Michele Bachmann - Rising star

by Ellen Sauerbrey

There is a new star in the GOP firmament and she is principled, savvy, articulate and beautiful. No, I don't mean Sarah, though the former Alaska Governor has already demonstrated the ability of a conservative woman to connect with the voters.

The rising star is Michele Bachmann, the Congresswoman from Minnesota, an outspoken media-savvy conservative, who is about as feisty as they come. Last week Bachmann asked people to pay a house call on Washington DC, and they came from all over the country by the thousands.

In doing so, the two term Congresswoman was chancing becoming the object of ridicule. If few had responded to her call to action, imagine how the media would have ridiculed her bold effort. However, her gambit was hugely successful as she demonstrated a rare ability to read the mood of the people and to put herself forward as the spark that could light a fire.

"I called and YOU came" she called out to the huge crowd that gathered on the Capitol lawn. Not many politicians have both the courage to issue such a strong battle call and the ability to motivate people to hop on airplanes, trains and cars to pour into Washington on very short notice. As a member of Congress, Michelle Bachmann has repeatedly demonstrated conviction and leadership. She is a true believer in the basic principles of less government and more personal freedom. She has championed a taxpayer bill of rights, earmark reform, increased domestic energy exploration.

An outspoken critic of Democrat proposals for health care reform, cap and trade, and stimulus spending, she describes the Obama policies as "economic Marxism." Supporting that label, she cites a study by University of Arizona economist, Professor William Boyes, contending that the federal government now owns or controls 30 percent of private wealth in America and will exceed 50% if Obama care becomes law. Posing a very different image than the much-maligned "angry white Republican male," Michelle is already being demonized in much the same manner as Sarah Palin. There is already a DumpBachmann blog and a Censure Bachmann campaign. The left calls her everything from a right wing extremist to a retarded Wingnut.

In an interview with Sean Hannity, she cited Thomas Jefferson's statement that a revolution every now and then is a good thing. "We are at the point, Sean, of revolution. And by that, what I mean, is an orderly revolution - where the people of this country wake up, get up and make a decision that this is not going to happen on their watch. It won't be our children and grandchildren that are in debt. It is we who are in debt, we who will be bankrupting this country, inside of ten years, if we don't get a grip. And we can't let the Democrats achieve their ends any longer."

Her words were a clear call to action; certainly not a call to arms. But the hysterical left wing blogosphere reported the interview as the "first prominent Neocon to openly call for the violent overthrow of the Obama administration." The Democrat Congressional Committee website speaks of "her outrageous, out of touch agenda (that) she seems eager to promote on national cable networks." Congresswoman Bachmann is far from out of touch. She and her husband, Marcus employ 42 people in a small business mental health care practice. She is the mother of five children and has also opened her heart to 23 foster children. Like Sarah Palin, she is the real deal.

It is an unwritten rule in politics that the more effective one is, the more vicious and shrill are the attacks from those who fear you. No doubt the left wing media is already scouring for a skeleton in the closet; and preparing to launch non-stop ethics probes! Bachmann is dangerous, so expect an all out effort to destroy her.