(photo: Bachmann in better days).
They've made their decision, apparently. Michele Bachmann is done, she's been goned on from the so-called "Fox Primary."
At the New Republic, Walter Shapiro has watched 50 hours of Fox News content and generously shares that brain-atrophying adventure with subscribers.
He discovered much interesting stuff, but most fascinating to us is Bachmann's new absence on the conservative network.
For a GOP candiate: better watch out for that ol' "fair & balanced." It can hit you in the ass... it can disappear you like a former Tony Soprano business partner. Or a promising Democrat. Shapiro:
With hours of air time to fill, there was no reason for the network to prematurely airbrush Bachmann out of the picture, but that’s exactly what happened. Did this have an effect? Possibly. A Fox News poll at the end of my viewing period showed her with just 4 percent support, her weakest showing since early June. That poll then cemented the new Bachmann-is-irrelevant story line.
Bachmann had a pretty good run with Fox. When Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday last summer asked Bachmann, "Are you a flake?" There was such rancor in the ranks, Bachmann was hugely insulted, and Wallace was compelled to make a public apology just for asking. There was wall-to-wall coverage as Bachmann toyed with the idea of accepting the apology. It was excellent teevee.
That was then. Now, Bachmann would do unnatual acts to be insulted by an A-line Fox News talent.
Failed candidates always get around to blaming the media for their demise. Bachmann has been going in the direction of demise: It would seem that Roger Aisles is speeding up the process.
Bachmann, however, is craven, crazy as a tick and very, very ambitious. Keep your eyes peeled for unnatural acts, dirty tricks, or whatever it takes.
Remember: she's had The Calling. And this Perry-come-lately may have gotten a little Divine Direction from a rainstorm or two, but Michele Bachmann isn't about to go back to wandering in the desert without a fight.
Or we can only hope.
LOL! You wish!
Posted by: JimF | September 16, 2011 at 12:00 PM
The Shapiro article is behind a pay wall (grrr), but the summary sez his viewing period was in late August. If that's when he's saying Bachmann had already been disappeared by, that's rather more revealing than if it had happened, say, last week, after a couple of lackluster debate performances.
It's helpful to remember that Ailes and the other people who run Fox news are part of the GOP establishment. They're not Tea Party revolutionaries. They use the Tea Party movement to whip up the faithful, but ultimately it's not their agenda. They're about getting sand wielding powerful on behalf of the very wealthy. Everything else is disposable, including "Michelle."
Posted by: Pete | September 16, 2011 at 12:06 PM
Oops. That should read "getting and wielding power."
Posted by: Pete | September 16, 2011 at 02:21 PM
Bachmann was in double digits through the summer in most of the polls until late August. Since Perry's entrance into the race, her numbers have dropped considerably. No mystery or conspiracy theory here--a candidate is newsworthy until the polls say otherwise. Personally, I'm more afraid of Perry--he hides his "crazy" side better. Let's hope he self-destructs sooner than later.
Posted by: Radio Queen | September 16, 2011 at 04:10 PM
Not sure what you mean about Perry's crazy side - he is being vetted. John Gibson, who is pretty good, downplayed his stance on illegal immigration because he said Perry claimed it to be a states issue, not a Federal one. The left is attacking Perry like crazy, so I'd say look at the motives of those who attack him - are they afraid of him ? (A number of the attacks are of the boogeymen and strawmen variety). Perry has some hutzpah, but can be outlandish in some of his comments.
With that said, I just want the strongest candidate to run against Mr. Obama, who is a caricature of himself. Right now, that looks to be Romney. However, I am concerned that Mitt doesn't have the hutzpah that will be needed to combat the demagoguing attacks and trash talking from Mr. Obama - time will tell.
Posted by: KS | September 16, 2011 at 05:01 PM
"can be outlandish in some of his comments..."
Yes, that's his crazy side. Calling Social Security a "ponzi" scheme is a good example.
I agree that we need to support the candidate who has the strongest chance of beating Obama--and right now, that appears to be Romney.
Posted by: Radio Queen | September 16, 2011 at 06:09 PM
in terms of trash talk, etc from Pres Obama rest assured he won't be engaging in it.
instead it will be the ankle biters like Coils who will do the scut work. no doubt we'll be getting some stories of Romney spending the night with glen rice! well, okay maybe not that. but it will be something along the lines.
it will be ugly on both sides.
Posted by: Puget Sound Blathers | September 16, 2011 at 06:43 PM
There will be an Insurrection by the Obama-zombies and the ankle biters will surface along with the bad and the ugly. Still waiting to hear from Glen Rice about his reputed hookup with Sarah Palin back in 1987. Maybe we'll hear from Glen before long..
