Minnesota's Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's Intended SOTU Rebuttal

I can't remember if we've ever had such a rebutt the rebuttal situation before ... can you? Anyway, would you say that Ms. Bachmann backs herself and the "tea partiers" into an even smaller corner, thereby splitting the republican party down its middle?

As far as I know, there has never been a third party rebuttal to the speech. It would be a first, a necessary first to my thinking in fact. I wouldn't say she backs them in to a corner or splits anything really, that's where they started out to begin with. I suspect they ran as republicans to get elected, since it is extremely rare that a third party gets elected. If they did switch parties, it would confirm my suspicions that this was actually the most ingenious coup by third party in U.S. history.

I think it is more Bachman's attempt to caste herself as an "un-republican". She has gone out of her way to distance herself from the establishment and jump on the "outsider" bandwagon since the tea party groups became a real political force. As far as her "armed and dangerous" tirade....meh, trivial.

Gladys, thanks so much for the BR. Now, in my own defense... Taskr, Bachmann called for the MEDIA to investigate members of Congress, I think she meant ALL members whether they'd ever done anything to justify it or not. I'll bet you Gladys most certainly HAS heard the entire text of Bachmann's "armed and dangerous" comment. I also don't get how you think you "proved" she hadn't seen the actual map that was on Sarah Palin's website just because she failed to notice the one you posted by the DNC. I'm not and I never have "blamed" Sister Sarah for the shootings in Arizona, but one fact that can't be ignored is this - the Congresswoman who was shot wasn't on the DNC map in cross hairs and didn't voice her own fear because of the DNC map. Giffords' own words are something the right has simply pretended were never said. Rollo, I'd really appreciate not being accused of being "dishonest", intellectually or otherwise. I don't do that to you. The thing about Bachmann's remarks that shouldn't be overlooked is she has to know who her audience is, that they include not all but many from the farthest right fringe. These people don't always hear or understand context, they hear WORDS such as "dangerous". I'll give you your argument about being "armed" with information, but why "dangerous"? Annie

Fine, we'll have to agree to disagree! I'll even say I'd guess some on the right don't approve of the type of rhetoric often heard from Bachmann and others like her. I didn't say I assumed those listening to Bachmann would include a "violent" fringe element, but even you have to admit that's always a possibility and that she's not exactly what could be called a "mainstream" politician. She doesn't appeal to moderates or those in the middle, even center-right. I've also never said there isn't a fringe on the left and that some of them can't have a violent streak. Annie

Hi Annie, I'm tending to agree with that observation.