Michele Bachmann 2012?
As you may have seen in yesterday's news, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann may toss her hat into the 2012 presidential ring. CNN reports that she plans to form an exploratory committee in June, but sources close to Ms. Bachmann say that she may file the necessary paperwork earlier so that she can participate in the early Republican presidential debates. Whether she will ultimately decide to run as a candidate is still up in the air. The Congresswoman told ABC:
I'm in for 2012 in that I want to be a part of the conversation in making sure that President Obama only serves one term, not two, because I want to make sure that we get someone who's going to be making the country work again. That's what I'm in for...But I haven't made a decision yet to announce, obviously, if I'm a candidate or not, but I'm in for the conversation.
Is Michele Bachmann's exploratory committee just a tease? Here's what Howard Kurtz has to say about the situation:
If she does run, Bachmann would appear to be just another long-shot contender. But she could surprise people, especially in Iowa, where her sharp-edged approach could resonate with socially conservative caucus-goers.
With Sarah Palin increasingly unlikely to run, at least in the estimation of Republican power brokers, Bachmann would be the only woman in a somewhat drab field. If Mike Huckabee, the 2008 winner in Iowa, decides he’d rather make more money at Fox News than slog through another campaign, she would have a strong shot at Iowa’s evangelical Christian voters.
Bachmann would also have a geographic edge by hailing from a neighboring state—and could draw attention from her fellow Minnesotan, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who just formed an actual exploratory committee rather than just talk about it.
Whether you like Bachmann or not, there's something to be said for having as many choices as possible in these early stages of the game.
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Jul '10
Re: Michele Bachmann 2012?
I like Bachmann. I think she would be an excellent Speaker of the House. But I don't think she could beat Barack Obama
Dec '10
Re: Michele Bachmann 2012?
Diane Ellis, Ed.
Whether you like Bachmann or not, there's something to be said for having as many choices as possible in these early stages of the game. ·
There is something to be said against it as well.
As we saw in 2007-2008, having a lot of contenders means that various factions within the Republican party are prone to having their votes split. Since the primaries focus on plurality winners, a candidate who early on has a particular faction's backing to himself or herself has an advantage because he or she will come out of the early primaries as a "winner," even if only with 30 percent of the total vote to the next highest vote-getter's 29 percent.
The dynamics of the primary campaigns mean that funds flow to the early winners, so that someone who might decisively beat the early winner in a narrower field can end up starved of resources to keep his or her campaign going. And of course the early wins draw the attention and support of the otherwise disengaged, the voters who don't know much about the candidates but who want to jump on the bandwagon that has momentum.
Oct '10
Re: Michele Bachmann 2012?
I think that Bachmann is a long shot, but her presence in the debates would be beneficial.
We need to have a conversation within the Republican party about the fundamental ideas of government that we can unite on. The only way we can discover which of those ideas is most successful are through dialogue.
Debates are a form of dialogue that reveal much about how successful various ideas are in solving certain problems as well as the degree of mastery the protagonists have of their respective ideas.
Bachmann has a pretty good grasp of the Tea Party ideology, which needs to be further articulated in the public sphere. For this reason, I hope she does run.
Aug '10
Re: Michele Bachmann 2012?
Michelle will stimulate debate and stir the pot, which makes it harder for Republicans In Name Only to betray our principles and traditions. Michelle was a big factor in the resurgence of conservatism and the successful November election.
Ideally, we would have a strong leader like Ronald Reagan to look at, but we don't. And that's too bad.
May '10
Re: Michele Bachmann 2012?
She isn't going to be my preferred candidate, but if she can keep Huckabee from entering the race we'll all be in her debt.
Mar '11
Re: Michele Bachmann 2012?
I have no problem with anyone running. That's what primaries are for. Bachmann's presence would push the debate to the right, which I suppose should be a good thing, except the way candidates campaign is not necessarily how they would govern. Bachmann pushing other candidates to the right wouldn't keep them there when the competition is over and everyone is picking up their spent brass.
If Bachmann does enter the race in earnest, she keeps Palin out until her candidacy fizzles, then Palin will come in to swoop up the base, as she is the only potential candidate who can chance a late entry.
In fact, there is no definitive forward movement among hopefuls because they are waiting to see what Palin is going to do, which is odd considering that she is roundly ridiculed as one who has no chance to win.
