Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is seemingly a fixture in the state and national media these days, and in particular on WWTC 1280 AM’s Northern Alliance Radio Network. The Minnesota U.S. Representative appeared once again on Brian Ward and John Hinderaker’s “The Headliners” program last Saturday morning to discuss excessive government spending, Obama’s tax policies, and the state of the Republican Party.

Regarding the increased coalescing of political power in the hands of the Democrats in D.C. these days – highlighted by last week’s front-page story of Arlen Specter’s departure from the Republican Party – Bachmann admitted:

“They have everything now – they control every lever of power in Washington. Republicans are for all practical purposes irrelevant, other than making our case.”

Never the shy one to state her policy positions or champion her causes, Congresswoman Bachmann does not believe the fight is over in Washington:

“This week we saw the newspapers writing the obituary of the GOP. When Arlen Specter made that flip and went on to the other side, all you heard is that the GOP is dead – they better get used to it. But I am more energized than ever. We have nowhere to go but up at this point. And that’s exactly where we’re going to go.”

With regard to the tax policies of the President, Congresswoman Bachmann reiterated her charge that, “Obama is planning a scheme of redistribution of wealth.”

One of the issues Bachmann has been most passionate about this session is her opposition to the administration’s proposed cap-and-trade energy tax plan, and offered some dire warnings to the country if Congress should pass such legislation:

“About every 30 years you see a huge piece of legislation that has the potential to change our country forever. That’s what this global warming tax is – the cap-and-trade. This is the piece of legislation of our time that could change our country forever. And that’s why people have to recognize that government will be given control over almost every activity of your life, and then we will become servants to government to pay for this level of control. It’s very frightening, the energy tax… You could just as well call it the China and India stimulus plan, because it will ship jobs by the millions out of the United States.”

Railing against all the new federal government spending and the recent stimulus plan that passed during Obama’s first 100 days, Bachmann said, “These are just embarrassing expenditures. Stupid. Oh, just stupid – it’s indefensible, the spending.”

Representative Bachmann then explained why the Obama administration is so eager to raise taxes: they’ll be sending the bill for their new spending programs to their “least favorite friends” – the wealthy.

“That’s why they’re having such a party – because they know they’re not going to have to pay for it. Look at all of Obama’s nominees – they all were clearly tax-challenged with their nominations. He knows that the people who are going to be paying the bills are not necessarily the people that have been voting him in. Because today, 40 percent of the American people pay no federal income tax. Under President Obama’s plan he will change it so that it’s 51 percent of the American people pay no federal income tax. That is a very poor equation.”

The Congresswoman then suggested Obama’s tax policies are essentially pitting American against American:

“What he’s doing is dividing the country. We need to be united. And you want to have a united people so that everybody benefits from the military, everyone benefits from roads. Everyone should have to have some skin in the game. Everybody should be paying something in taxes. It’s only fair. Everybody should pay something.”

With regard to the level of spending Democrats have set in motion in D.C., Bachmann believes the government has lost its focus:

“We can’t be all things to all people. Government shouldn’t be charity. We shouldn’t be the church. We shouldn’t be the family. Government should not be the mom.”

In light of all of this spending, and the number of promises Barack Obama has made along the way, Bachmann likened the president to a “used car salesman.”

“When you listen to Barack Obama, when he stood before the camera and said, ‘Don’t worry – we’re going to have the guarantee for your car, we’ll hold the warranty for your car.’ It looked like a late-night used car salesman on TV. And then this week when he was telling everyone to wash their hands – it’s almost as though he believes it’s up to the United States government to do everything including wipe your nose for you. That is not the purpose of government.”

And what does Bachmann believe will be the eventual outcome of Obama’s policies? Not good for future generations:

“I am concerned about the current 19 and 20 year-olds that are going to hold this debt. It’s the mother of all ironies, John and Brian, that the kids who voted en masse for Barack Obama are the ones being fitted with shackles and chains. And they’re going to wake up one morning and find out that their tax rate is 65 percent. Or higher.”

Co-host John Hinderaker then admitted that he thought President Barack Obama would have governed much more from the middle than he has to date. He expected a “relatively cautious” and “not so radical” administration, but confessed he was wrong and has been “stunned” at how far to the left and how radical the Obama administration has been.

Representative Bachmann, however, says she warned America of what was coming last autumn:

“I have to say, I expected it, and that’s why during the course of the campaign, I got into a lot of trouble – because I expressed my view that I was very concerned about what he may be doing once he gets the ability to be in office. And we’re seeing that come through before our eyes. Be prepared to see continued overreaching.”

Representative Bachmann ended her appearance on the program with a final warning about what to expect from the Democratic leadership in D.C.:

“Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, does rule with a titanium fist – and she gets what she wants…This is the most liberal administration and Congress in – probably ever in our history, certainly in the last 100 years. If you look at Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Barack Obama – they really do believe what’s in these left-wing college textbooks. They do believe it and they plan to implement it full bore.”

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1 Comment

  1. Bill Prendergast on May 6, 2009 at 12:18 am

    Thanks for reporting on what Bachmann says on conservative talk radio, Eric. Too many MN reporters ignored that forum while she was on her way up the political ladder.

    The conservative forums are where she “lets her hair down,” she’s much more guarded around media that isn’t in the business of puffing her.

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