Funny thing that what Perry said about SS being a Ponzi scheme has been found to be true as suggested by Rick Santelli - for one and others versed in the business field. However, ponzi does not resonate well with the voters - instead he should have said a Madoff scheme - that would have made a difference. I recently read that Madoff actually patterned his ripoff scheme like the Social Security system was set up - can you say truth stranger than fiction ?
Anyone want to lay odds on Obama getting a challenge from within the Democratic Party ? The White House will try and take down the masses. The Solyndra scandal has got them in a big lather and that may be the tip of the iceberg. Make way for the boogeymen !
Posted by: KS | September 16, 2011 at 08:31 PM
I have to give the Devil her due in that Joanie called it earlier (probably lost in her unmitigating noxious 'chickens coming home to roost' comment on 911) but she also mentioned that Russ Feingold would be a good person to challenge Pres Obama in the primaries.
On THAT I do agree with her. Feingold would be the right type of Progressive to stand up against Pres Obama. Kind of a Eugene McCarthy type.
Posted by: Puget Sound Blathers | September 16, 2011 at 08:40 PM
The only difference between a Ponzi scheme, a pyramid scheme and Social Security is that Social Security is a scam run by the government that has the power to force new victims to continue paying as long as they can.
Every dime ever paid in to SS is gone, poof, Houdinied. The lock box is empty. Somebody stole the money.
Posted by: Chucks | September 16, 2011 at 08:45 PM
I liked Bachmann. She is less of an idiot than Obama.
Posted by: Chucks | September 16, 2011 at 08:47 PM
And also less of an idiot than Al Gore, with his SS lock box meme.
Posted by: KS | September 16, 2011 at 09:01 PM
Is,nt it sad, you cons have your own little circle-jerk and nobody with an ounce of brains showed up!!
Posted by: saint rudy | September 16, 2011 at 09:08 PM
Quite the intellectual comment there. Holy crap, you must have completed Obamanomics 101
Posted by: KS | September 16, 2011 at 09:24 PM
Lou Dobbs, Americanpatriot, appeared on O'Reilly tonight and said Obama has three full blown scandals running right now- Solyndrum, Fast and Furious, and Light Squared, where the Obama white house supposedly tried to suborn perjury by an Air Force General (according to the General). This stinks quite a bit of Carter 79-80, the same hopeless loser vibes...it's only going to get worse....resignation is always an option, Barry...remember , Nixon chose it...... just admit the job's just too big for you... no shame in that.......
Posted by: Tommy008 | September 16, 2011 at 09:35 PM
His ego is far too big for him to resign. They'll have to drag him out of the WH kicking and screaming in Jan. 2013.
This guy has bad karma written all over him for now, but it ain't over until it's over... although the Federal Government is not Animal House - even though they have tried that approach and it's not working !
Posted by: KS | September 16, 2011 at 09:52 PM
Michelle Bachmann is about as principled as a con man. Principled people don't have to promote themselves because the live their ideals by example. They also get their facts straight the first time so the DON'T have to apologize.
As for the rest of the Republican pack, many are making outrageous claims as a way of gaining attention and, perhaps, hoping that some of their crazy ideas gain traction.
I am, for the record, an INDEPENDENT VOTER. So far, I'm not impressed by any of the current candidates. I also think we need to vote ALL of the bastards out of congress and start over.
Posted by: Ray | September 17, 2011 at 12:32 AM
Come on Bachmann, you can do better.
Posted by: BlackRhino | September 17, 2011 at 01:14 AM
I am, for the record, an INDEPENDENT VOTER. So far, I'm not impressed by any of the current candidates. I also think we need to vote ALL of the bastards out of congress and start over.
Posted by: Ray | September 17, 2011 at 12:32 AM
Now the telling question as to how much of an independent you really are - do you want to reelect this president ? A very low number of independents approve of his performance (<25%) now.
Posted by: KS | September 17, 2011 at 03:19 AM
The sad part is that one wonders if Andrew Weiner could have survived ala Larry Craig. Why is it that Dems were so quick to push him to the curb?
""A Reporter tweeted on seeing Andrew Weiner voting the other day
"Voting today, Weiner “showed up alone, wearing jeans and a blazer.” It’s bad when news reports need to emphasize you were wearing pants.""
In terms of Pres Obama, he still has time. And it will depend on who he is facing. I don't think Perry can win nor Bachman nor Paul. Romney has some gravitas and is, in reality, a centrist.
