Pundit Country

Eric Kleefeld over at TPM grabbed the choice quote from Bachmann during her interview this morning with right-wing radio and TV host Sean Hannity in which she said (referring to the healthcare reform debate:

“That’s why people need to continue to go to the town halls, continue to melt the phone lines of their liberal members of Congress,” said Bachmann, “and let them know, under no certain circumstances will I give the government control over my body and my health care decisions.”

Now let’s count down how fast she’s going to back track that quote when a discussion of women’s reproductive health comes up.

Dave Wiegel reports today in the Washington Independent that GOP leaders Reps. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.), and John Mica (R-Fla) have issued a public condemnation to Bachmann for her continuing efforts to scare people from filling out the U.S. Census, (itself an illegal act punishable by a fine of up to $5000).

The public statement was a result of failed efforts of the Congressional members to privately get Bachmann to relent, according to Roll Call. The leter was one of the most severe repremands in recent history, stating:

“Boycotting the constitutionally mandated Census is illogical, illegal and not in the best interest of our country,” the statement noted, adding “[A] boycott opens the door for partisans to statistically adjust Census results,” the trio’s statement said. “The partisan manipulation of census data would irreparably transform the Census from being the baseline of our entire statistical system into a tool used to wield political power in Washington.”

Bachmann, who has been repeatedly implying to cable outlets that the Obama administration or ACORN, a voting-rights advocacy group, could use the information gleaned from the Constitutionally-required survey to round up citizens and place them in re-education camps has been under fire form a variety of sources to stop spreading these falsehoods, but today’s efforts mark the first time ranking members of the GOP have become involved in the fray directly.

McHenry is likely particularly upset with Bachmann because his efforts to have his concerns about the Census answered have been drowned out over the media attention paid to her preposterous claims.

A somewhat ironic note is that if in fact conservatives in the state follow Bachmann’s lead and refuse to fill out the survey and decline to answer any of the questions when prompted in person, political analysts noted that the resulting redistricting would leave Minnesota with one less House seat, probably hers. Oops.

Related articles

• Is the Census the New “Voter Fraud”? (dailykos.com)
• Census + left-wing partners = More OBAMACORN! (michellemalkin.com)
• Census Partners ‘Serve Hard To Count’ | Sweetness & Light (dequalss.com)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-DSMV-IV) gave a recent interview to the Washington Times in which she stated her intention to ignore most of the questions on the upcoming 2010 U.S. Census when the form and subsequent volunteers. Her reasons had to do with what she feared was infiltration by ACORN, a voting-rights advocacy group who she has clashed with in the past, in recruiting the census volunteers.

ACORN has become Bachmann’s cause célèbre these past few weeks. Her proposed amendment to prevent any group that received federal funding from fundraising if they have been accused of a crime was widely regarded as being aimed at ACORN, whom she blames for McCain’s defeat in the polls in November and for Norm Coleman’s reelection defeat to Democrat Al Franken.

However, what she is attempting is patently illegal. According to U.S. code, when asked questions relevant to the administration of the Census by an authorized volunteer, refusal to answer could land her a fine up to $5000. But to be honest,though, it’s highly unlikely she would ever be charged with such a crime. However, what’s her example could lead to far more dire consequences.

Normally, I’d make a cause of why her claims are without merit of any kind here, but what she is attempting to do now is just plain dangerous. A blogger at Talking Points Memo several weeks ago made the same observation after a similar incident with RNC Chair Michael Steele’s attempt to create a meme that the Obama administration was attempting to rig the 2010 Census.

We’re living in a country where people who are generally afraid of the government in general and the Obama administration in particular are constantly being barraged with hate messages and subtle calls to action by right-wing AM talk shows, on Fox News with hosts like Glenn Beck, not to mention websites where the content is much more sinister. From that letter:

Michael Steele is playing a dangerous game with that fund-raising letter, and people are going to die because of it.

Nine years ago, my wife worked for the Census, knocking on people’s doors and gathering information. There’s no way she’ll do it again next year. Steele is making it too dangerous.

Census takers put themselves in vulnerable positions. They don’t know who or what is on the other side of the door. The door might be opened by a sexual predator, or someone who’s not in control of a vicious dog. Or the door could be opened by someone with a gun in one hand and Steele’s letter in the other, seething with hatred for liberals and ACORN.

Remember that gunman who attacked a Unitarian church last year, and left behind a letter urging people to kill liberals? I’m convinced that there are plenty of unbalanced people who won’t leave their houses to seek liberals to kill, but will kill a “radical leftist” (Steele’s words) who knocks on their door in a mission to “falsify the U.S. Census and manipulate elections in their favor” (again, Steele’s words).

There’s been an astonishing number of gun rampages in this country in the last month, and at least one (in Pittsburgh) was politically motivated, by a man who had been convinced that the liberals wanted to take away his guns. For Steele to choose this time to use inflammatory language to politicize the Census … well, this is a very frightening development. The comments accompanying TPM’s article make it seem like most readers are bemused by Steele’s letter. But it’s not a laughing matter.

Let’s describe Steele’s actions for what they are: The chairman of the Republican Party is raising money by politicizing the decennial Census and inciting violence against Census takers. I’m sure Steele would deny that he’s trying to incite people, but this letter is being mailed during a time of rampant violence, some of it targeting liberals. It must be viewed in this context.

With the recent rash of politically-motivated hate crimes, her statements are contributing to a culture that will make it unsafe for these volunteers to do their job without the threat of violence. She needs to be called out forcefully on this particular canard. I would prefer it to be from a member of her own party, but I think that’s unlikely. But it does need to be addressed before some whack job decides to take matters into their own hands.

Related articles

• Glenn Beck: ‘The progressive movement … is the cancer’ destroying the country (crooksandliars.com)
• Barney Frank, Michele Bachmann Face Off Over ACORN Funding (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
• Joseph A. Palermo: Glenn Beck Spins the Holocaust Museum Shooting (huffingtonpost.com)

And the winner? Well, it not even close. Sanity rules! (h/t TPM)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHQ3cN47Mkc

Wow, she’s really on a roll. That’s three times this week and it’s only Tuesday. I would love to spend a day just watching this woman’s poor staff trying to pick up after her. I would imagine that most people go to Washington to work for Congressional leaders because they honestly hope to be part of some sort of positive change.

Can you imagine what those poor souls must be thinking? I honestly have to feel for them after awhile.

Think Progress » Bachmann: It’s ‘interesting’ that the last swine flu outbreak also occurred under a ‘Democrat President.’