Edited on Mar 25, 2011 at 10:59amAug '10
Re: Michele Bachmann 2012?
I like Bachmann a lot as a member of Congress and would like her to continue pushing for smaller government in the Branch that has the greatest penchant for increasing the size of government. We need combative and fiery conservatives in the House. I would love to see her as Speaker. I would also love to see her square off against those running for the Presidency in a combative fashion, not as a candidate per se but as a representative for certain conservative constituencies. She has a way of getting to the kernel of some important issues, and it would be nice to watch someone squishy confronted with strong opinions.
Maybe she should be the moderator at a debate or two, a combative moderator.
As a squishy RINO though, I'm not much for demanding ideological purity. There are 50million + definitions of what a pure "conservative" looks like, and surprisingly only one of them matches mine...another one matches River's.
Jun '10
Re: Michele Bachmann 2012?
I would love to see her run. My Tea Party org and I will support her wholeheartedly. She is intelligent, dynamic, indefatigable, and can rally both Republicans and Tea Party people. That said, I am certain that Barack Obama will be re-elected.
Jul '10
Re: Michele Bachmann 2012?
She'll help Palin to position herself as more moderate and credible, that's for sure.
Jan '11
Re: Michele Bachmann 2012?
Some people run to try to win. Others run to magnify their voice. Once their voice is magnified, maybe the next election gives them a chance to capitalize on that (frequent guest on TV, book tour, etc.).
On the other hand, it's hard to attract current supporters for a presidential run if it's unlikely you're going to win the current election. It's a delicate game.
What's ironic is that if Bachmann can pull off that balancing act, it will show that she's a politician with some skill -- and that alone will offer credibility. But if she merely blows her own horn and flames out early, she'll never be taken seriously. She'll become the GOP's Kucinich.
Sep '10
Re: Michele Bachmann 2012?
We already have one of those in the GOP.
Nov '10
Re: Michele Bachmann 2012?
I like her too and admire her remarkable tenacity, but don't think she's quite ready for Prime Time or to fill the venerable position of Speaker. Besides, she's making a significant impact exactly where she is at the moment. She, Paul Ryan and Eric Cantor comprise an imposing trifecta in the GOP race to restore fiscal sanity to this country.
We should also take note of the importance of statewide offices in this country. See... Jeb Bush (best darned guv in Florida history), Rick Perry, Chris Christie, Mitch Daniels. They have successfully employed local executive power to contribute to the good of the nation as a whole. I question whether these fine political officials would have had the flexibility to execute their strategies if elected on a federal level.
Edited on Mar 25, 2011 at 4:29pmOct '10
Re: Michele Bachmann 2012?
Her chances of beating Obama is as much as Christine O'Donnell's chances of beating whatshisnameGenericDemocrat.
In the end, I think she will drop out and support Tim Pawlenty, and she will get sarah palin to endorse him as well. Now i know most of the ricochet members are either mitch daniels fans or sarah palin's, and i may be the only tim pawlenty supporter here, but i believe t-paw has a better chance vs obama than daniels, who i think can beat obama too.
here's what the fox all-star panel said about pawlenty recently:
TUCKER CARLSON, EDITOR, THEDAILYCALLER.COM: He is an impressive guy. He is tough. He has a record of taking on unions at a moment where, ya know, that's a -- that establishes your bona fides in the Republican field without question. He is smart. I think he's probably more charismatic than people give him credit for.
Oct '10
Re: Michele Bachmann 2012?
JUAN WILLIAMS, SENIOR EDITOR, THE HILL: I'm impressed by Pawlenty, always have been. I remember going out to visit with him when he was involved in a fight over education out in Minnesota. And he won that fight in terms of trying to rein in some of the unions and reform education, and taxes and doing so in a way responsible to tax needs in the state.
STEVE HAYES, SENIOR WRITER, THE WEEKLY STANDARD: I think he has done what both Juan and Tucker suggest, particularly on budget issues. If spending is the issue in the primaries that it is today and people are excited about it, he's got a record. The guy can go and say, "look, not only did I talk about cutting spending, here are the numbers, here's what I did." And the numbers are really impressive. I mean, ya know he got an "A" from the Cato institute for reducing spending. I think he's got a better sort of selling point than people think.
May '10
Re: Michele Bachmann 2012?
Bachmann/Rubio in 2012.