Bachmann: Tea Party "only a force for good"

(CBS News) 

Former Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann re-upped her support for the Tea Party on Sunday, contending that the conservative political movement has "been only a force for good in Washington" and that the Republican Party has changed "so much for the better" as a result.

Bachmann, speaking on CBS' "Face the Nation," argued that the Tea Party was responsible for reining in a Republican Party that was inclined to go "further and further to the left."

When asked if the Tea Party had made "compromise a dirty word" - and if that could have contributed to "why Congress can't seem to get anything done," in Bob Schieffer's words - Bachmann told the "Face the Nation" host the Tea Party is merely "making sure that we hold onto our core principles and values."

"The Tea Party has been only a force for good in Washington, D.C.," she said. "Because otherwise we continue to go further and further to the left, which is redistribution of wealth."

The Minnesota Congresswoman, who earlier this month withdrew her own bid for the Republican presidential nomination, argued that the GOP had "changed so much for the better" due to the Tea Party's influence, and that the movement has "infused the energy and the excitement" back into Republican politics.

"I think that is what we are all thrilled about," she said, claiming the movement "really is bringing the Republican Party back to its basic values, which is limited government, cutting spending, being smart, and making the government more efficient."

"That is why Obama will be a one-termer, because all he has been about is redistribution of wealth and the rise of socialist principles, and the Tea Party rejects that," she said. She argued that the Tea Party had "framed the debate" for 2012, and that "their concerns are the one that the candidates are trying to give voice to."

Even so, Bachmann said voters would rally around whichever candidate won the GOP nomination, be it an establishment figure or a Tea Party-favored candidate.

"I truly believe that we will see a coming-together of all factions of our party, the Tea Party insurgents as well as the establishment, we are going to come together and we will unify," Bachmann said. She characterized the current state of the GOP race as "normal rough-and-tumble" of any race, and that "this is what we expect is going to happen."

Come November, she said, "we will unify and we will amalgamate."

Bachmann declined to endorse a candidate - though she said she reserved the right to do so later - and said "I am on board the team, put it that way, no matter who our nominee will be."

"I intend to make sure that Barack Obama is a one-term president and whoever our nominee is, I am for them," she said.

Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Reince Priebus, also appearing on the show, echoed that sentiment, arguing that a "tough" primary race was actually good for the party.

"I think they make candidates stronger and I think, if you look at American history, you will see that usually winners come out of very tough primaries and they make these candidates stronger, tougher and battle-tested."

He added, "I think it is great that everyone is talking about the Republicans right now."

Pointing to the 2008 primary battle between Mr. Obama and Hillary Clinton, Priebus said that ultimately, intense primary races are "good for America."

"You know, they killed each other through June, and guess what? He won pretty easily. I think the evidence is there. I think it is good for America, and in the end, in a few months, this is all going to be ancient history and we are going to talk about our own little campaign Schettino, which is President Obama, who is abandoning the ship here in the United States and is more interested in campaigning than doing his job as president," he said, referring to the disgraced cruise liner captain who was accused of abandoning his ship after it crashed into a reef off the Tuscan coast.

"That is our own president who is fleeing the American people and not doing his job and running around the country and campaigning," Priebus quipped.

[baileyccc]

"What a Party", with the likes of Newt Gingrich, Sara Palin, Herman Cain, Michelle Bachmann, Rush Dumbo, Ann Coulter, no wonder this party is tubing.

[MarkInOhio]

The Tea Party WAS a force for disruption, delusion, and denial, a loud, barbaric yawp from older white people whose country is changing under them. NOW the Tea Party is, like Sarah Palin, totally irrelevant to the political conversation. OWS and the broader concerns of income and wealth inequality have taken over the talk. The tea has long gone cold.

[BlameRepublicanz]

the tea party is a force for bigotry, ignorance, mis-information, irrationality, and hatred for the black President they think is a secret muslim...they dont really care about debt or deficit...thats why they did not exist under Bush...they popped up two weeks after the black guy was inaugurated...holding up signs calling him an "undocumented worker"

[audemus]

The Tea-Party is only a "force for good," much like the Nazis' had an innovative idea for population control.

[euge005]

maybe up until they sold out to the 1%, now the Occupy movement must take over and well about time. the best cure for the problems of democracy is more democracy. Shame she is too poorly informed and biased to ever figure it out.

[sailrick]

more GOP science fun


Rep Joe Barton (R-TX) describes Christopher Monckton "as being generally regarded as one of the most knowledgeable, if not the most knowledgeable, experts on the skeptic side."

Viscount Monckton as he likes to be called, who the GOP loves to call as an expert witness on climate change, is not a scientist of any kind. His only higher education is in journalism. Monckton is a complete charlatan, who has been completely and devastatingly debunked on many occasions by real scientists. The GOP has at least twice had him as an expert witness on climate change, at important House Committee hearings.

Monckton had been told twice by the British House of Lords, to stop claiming he is a member. Yet he intoduces himself to U.S. congress as an emissary from Parliament. He embellishes all his fake temperature charts, etc and other publications, with a very close facsimlie of the seal of Parliament, the crowned porcullis. They have told him to stop using their seal.
He claims to have discovered cures for HIV, the flu, the cold, Graves disease. He claims to have been a science advisor to Margaret Thatcher. He never was.

