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Post by lakhota on Jun 27, 2011 19:52:40 GMT -5
Bachmann Personally Benefited From Earmarks, Then Falsely Claims She Never DidMichele Bachmann (R-MN) officially kicked off her presidential campaign this morning in Iowa, right after the latest state poll shows her surging and only a point behind front-runner Mitt Romney (R-MA). But as she becomes a more prominent and viable candidate, Bachmann is facing fresh scrutiny over her past remarks and positions. The Los Angeles Times recently released an investigative report showing that she and her family personally benefited from hundreds of thousands of dollars in government aid. Bachmann, who once declared, “All this pork is bad” and has centered her campaign around denouncing out-of-control government spending, was less than truthful when disclosing the full extent of the earmarks she’s taken during an interview on Sunday with Fox News’ Chris Wallace. Wallace confronted her with the government funds she’s accepted over the years while portraying herself as a fiscal conservative. They include $30,000 for a counseling clinic run by her husband and $260,000 in federal subsidies for a family farm in Wisconsin, where she is listed as a partner. Bachmann, a Tea Party favorite, struggled to square her pledge not to take congressional pork with accepting earmarks for personal projects. WALLACE: Over the years you sought more than $60 million in state earmarks and more than $3.7 million in federal earmarks. Question: that’s a fiscal hawk? BACHMANN: Well let’s go through them. First of all the money that went to the clinic was actually training money for employees. The clinic did not get the money and my husband and I did not get the money…Number two regarding the farm, the farm is my father-in-law’s farm, it’s not my husband and my farm. My husband and I have never gotten a penny of money from the farm. Regarding the earmarks, I believe the right place to build projects is in the state. And the states have to build roads and bridges, and I don’t apologize for building roads and bridges. WALLACE: So you’re pro-earmark? BACHMANN: No, during my first term in Congress I signed a pledge that I will not take earmarks. I’ve been faithful to that pledge. Watch it: The LA Times swiftly rebutted Bachmann’s defense. Her insistence that “my husband and I have never gotten a penny of money from the farm,” directly contradicts her own financial disclosure forms, where she reported receiving between $32,503 and $105,000 in income from the farm, at minimum, between 2006 and 2009. Bachmann’s claim that she has been faithful to the no-earmark pledge simply does not square with the facts. And as Wallace pointed out, Bachmann’s counseling clinic benefited from federal money even if it was “just” for employee training, as she claimed. Her defense that “it actually took away from the clinic because these were training hours where employees were not able to bring more income” doesn’t pass the laugh test, as Bachmann or her partner would have had to apply for and accept federal funds to receive money for employee training. She also failed to explain how “additional training to help employees” was not a benefit to the clinic (or why she applied for it if that was the case). She also dismissed the charge that she was “pro-earmark” based on the fact that some of the pork she took was for infrastructure projects. Her defense that pork isn’t pork if it’s for projects she likes sounds a lot like the political truism: “It’s only pork if your opponent takes it.” All in all, Bachmann’s explanation was completely inadequate, fudged the truth, and failed to justify how she took taxpayer money for pet projects while denouncing reckless Washington spending. As she kicks off a three-state campaign tour, hopefully the media will continue to press her until she gives a more honest accounting of the earmarks she accepted. thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/06/27/254687/michele-bachmann-pork-pledge/
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Post by lakhota on Jun 27, 2011 19:55:19 GMT -5
Michele Bachmann: Welfare QueenBut data compiled from federal records by Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit watchdog that tracks the recipients of agricultural subsidies in the United States, shows that Bachmann has an inner Marxist that is perfectly at ease with profiting from taxpayer largesse. According to the organization’s records, Bachmann’s family farm received $251,973 in federal subsidies between 1995 and 2006. More: www.truthdig.com/report/item/michelle_bachman_welfare_queen_20091221/
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henryclay
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Post by henryclay on Jun 27, 2011 21:08:13 GMT -5
Whose father did "what" during the war" What former dead soldier rose up from the grave to receive the Medal of Honor from Obama? Who was the domestic terrorist who just happened to live in the same neighborhood and sit on various boards with Obama, and then launch Obama's political career from his living room? Which foul mouthed anti American preacher was Obama's mentor for twenty years and Godfather to his children? Whch, (or how many), real estate bunko artists did Obama do legal work for that is/are now sevring time in prison? Who were all the tax cheats he brought to Washington with him to help fleece , er, ,ah, , run the government? How many states are there in the country? Why are Americans just endowed, , , but not endowed by their creator, , , with certain enalienable rights when Obama says it? etc. etc. etc.
