Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
Didn't anyone here see this? I got a bunch of chortling messages from my lefty friends.
Now, no one in her right mind really thinks that Bachmann is so dumb or uneducated that she is not aware that the Soviet Union imploded more than 20 years ago. And people who are constantly in the public eye are bound to mis-speak. And the errors of some (Bachmann) are a big deal, while the more egregious errors of others (Obama's military corpse) are far more revealing.
The problem is that Bachmann is a one-trick pony- 100% about not spending. She really thinks of nothing else. This slip of the tongue would not have been possible if she spent even an average amount of time studying foreign policy and keeping up on foreign affairs. She would see the words "Russia" and not "Soviet Union" often enough that the error would be extremely unlikely, just because the correct phrase would be imprinted in her mind.
This happens only because 1) she is more prone to gaffes than the average, because she never stops talking, 2) she never passes a camera or microphone, 3) she is weak on doing homework, and 4) she is utterly uninterested in foreign policy.
We have had a president for almost 3 years who believes that foreign affairs is an unfortunate interruption to his dream of the important task of turning America into a social democracy. And we are not better off for that fact, nor would we be if the most important job of the presidency was also ignored by the next officeholder- even if the reason was undoing the bad policy of her predecessor.
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Jul '10
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
Here
[Ed.'s Note: The original title of this conversation was "Where the Bachmann "Soviet" Thread?" Jimmy Carter's comment was a response to that question]
Edited on Aug 21, 2011 at 7:56amJul '11
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
Coming on the heels of her Elvis gaffe, it's just a matter of time before this campaign runs out of steam.
Jun '10
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
Ack!!
Ya think maybe she missed that whole toppling of the Berlin Wall thing? Maybe she was on a retreat somewhere away from television screens or radios. Or maybe she thought it was a movie.
Not even qualified for a VP post. Makes Palin look like Henry Kissinger by comparison.
Jun '10
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
Nothing could be less important for a candidate than knowledge of Elvis, so I'd hardly call that a gaffe.
I can't argue that she's not a one trick pony, as what always helped her stand out was her solid understanding of debt and spending problems & I don't know how much she's studied up on foreign policy. She may be weak. But when I see pictures of Putin, like John McCain I think K-G-B. Soviet is a concept burned into my brain. I can probably find all the "stans" on a map & really did pay attention to the collapse of the Soviet Union, but could easily imagine my brain meaning to say Russia but my mouth letting lose with Soviet Union.
I still think of Verizon as Bell Tel.
Oct '10
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
and this is the person who destroyed my guy tim pawlenty? grrr...
May '10
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
It was probably just a botched joke. Like Bachmann and Reagan before her, I love a good Soviet joke.
Jul '11
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
Well, you can dismiss each gaffe in isolation as minor or insignificant but, taken together, they become one major problem. It is reflective of an inexperienced staff which has never run a national campaign. Paul Ryan might have similar obstacles to overcome should he jump in the race, although I would expect him to be a more seasoned and disciplined campaigner who would probably attract advisers with national experience.
Mar '11
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
Clearly this was just a case of misspeaking, and I'm sure she knows that the Soviet Union collapsed two decades ago.
"The rise of the Soviet Union" is, however, grating on the ears.
Duane, I do think that your points #3 and #4 are right on.
Jun '10
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
Thanks for the Reagan video.....boy do I miss him!
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
Tell your lefty friends that she seems to be more up-to-date than they are.
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
A more serious answer: Yes, it's a gaffe. I see no reason to think it was a conscious mistake. If she were to take the lead in explaining to America what's going on in the former Soviet Union and why it should concern us, I'd leap into her arms.
Sep '10
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
Other than in budget terms, has anyone heard Paul Ryan speak of foreign policy? If not, then it must be that, whereas Bachmann has demonstrated yet again her lightweighted-ness, we don't yet know about Ryan's heft in the FP arena. IMHO, it is a good thing that Perry has taken much air out of her balloon.
Jun '10
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
Earlier Claire posited on foreign policy and the GOP candidates. J Marzan directed us to this Eli Lake piece discussing the views of Cain, Pawlenty, Bachmann, Perry, and Romney. A small paragraph follows:
"Bachmann is commonly viewed as the Tea Party’s favorite candidate, and she is known mostly for her domestic views: her uncompromising stance against the welfare state, as well as her staunch opposition to gay rights. But it would be incorrect to view Bachmann as someone who is unconcerned with foreign policy. Former Republican Representative Pete Hoekstra told me that Bachmann approached him in December 2009 and asked for advice about how to get onto the House Intelligence Committee. (At the time, Hoekstra was the committee’s ranking Republican.) She eventually joined the committee in January 2011."
If anyone cares, read the whole thing. BTW, John Marzan, did you read it? Anyway, this looks like another destroy our candidates post. She is working her rear off for us... or is she another female conservative narcissist like Sarah Palin
Feb '11
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
For Ryan on foreign policy, see "Paul Ryan Embraces American Exceptionalism, Rejects Isolationism in Foreign Policy Speech" by Michael Warren at The Weekly Standard.
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
It's by far the best speech I've read. Doesn't surprise me. I think he's the only adult in the field.
Feb '11
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
Paul Ryan loses me on foreign policy with: "Now, if you believe these rights are universal human rights, then that clearly forms the basis of your views on foreign policy." The United States as United Nations? I don't see our rights as universal human rights at all. It is specifically these rights as our rights that makes us exceptional. If they are universal human rights, we are not exceptional at all. If they are universal human rights, why was it American blood that paid for the exercise of those rights in our own boundaries? It is why I totally reject neoconservatism and find it repugnant. And is it any wonder it leads us into stupid Wilsonian wars?
Sep '10
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
One great speech! Can he be drafted at the convention?!?
May '10
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
The source of our exceptionalism is not that God granted Americans better rights than other people. The basis of our system is that all humans, not just Americans, have rights endowed by our creator. There's a difference between believing other people have certain rights and having an obligation to fight for them ourselves. Maybe I'm missing your point.
Sep '10
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
Conservatives have been a bit lax of late about the wars that people have talked us into, hence your comments about neo-conservatism I guess. But OTOH, the world wars and the Cold War were about many things including these universal human rights.
Jun '10
Re: Back in the USSR: Bachmann and the Rise of the "Soviets"
Ryan's speech clearly demonstrates that he's thought long and hard about the dynamics of the challenges that we face in foreign policy by examining the strengths, weaknesses and consequences of actions not just on America's part but on the part of emerging powers. Ryan's worldview is bolstered by his understanding of history and demonstrates that if elected President, Ryan would not have to rely solely on a brain trust around him to tell him why certain policies or actions would be necessary. Ryan clearly has what it takes to lead on foreign policy and not be led as McNamara and others had led Lyndon Johnson into the disastrous policies and decisions about Vietnam. I think making the case that Bachmann, Palin, or Perry have the same perceptiveness that Ryan has and have what it takes to profoundly understand global affairs as Ryan has demonstrated without being extensively tutored is the question. I suggest they do not but I’m willing to be surprised.
Edited on Aug 21, 2011 at 10:39am