He is looney beyond belief. And he is well paid by the Koch brothers and other fossil fuel interests, to spread confusion. Monckton is a showman, very persuasive in front of an audience and knows how to sound scientific, while spreading complete nonsense.

Barton and Inhofe get more oil money than any other legislators, in the House and Senate, respectively.


Minnestota GOP state senator, Michael Jungbauer, claims to have studied all 13 fields of science related to climate change. Just so you know, no climate scientist would make such a claim. Jungbauer is the leading global warming denier in the Minnesota state senate. Turns out he doen't even have a bachlor degree in ANY field of science.

[sailrick]

Fun with GOP science time:


GOP congressman Rohrbacher suggests trees cause global warming

Speaker of the House Boehner says CO2 emissions nothing to worry about because humans breathe CO2 in and out. Brilliant.

Michelle Bachman says there have been no scientific studies showing CO2 is harmful.
I guess she missed the 10,000 (up to about 2006) published research papers that show that CO2 causes global warming. There are thousands more research papers since then. Hundreds of papers are published every week relating to climate

Rick Perry likens himself and other deniers to Galileo.
Sorry Rick, but Galileo was correct and had the evidence.
You are wrong and have no evidence, while ignoring the mountain of evidence for AGW. (AGW = anthropogenic global warming - man made)
Perry and the rest are more like the religious authorities who persecued Galileo.


GOP Rep Fred Upton says there can be no global warming because God won't allow it to happen.

And of course Sen Inhofe says its all a big hoax.
Sure Senator, the entire world scientific community is just trying to get more grant money.


Speaker of the House - John Boehner
"The idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen that is harmful to our environment is almost comical"

No Mr Speaker. What is comical and pathetic is that you believe than any scientist would ever say such an absurd thing. Either that or you are playing to the low information voter.


Rep. Shimkus:
"Man will not destroy this Earth. This Earth will not be destroyed by a flood."

God Help Us.

[euge005]

none are so blind as those who will not see. what fools they are and a few of them even believe their silliness. que montey python.

[sailrick]

You know the GOP has gone around the bend of extremism, when only candidates who don't believe in science are considered conservative enough to be President.

Every candidate, is a global warming denier. Nearly every GOP congressman is also in this non reality based camp.

Over 100 professional science organizations, of international and national standing, have issued statements as to the validity of AGW and that we must act immediately. This includes every national academy of science in the world. The U.S. National Academy of Science has issued four such statements.

The prestigious science journal, Nature, has openly criticized the GOP for it's anti science stance, especially on climate change.

Only two professional science organizations in the world deny the science of climate change. And these two are the only ones most Republican politicians agree with.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists

Canadian Associations of Petroleum Geologists

The GOP is bought and sold by the fossil fuel industry.

The only party in the world that rejects science of global warming.
The science free zone party.

Vote Out the deniers. We can't afford to waste time with these fools

[sailrick]

Newt Gingrich talked last week, about how stupid Obama was for rejecting the Keystone pipeline. He forgot to mention that GOP congress forced him to do just that, by demanding a decision before a real environmental impact study could be done. The first one was bogus, done by a business partner of TransCanada.

Newt speaks with forked tongue.

"Oil and Gas Jobs Increase by 75,000 Under Obama - 69,000 More Than Would Be Created By Keystone XL"
you can read about it at Climate Progress, from this week

And:

TransCanada claims that Keystone XL will create 20,000 "high-wage" construction and manufacturing jobs in the U.S.

However a study from Cornell's Global Labor Institute pegs direct jobs in the U.S. much lower: only 2500-4650 direct construction jobs per year over the two year project.

Temporary jobs.

maybe 100 permanent jobs

or watch this short video from Media Matters

To Infinity and Beyond: Media Matters Exposes Echo Chamber On Bogus Keystone XL Jobs Claims

[sailrick]

Meahwhile, the GOP would rather kill the solar industry because one company went bankrupt that had a govt guaranteed loan. Solar is the fastest growing industry in America. It already employs 100,000 people and will keep growing long into the future. Same for wind which is also a top growing industry. Both of them were able to do this amid the worst economic conditions since the 1930s.

[sailrick]

Lets have more Trickle Down economics with the Tea Party

See what it's done for you already?

Normalized to 1979, the top 1% have seen their share of America's income more than double. The bottom 90% have seen their portion shrink

Average loss/gain in income per household from 1979 to 2005

top 1% + $597,241 more
next 4% + $29,8985 more
next4% + $4,912 more
next 10% - $3,733 less
next 20% - $8,598 less
next 20% - $10,100 less
next 20% - $8,582 less
bottom 20% - $5,623 less


In 1981 average salary for the securities industry in New York City was $85,000 verses $43,000 for all other sectors in New York City
So it was roughly a 2-1 ratio.

In 2010 average salary for Wall St. $361,000 verses $66,000 for all other sectors.
The new ratio is about 6-1


In 1979 average CEO made 25-40 times what average worker made.
They now make 250-400 times as much.

The rich now pay the lowest effective tax rate since the depression.