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Post by marshabar1 on Jun 27, 2011 21:22:00 GMT -5
Now that's an interesting one. I hope now that Blago has been well and truly thrown under the bus by his pals he starts singing like Elvis Presley.
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Post by lakhota on Jun 27, 2011 21:26:41 GMT -5
Well, it certainly didn't take righties very long to hijack this thread.
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Shirina
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Post by Shirina on Jun 27, 2011 21:49:40 GMT -5
And yet again, I make the claim that conservatives, the champions of personal responsibility, can't take any personal responsibility, and they certain can't allow a conservative candidate to be responsible for her actions.
Instead, the thing to do - a tried and true tactic of conservatives on this board - is to deflect it.
"No, no, don't look at Bachmann .... look over here at Obama!"
I mean, seriously, this is like watching an alcoholic deny drinking while doing a keg stand.
Why can't you address Bachmann's earmark extravaganza?
Hmmmm?
And if you want to play the quote game, how about the gem from Bachmann that tried to whip up a little conspiracy around Swine Flu and Democratic presidents? Or another juicy one: "All cultures are not created equal." Or how about her insisting that there be a media investigation of Democratic congressmen for un-American deeds and thoughts? But my personal favorite is when she claimed "she was called by God to run for Congress."
And it will only get worse as the campaign heats up. I expect Bachmann to develop a taste for her own foot even before the Republican nomination, much less the actual campaign.
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Post by ed1066 on Jun 27, 2011 21:52:31 GMT -5
And yet again, I make the claim that conservatives, the champions of personal responsibility, can't take any personal responsibility, and they certain can't allow a conservative candidate to be responsible for her actions. Instead, the thing to do - a tried and true tactic of conservatives on this board - is to deflect it. "No, no, don't look at Bachmann .... look over here at Obama!" I mean, seriously, this is like watching an alcoholic deny drinking while doing a keg stand. Why can't you address Bachmann's earmark extravaganza? Hmmmm? In the meantime, you're on another thread wagging your finger at everyone for trying to dig up dirt on Obama...love the irony...
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Shirina
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Post by Shirina on Jun 27, 2011 21:55:00 GMT -5
I call BS. This information about Bachmann is standard political fare. What you people want in that other thread is some sort of effing expose on Obama's life so you can trip him up on whether his socks matched at his senior prom. Your comparison is about as apt as comparing Lady Gaga with Pavarotti.
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fairlycrazy23
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Post by fairlycrazy23 on Jun 27, 2011 22:02:43 GMT -5
She is a politician, so most likely at best she stretches the truth, or tells it like it is from a certain point of view.
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Post by lakhota on Jun 27, 2011 22:09:31 GMT -5
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henryclay
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Post by henryclay on Jun 27, 2011 22:10:10 GMT -5
And Shirina said:
And I say, that's prolly a pretty good guess..
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Shirina
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Post by Shirina on Jun 27, 2011 22:49:45 GMT -5
LOL! Never fear, I really don't have an opinion on Lady Gaga. I just know that she and Pavarotti are in very separate classes of music.
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handyman2
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Post by handyman2 on Jun 28, 2011 2:22:09 GMT -5
Well it did not take long as I predicted on trashing Bachman. I would as I pointed out in another post you might want to do more research on the facts without taking the times slanted view. Keep in mind I am not a Bachman fan.
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Post by lakhota on Jun 28, 2011 3:12:00 GMT -5
Well it did not take long as I predicted on trashing Bachman. I would as I pointed out in another post you might want to do more research on the facts without taking the times slanted view. Keep in mind I am not a Bachman fan. More research? Did you just wake up from a long nap? Many sources have reported on this during the past 18 months or so.
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Shirina
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Post by Shirina on Jun 28, 2011 3:33:49 GMT -5
I'm going by what she actually SAYS, and I do not like what I hear. The news can twist around quotes and take them out of context, etc. etc. But hearing her speeches in their entirety, they are what they are, and there is no real ambiguity or room for speculative interpretations.
I was immediately turned off by her when I came upon one of her speeches quite by accident - i.e. I wasn't LOOKING for ammunition to use against her. Yet there it was ... and I am still not altogether certain if this was a speech or a sermon, but seeing as how she is not an ordained minister, I'll assume it was a campaign speech of some sort.
