COMMENTARY | Rep. Michele Bachmann can't be running on her record. She has none. Or so fellow Minnesotan and 2012 GOP presidential contender Tim Pawlenty said on "Meet The Press." Oddly enough, a few hours after stating that Bachmann's list of accomplishments were "nonexistent," the congresswoman issued a statement that confirmed Pawlenty's assertion.
"We're looking for people who can lead a large enterprise in a public setting and drive it to conclusion," Pawlenty told "Meet the Press." "I've done that, she hasn't."
A few hours later, Bachmann issued a statement that read in part: "Instead of negativity, I want to focus on my accomplishments," she said. "People can count on me as a fighter; I am proud of my record of fighting with resolve, and without apology, for our free markets, for sane fiscal policies, and in opposition to the advancement of the big government left."
Perhaps listing an accomplishment in her statement might have been a better idea than listing self-serving descriptors...
She went on to say, according to the Wall Street Journal , that she "fought" cap-and-trade legislation, "stood up" against the 2008 Wall Street bailout, and that she "was a leading voice" against Democrats' health care reforms.
What Bachmann might need with regard to her statement is help with defining "accomplishment." Fighting cap-and-trade legislation is not an accomplishment; it is an ongoing congressional debate over carbon emissions legislation. Standing up to the Wall Street bailout accomplished nothing; the bailout passed to the tune of $700 billion. And being a "leading voice" against health care reform also accomplished nothing; major health care reform legislation passed in March 2010.
So what exactly are Bachmann's political accomplishments? She has managed to get herself re-elected twice. That was an accomplishment, considering her propensity for gaffes and constant mishandling of the truth, something well documented by fact-checker Politifact. And if you count the fact that she's won her seat in Congress three times, that could be looked upon as three accomplishments.
And that is about it. But come next month, if she scores high in the Iowa straw poll, she could outlast her rival, former Minnesota Gov. Pawlenty, in the 2012 GOP presidential race. A poor showing might make Pawlenty nonexistent with regard to the presidential race. Bachmann currently shows second in the polls in Iowa. And despite the truth of his statement about the congresswoman's record, Bachmann's list of accomplishments might then contain one thing the governor's would not.
16 comments