What about Biden? Does he help Pres Obama in 2012 or is it time to ask someone else to come aboard.
Obama-Clinton vs Romney Rubio. Now THAT would be an interesting election.
Posted by: Puget Sound Blathers | September 17, 2011 at 08:40 AM
Rubio would get the Hispanic vote, but who knows if Romney would select him ? The article about Perry in Time Magazine was actually favorable toward him.
I would not write him off so soon - he has some Clintonesque qualities in campaigning, and agree with his stand on state's rights. However, he must make a better showing in the upcoming debates and not come off like an extremist and be more articulate (he would be better than Bush-43, IMO)
Right now Romney is 5 pts. ahead of BO in a 2-man race, while Perry is 7 pt. behind him, yet Perry is ahead of Romney when Repuglican polls - that's weird.
Posted by: KS | September 17, 2011 at 09:26 AM
just remember that for all the degrading of bush as a candidate, he beat the best of the dems in al gore and john kerry.
i don't see perry as a better candidate than bush.
Posted by: Puget Sound Blathers | September 17, 2011 at 09:33 AM
KS - What you're seeing in those two polls is the difference in the way independents are likely to impact the vote. When you put Perry/Romney up against each other with republicans, they are more likely to vote for the more extreme candidate. However, independents would vote for Romney against Obama because he is viewed as less extreme than Perry.
Posted by: Radio Queen | September 17, 2011 at 10:45 AM
And if you add a Rubio to attract/motivate Hispanics, you have a powerful republican Ticket.
The only way to match the enthusiasm is for Pres Obama to dump, ooops, I mean to ask VP Biden to move to a Cabinet Position, and ask Hillary to come on as VP. That will help to generate some enthusiasm for women.
The big question is would Hillary do this? If asked to do so for the good of the Dem Party I think she would. She has a track record of doing/working hard albeit as Senator or Sec of State.
Who wins in a Obama-Clinton vs Romney-Rubio race?
Posted by: Puget Sound Blathers | September 17, 2011 at 10:59 AM
Michele Bachmann has gone off the rails with her criticism of Perry's vaccine Exec. order in TX. Does she have any credible evidence that it causes mental illness ? haven't seen any yet. There have a number of instances where she has not had her facts straight. She has the passion and is even charismatic, but she needs to listen and think more before she speaks - she comes off a being Palinesque here. Of course, the left is eating it up because they want to see the in-fighting. In the long run, it will make the candidate stronger.
How do you see Perry not being as good as Bush ? First off, he has said he wants us out of Iraq and Afghanistan soon. Second, he is more small government and less of a spender than Bush and also Romney, IMO. Those are two pretty big reasons right there why I'd go with Perry over Bush (who is not running), but the state run media is trying to hide that info as much as possible. With the Tea Party sons of a bitches influence though, I have enough confidence in the process this time to go with whoever is nominated. Let the chips fall where they may. However, if Perry is to have a chance, the independents will have to warm up to him, as RQ says and he has the ability to do that - whether he does or not is another thing. Sure Rubio would add more strength to the republican ticket than anyone else, but will the nominee select him ? Selecting him is probably as important as the nominee for POTUS in 2012.
I don't see Clinton running with Obama. It's more likely that Hill would be the nominee for POTUS or nothing - which she claims isn't happening. I'd be willing to bet that BO and his cronies will be taken to the woodshed for the Solyndra debacle. That will throw a good sized crimp into his campaign. They would be wise to dump Biden, but there is some bad blood between the Clintons and BO, so Mr. Obama is in a fix or will be soon.
Whoever the GOP presidential candidate is, I would like to see them push for tort reform, much like Gov. Perry signed into law in Texas - the lawyers are bringing us to their knees with all of the $ wasted on lawsuits and legal wrangling - way out of control. Even if Mr. Obama is defeated, it will be a long uphill battle for the new Prez to reduce the debt along with the size of the Federal government (which does not mean a lower percentage of increase as the left likes to be duplicitous in saying). Paul Ryan will no doubt be an influence in helping get the fiscal house in order.
Posted by: KS | September 17, 2011 at 02:48 PM
just remember that for all the degrading of bush as a candidate, he beat the best of the dems in al gore and john kerry.
Posted by: Puget Sound Blathers | September 17, 2011 at 09:33 AM
True, but Kerry was an abysmal candidate too. If Hillary would have run in 2004, Bush would probably have lost - its alot about timing. Al Gore was also weak and is even more pathetic now.