At any rate, this speech was very much performed like an evangelical preacher complete with a lot of arm waving, pacing, and non-stop references to God and the Bible. It was this particular speech wherein she claimed "God had called her" to run for office.
Personally, I believe anyone who believes God is directly talking to them is a danger to our society. Nothing good has ever come from this sort of mentality, and I do not want the presidential podium to be turned into a preacher's pulpit. I will defend anyone's freedom to believe and practice their religion, but I will also defend my right NOT to believe.
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Politically_Incorrect12
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Post by Politically_Incorrect12 on Jun 28, 2011 3:39:55 GMT -5
I'm glad the media realizes it has a responsibility to do background checks on candidates...now if only the realize it goes for both sides. I shouldn't know more about new potential Republican presidential candidates than I knew about President Obama during his entire campaign.
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Shirina
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Post by Shirina on Jun 28, 2011 4:01:30 GMT -5
I'm not talking about style here, Snerdley, I'm talking about substance. I'm talking about what she says, not how she says it. Granted, I was descriptive in her mannerisms while giving that speech, but what disturbed me was what actually came out of her mouth.
What really pissed me off about Bachmann, however, was her little dab of poison she unscrupulously threw to the general public. That little dab I'm referring to is this:
"I find it interesting that it was back in the 1970s that the swine flu broke out then under another Democrat president Jimmy Carter. And I'm not blaming this on President Obama, I just think it's an interesting coincidence."
The reason why this pisses me off is because she said this to plant a little niggling seed of doubt and fear into the minds of the American people. This isn't even factual, given that Ford, not Carter, was at the helm during the last outbreak, but that doesn't matter to her. She knows that if Americans latch on to it, facts will no longer matter. Once believed, it cannot be un-believed.
This was a deliberate attempt by Bachmann to sabotage Democrats with a hint of conspiracy based on a bald-faced lie.
My decision has already been made concerning Bachmann.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2011 6:37:38 GMT -5
So... farm subsidies (oil subsidies, etc.) don't count when we're setting up those interment camps for people on the dole to follow our rules? ...
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Post by privateinvestor on Jun 28, 2011 6:55:48 GMT -5
Michele Bachmann said "Obama will be a one term president".....I think this lady from Minnesota who is running for president may be on to something because that phrase is beginning to gain momentum across this land..
"OBAMA WILL BE A ONE TERM PRESIDENT!"
It does have a nice ring to it....IMHO
P.I. (Still An Unhappy Camper)
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ugonow
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Post by ugonow on Jun 28, 2011 7:06:53 GMT -5
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Post by privateinvestor on Jun 28, 2011 7:22:42 GMT -5
Bachmann was a way to go to catch up with Joe Biden who is probably the best at gaffs and misspeak along with falling asleep during his boss's speeches...just saying
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2011 7:25:35 GMT -5
It isn't the gaffs per say. It isn't that someone would misspeak... we all make errors in speaking. Its what is behind it, it isn't just a number that comes out wrong, or words that get turned around... she honestly and truely MEANT to say that... she practiced it that way... and worst of all, tomorrow, she will comd out and explain how she really was right alll along... (just like Palin) ...
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Post by pig on Jun 28, 2011 7:39:31 GMT -5
All politicians are liars. It is just a fact.
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Post by privateinvestor on Jun 28, 2011 7:55:39 GMT -5
What is the message sent to the country when our Vice President falls asleep during a speech by our President and then denies it by saying he was just resting his eyes but was listening to his boss's every word.....if that is not making a farce out of our White House than what is??? So Bachmann made some gaffs ...is that a big F****** deal to quote Joe Biden??? I think not and again a lot of do about nothing at all IMHO
P.I. (Undecided About Bachmann??)
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ugonow
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Post by ugonow on Jun 28, 2011 8:47:39 GMT -5
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Shirina
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Post by Shirina on Jun 28, 2011 15:37:22 GMT -5
You keep referring to Bachmann's words as "gaffs," but that's not what they are. I can forgive a president for saying "57 states" or "trying hard to put food on your family."
It's funny, and truth be told, we should LAUGH at them instead of collecting them to be used as ammunition against the opposing side. When you're being quoted as often as a president or a candidate, screw ups are only inevitable, and I think taking them as a measure of a politician's competence is just plain asinine.
However, much of what Bachmann says are not "gaffs" or even honest mistakes. They are a fundamental part of her belief system, and that is a completely different animal.
