The GOP doesn't know how to deal with Harry Reid. He knows how to outsmart them -- that's why they are panicked Reid is going to be Majority Leader."
Not funny
Usually I'm a big fan of Wonkette (6). Not this time. In a post about Grover Norquist, the blog referred to Rep. Jim Ramstad as "noted drunk Jim Ramstad."
Ramstad has used his battle with alcohol to become a champion for people struggling with addiction.
So why the incredible cheap shot? Could it be because one of the people behind Wonkette is Alex Pareene, the stepson of Wendy Wilde, the DFL candidate running against Ramstad in the Fourth District? Alex, this isn't the way to win votes for your mom.
Very funny
• Nihilist in Golf Pants (7) aimed its wicked sense of humor at the new musical "Wellstone!" and suggested a few additional songs: "There's No Ism Like Socialism,"One (Vote against 99),"I'm Gonna Wash That Coleman Right Out of My Hair" and "I Could Have Redistributed Wealth All Night."
tobrien@startribune.com
SEE FOR YOURSELF HOW TO FIND THE BLOGS ONLINE
1 Michele Bachmann Video Blog • michelebachmannmovies.blogspot.com
2 Blog of the Moderate Left • moderateleft.com
3 Sven's Personal Memos • mstanefski.blogspot.com
4 Michelle Malkin • michellemalkin.com
5 AMERICAblog • americablog.blogspot.com
6 Wonkette • wonkette.com
7 Nihilist in Golf Pants • nihlist.blogspot.com