Michele Bachmann Grows No Moss

Image via WikipediaAnother Republican political figure from Minnesota has decided to join the many who want to defeat President Barack Obama in 2012.  And, unlike former Governor Tim Pawlenty, you've probably heard of this person if you watch enough of the cable news programs.

She's Michele Bachmann, Sixth District congresswoman.  Few people give her much of a chance because (A) she tends to speak before thinking, (B) she's on a mission from God, and (C) she's more of a political opportunist than a legislator.

Bachmann announced her candidacy in her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa.  That may have been a good strategic move to endear herself to Iowa voters a few months before the caucuses, but not so much to her Minnesota constituents who claim she hasn't done a damn thing for them.  (To be fair, Pawlenty did the same thing, announcing his intentions in Des Moines.)

Much has been made of Bachmann's erroneously stating that Hollywood legend John Wayne was a native of Waterloo, when it's actually Winterset.  The media has pointed out that John Wayne Gacy, who got the death penalty for murdering 23 boys back in the 1960s, actually hailed from there.  Just one problem:  Did Bachmann ever mention Gacy's name or know anything about his infamy?  If she did, it must have been after the fact.

If you read any of Matt Taibbi's article on Bachmann in the current issue of Rolling Stone magazine (http://www.rollingstone.com/politics), he gave the impression that the congresswoman is a force to be reckoned with in this campaign.  Taibbi paints a picture of Bachmann as the voice of God-fearing, tax-hating Middle Americans.  The more we laugh at her, he says, the stronger she gets at the polls, where she's now the second-best known GOP candidate next to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

(Of course, the article would have been more credible if it weren't for allegations that most of what Taibbi wrote was lifted from a 2006 City Pages story.  And if, according to the Minneapolis-based alternative weekly, Taibbi had bothered to visit Minnesota to do a little research . . . )

Bachmann might do well in Iowa and other states where voters share her positions when it comes to abortion, same-sex marriage and government spending.  Should she be fortunate enough to win the GOP nomination, however, she faces an uphill battle against an incumbent president who's on shaky ground because of the economy, and because of the relentless attacks Republicans like Bachmann have made against him since Day One.

As it stands, Michele Bachmann is the most interesting candidate out there.  At least until Sarah Palin decides to get into the race.