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Post by privateinvestor on Jun 28, 2011 15:44:14 GMT -5
You keep referring to Bachmann's words as "gaffs," but that's not what they are. I can forgive a president for saying "57 states" or "trying hard to put food on your family." It's funny, and truth be told, we should LAUGH at them instead of collecting them to be used as ammunition against the opposing side. When you're being quoted as often as a president or a candidate, screw ups are only inevitable, and I think taking them as a measure of a politician's competence is just plain asinine. However, much of what Bachmann says are not "gaffs" or even honest mistakes. They are a fundamental part of her belief system, and that is a completely different animal. What do you think of a President who visits a military base and talks about a member of that unit receiving the MOH in Afghanistan and was one of the few to be alive to have it pinned on his chest, but in reality the guy who received that MOH was KIA and then received the MOH Posthumously...think about that one Ma'am.. I don't follow Bachmann much but do think you liberals are out for blood and remind me of a bunch of sharks who smell blood in the water and you don't want to demean this lady but to destroy her ..IMHO The head of the Republican National Committee on Friday took a shot at President Obama for flubbing comments a day earlier regarding two soldiers awarded the military's highest decoration for valor for their service in Afghanistan. Mr. Obama on Thursday praised the troops from the 10th Mountain Division and said it was an honor to award a Medal of Honor to one of their own who was still alive. "I had the great honor of seeing some of you because a comrade of yours, Jared Monti, was the first person who I was able to award the Medal of Honor to who actually came back and wasn't receiving it posthumously," Mr. Obama told the troops in Fort Drum, New York, home of the 10th Mountain Division. Monti was, in fact, killed in 2006 and Mr. Obama posthumously awarded him the Medal of Honor in 2009 in a White House ceremony with his parents. Salvatore Giunta is the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam war. Mr. Obama awarded Giunta the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony last year. Asked about the embarrassing slip, RNC chair Reince Priebus said "people make mistakes but ... when he is not scripted, mistakes seem to happen." "I think the president is a scripted, plasticized candidate and I think America is prepared to relieve him of his job in 2012," Priebus said in an interview with CBS News. Asked what Mr. Obama meant to say at Fort Drum on Thursday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest acknowledged the mistake. "At Fort Drum, the president misspoke when discussing the first Medal of Honor he presented posthumously to Jared Monti, who was a member of the 10th Mountain Division. The president paid tribute to Monti in his remarks to troops in Afghanistan in March 2010. Last year, the president presented the Medal of Honor to Salvatore Giunta, who was the first living recipient of the Medal who served in Afghanistan," Earnest said in a prepared statement. Giunta, who served in the 173rd Airborne Brigade, was scheduled to leave the military this month, according to a February article in USA TODAY.
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Shirina
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Post by Shirina on Jun 28, 2011 15:53:53 GMT -5
Actually I have. It was a stupid mistake, but it was still just a mistake. I don't believe for a nanosecond that it somehow reveals a secret hatred of our soldiers or other such rubbish. People read into things too deeply.
P.I., I simply don't like her or what she stands for. Just because I don't like someone doesn't mean it has to do with her being a Republican or even a conservative. For one thing, I am a staunch believer in the separation of church and state, and I don't trust Bachmann to honor that separation. We've already opened up the Pandora's Box of "religion as law" with these marriage amendments, and Bachmann I believe would pick up the box and up-end the rest of its contents all over the floor.
And like I've said, I really despise politicians who irresponsibly spit out unsubstantiated garbage about the opposition just to stir the pot. That crack about Democrats and the Swine Flu was outright despicable, and I know precisely why she said it. That wasn't a gaff at all, it was a tactic.
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Post by privateinvestor on Jun 28, 2011 15:55:44 GMT -5
Actually I have. It was a stupid mistake, but it was still just a mistake. I don't believe for a nanosecond that it somehow reveals a secret hatred of our soldiers or other such rubbish. People read into things too deeply.
He has made other gaffs as well Ma'am and they didn't play too well with the military rank and file, and his many screw ups went viral on most of the military blogs and websites...he is the only president I know who may have lost the military rank and file for his lack of knowledge about military protocol...but I know you Liberals could care less but the military does care..
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Post by privateinvestor on Jun 28, 2011 16:06:19 GMT -5
P.I., I simply don't like her or what she stands for
Ok then by all means do all you can to destroy her and enjoy yourself doing it...but if that is your thing what can I say??
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