Posted by: KS | September 17, 2011 at 02:52 PM
hillary took the measure of W and backed off.
gore-lieberman was a damn strong ticket. they should have won, but inept campaigning by gore took an advantage (strong economy/no war) and managed to make it so people in the center thought bush was the better choice.
kerry-edwards was a weak ticket. you had the overbearing kerry and the weaselly edwards. but that was the best the dems could muster. all the strong dems backed off.
perry doesn't strike me as a good general election candidate. he will do better in the primary but that's his strength. wait until the general election and see what the centrists -the ones who will decide the election- think of him.
Posted by: Puget Sound Blathers | September 17, 2011 at 07:45 PM
Perry has a habit of shooting from the hip, which can turn off voters including the centrists. Not only the centrists, but the hispanics will decide this election.
"James Pethokoukis
Politics and policy from inside Washington
Solyndra, the logical endpoint of Obamanomics
SEP 16, 2011 11:38 EDT
The bankruptcy of solar-panel maker Solyndra neatly encapsulates the economic, political and intellectual bankruptcy of Barack Obama’s Big Idea. It was the president’s intention back in 2009 to begin centrally reorganizing the U.S. economy around the supposed climate-change crisis.
To what end? Well, Obama claimed his election would mark “the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.” But that was just the cover story. At its core, Obamanomics is about the top-down redistribution of wealth and income. Government spending on various “green” subsidies and programs, along with a cap-and-trade system to limit carbon emissions, would enrich key Democrat constituencies: lawyers, public sector unions, academia and non-profits.
Oh, and Wall Street, too. Who was the exclusive financial adviser to Solyndra when it was trying to secure the $535 million loan from Washington? Goldman Sachs. And had the cap-and-trade scheme been enacted, big banks stood ready to reap billions from the trading of carbon emission credits.
No wonder many Democratic strategists predicted their party’s 2008 landslide win would usher in a generation of political dominance. Obamanomics, essentially, would divert taxpayer dollars to the Green Lobby – and then into the campaign coffers of the Democratic Party. This is what crony capitalism is really all about: politicians enriching favored businesses, who then return the favor. Or maybe it’s the other way around, Who cares, really. It’s an endless, profitable loop for both.
And Obama almost pulled it off. The Great Recession conveniently allowed the president to start the spendathon under the guise of economic stimulus. (“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” – White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, 2009). As it turns out, the $38.6 billion loan program for clean energy firms that Solyndra benefited from has created just 3,545 permanent new jobs after parceling out half its dough. That works out to around $5 million a job.
Unfortunately for the Obamacrats, the financial meltdown also undercut political support for cap-and-trade on Capitol Hill. Voters worried the scheme would slow growth and cost jobs. But without permanently and continually raising the price of carbon-based fuels, many green businesses can’t make the numbers work.
As Peter Lynch, a New York-based solar energy analyst, told ABC News:
It’s very difficult to perceive a company with a model that says, well, I can build something for six dollars and sell it for three dollars. Those numbers don’t generally work. You don’t want to lose three dollars for every unit you make.
Unless, of course, American taxpayers make up the difference — though in the case of Solyndra, even government’s thumb on the scale wasn’t enough to save it. And it often isn’t enough when an investment’s goals are a fat political reward rather than a financial one. Indeed, studies of similar government investment efforts around the world show they’re usually a bad deal for taxpayers. An analysis of Canada’s government-backed venture capital fund, for instance, found the recipient firms “underperform on a variety of criteria, including value-creation, as measured by the likelihood and size of IPOs and M&As, and innovation, as measured by patents.”
Even after getting the loan, Solyndra spent $187,000 on lobbying efforts, according to Bloomberg, including trying to get the White House to push government agencies to install its panels on the rooftops of federal buildings and extend “buy American” rules that favor U.S. companies. Instead of revenue seeking, Solyndra was “rent seeking,” which means trying to make money by manipulating government .
And when the White House was trying to determine whether to sink another $67 million into Solyndra, its calculus was political not financial (via The Washington Post):
“The optics of a Solyndra default will be bad,” the Office of Management and Budget staff member wrote Jan. 31 in an e-mail to a co-worker. “If Solyndra defaults down the road, the optics will be arguably worse later than they would be today. . . . In addition, the timing will likely coincide with the 2012 campaign season heating up.”
That’s not how the private sector makes investment decision. But it’s routine for government where the stakeholders are politicians, bureaucrats, lobbyists and favored constituencies. The takers, not the makers. That’s whose side Obamanomics is on."
An economic policy analysis by James P from Reuters- one of the best economic reporters around.
Posted by: KS | September 17, 2011 at 09:43 PM
More rope guys?
Posted by: BlackRhino | September 18, 2011 at 01:13 AM
no thanks, BR.
the Usual Suspects look to be sufficiently hogtied.
Posted by: Puget Sound Blathers | September 18, 2011 at 06:39 AM
Low information voters - the Gordian knot works both ways.
Bachmann has become the attack dog on all bad healthcare policies. She attacked Perry's policy and she will also attack Ronmeycare and continue her rant against Obamacare, of which she is correct on the basic premise.
Whoever the GOP nominee is, their success will be measured by how effectively they expose the danger of implementing Obamacare, which ties directly to reelecting the quasi-Emperor who signed this abomination of a health care delivery system against the will of a plurality of people.
Mr. Romney will have the biggest challenge here, since BO can claim that part of Obamacare was patterned after Romneycare for Massachusetts. One of his arguments can be that a state healthcare is less overreaching and less prone to rationing than the one-size fits all Obamacare system.
Maybe the SCOTUS will overturn the mandatory purchase portion (which would make Obamacare unsustainable) or maybe they won't. Even if they did, the remainder of Obamacare would stay in tact and would render our healthcare system in a shambles. This is the cornerstone of Obama's 1st (and hopefully only term), and whether he is reelected or not will have a huge bearing on the future of health care and how it ties to the biggest entitlement program ever devised. Call it fear-mongering or scare tactics, but if so, I ask how is this not an credible prognosis ?
Posted by: KS | September 18, 2011 at 08:16 AM
Call it fear-mongering or scare tactics, but if so, I ask how is this not an credible prognosis ?
Posted by: KS | September 18, 2011 at 08:16 AM
lets see if any of the Usual Suspects can answer that.
Posted by: Puget Sound Blathers | September 18, 2011 at 08:36 AM
from a conservative outlet -hotair- on a question that john fund asks. kind of interesting take on Pres Obama being asked to voluntarily step down and let Hillary take the nomination in 2012.
"...Three months ago this would have been a zero-probability event. Today, with the economy comatose and the world on the precipice of a new European-driven financial crisis? One-percent chance, minimum. Note that Fund’s not talking about a primary challenge here; that would alienate black Democrats and the party would fracture before the general election, so it’s not an option. The only way to dump him and hold the base together would be if he agreed to step down after Democratic chieftains privately appealed to him to do so. And if you believe this Gawker item from a few days ago, there’s reason to think he might consider it. Supposedly The One is so demoralized by his political fortunes that people around him suspect he might be clinically depressed. If things are as bad as that, he might relish the chance to hand his re-election campaign off to someone else (and we all know who “someone else” is) and be rid of the frustration. You can imagine the announcement speech: “I’ve said many times that I’d rather be a good one-term president than a mediocre two-termer. I think I’ve achieved that in the passage of our landmark new health-care law and our many successes against Al Qaeda. But I promised you after I was sworn in that this economy would recover within three years and, for various reasons, that hasn’t happened. Therefore, I’m announcing tonight…” etc. He goes out on a high note, he sets Hillary up for another historic presidency, and suddenly Democrats are on strong (or stronger) footing for the election — especially given the Clinton legacy of economic boom times. In return, he gets basically whatever he wants from the party leadership. A guarantee, maybe, that he’ll be appointed to the Supreme Court at the first available vacancy? Not the first time that idea’s been floated."
Posted by: Puget Sound Blathers | September 18, 2011 at 08:44 AM
Problem is that last week, Hillary Clinton stated that her chances of running for POTUS in 2012 are "below zero".
Ignoring that comment, I'd say her chances are about the same as Chris Christie running for POTUS in 2012.
Posted by: KS | September 18, 2011 at 08:51 AM
well, she pretty much has to say it.
i am not buying in the pres obama resignation strategy but i do buy into her as VP being the best chance for the Dems.
of course, that doesn't help progressives as they view Hilary as more of a centrist Dem than a 'progressive' per se.
so the progressives are in a box. either push for a Feingold type to primary Pres Obama, stay home and not vote, or vote for a Pres that has disappointed them on a grand scale after 3 years.
sucks to be them. but interesting to watch.
Posted by: Puget Sound Blathers | September 18, 2011 at 09:35 AM
here's your rope back, BR.
Posted by: Puget Sound Blathers | September 18, 2011 at 09:36 AM
Found this quote just now...
"I refuse to acknowledge that corporations are people until Texas executes one."
excellent!
Posted by: sparky | September 20, 2011 at 05:49 PM