Michele Bachmann: Tea Party a "Force for Good"

CBS

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), chair of the House Tea Party Caucus, tonight delivered a rebuttal to the president's State of the Union address that largely mirrored the official GOP response given by Republican Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.

Emphasizing the need for reduced government and free-market economic solutions, Bachmann's address highlighted the fact that the Tea Party's agenda is largely in sync with the Republican Party. However, her separate address, delivered the behest of the Tea Party Express, made clear that the Tea Party movement does not intend to walk in lock-step with the newly-empowered Republican congressional caucus.

Equipped with charts and supplemental imagery, Bachmann immediately said she was not there to "compete" with Ryan's message. "The Tea Party is a dynamic force for good in our national conversation," Bachmann said.

Bachmann blasted the "unprecedented explosion of government spending and debt" brought on by Mr. Obama's policies.

"Instead of a leaner, smarter government, we bought a bureaucracy that tells us which light bulbs to buy, and which will put 16,500 IRS agents in charge of policing President Obama's health care bill," she said.

Mr. Obama's stimulus program failed to deliver the job creation it promised, Bachmann said, referring to a chart showing unemployment rates over the past 10 years.

Obama: "The Future is Ours to Win"

Paul Ryan: U.S. at "Tipping Point" over Debt

GOP Rep. Paul Broun on Speech: Obama "Believes in Socialism"

State of the Union: Obama's Battle Cry for the Next Two Years

"For two years President Obama made promises just like the ones we heard him make tonight," she said. "Yet still we have high unemployment, devalued housing prices and the cost of gasoline is skyrocketing."

Bachmann urged the president to support a balanced budget constitutional amendment and scale back government regulations. She also urged him to support an energy policy that reduces the nation's dependence on foreign oil without imposing a "job destroying" cap-and-trade system.

After the results of the 2010 midterms, Bachmann said, "there's reason for all of us to have hope that real spending cuts are coming... I believe that we are in the early days of a history-making turn."

CBSNews.com Special Coverage: State of the Union 2011

Watch Bachmann's response below:

And analysis of her response here:

Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of her posts here. You can also follow her on Twitter here.

[IMeanWhat1]

Palin vs. Bachmann would make an excellent episode of MTV's Celebrity Death Match. I'd eagerly curl up with some popcorn to watch that mess. Read more about their idiotic ways @imeanwhat http://******/i5YntF

[levelheadedtoo]

I am amazed the usual extreme is not supporting Michelle here. She is so far off the chart that even the baggers are tongue tied. I think the GOP should look into who is paying her for this speech. Even Palin is driving the bus on this outing. Did you see how out of touch she was with the Power Point slides. She didn't even know what she was presenting. Sad, Really Sad.

[san850]

I think the GOP is starting to say, "Michelle who?" and "Sarah who?" ...this power struggle will be so much fun to watch.

[san850]

Are we supposed to listen to and believe what this clearly delusional extremist has to say?? Someone who advocates the "Second Amendment solution in lieu of the ballot box"?? People who only know Bachmann from her campaign ads and material might mistake her for a mainstream politician, a GOP conservative in the tradition of Ronald Reagan. Bachmann does not make her most "extreme" statements when appearing before influential popular media. Her statements before other types of audiences are very different from the ones made before television cameras and newspaper reporters. Google "Michele Bachmann quotes" and you will get a scary insight into Bachmann's true political base, her worldview, and her powers of judgment.

[pragmatist1]

I just now watched the Bachmann TEA Party response to the president's SOTU speech. I didn't her saying anything that wasn't true. I also watched the CBS analysis on her comments, but noted that essentially the criticism of her comments having to do with historical references was no different than what the president went on and on for nearly thirty minutes in his speech of last evening. The comparisons of Bush to the few years Obama has been in office is valid, since the left has slammed repeatedly how bad Bush was for our economy, yet numbers don't lie and the comparisons on the Bachmann clip prove this. It's still difficult for the left to accept any factual criticism of the president, yet they would have everyone else accept the criticisms being lobbed at Bush. Sorry folks, it doesn't work that way. I didn't find anything extraordinary in either the president's nor Bachmann's presentations. I did think the official GOP response more plausible; at least compared to the president's, it wasn't boring and lacking in substance.

[WeHappyFew]

Dear oh dear Shes toast.

I've just heard Bachmann on the constitution, the founding fathers and slavery....................hahahahahaha!!!!!
I think it behoves anyone in politics to defend the constitution to maybe give it a quick glance occasionally.

[thanksgreed]

Now how did I know the smitten kitten windy, would be here? He sure does like 'em dumb....

Playing spelling police again...

Has he told anyone they were jealous of her "success" yet?

[WeHappyFew]

They're all going to run .................... Palin, Bachmann, Giuliani, Pawlenty , Romney, Huckabee, Beck, Limbaugh, Trump, Old Uncle Tom Cobbley and all.

[san850]

Theme song: "Send in the Clowns" !!

[levelheadedtoo]

The point of the pyramid is a very small place to stand. With all these egos up there, someone is bound to slip. I wouldn't be shocked to hear that some of these characters are hiking on the Appalachian trail or fishing without a license.

[levelheadedtoo]

Michelle, there you go again. "Yet still we have high unemployment, devalued housing prices and the cost of gasoline is skyrocketing." Now exactly where were you from 2000-2010. Oh Ya! you were a member of the same big spender congress you are trying to run from now. I'll bet you never added a single earmark, or spending provision during your terms.

Michelle, you are just one more buffet style politician with your finger in the air testing the wind. You watched while you and your fellow members of congress took our country from surplus to deficit over the past 10 years. Why didn't you speak up when your party was doing all the spending?

We are glad you see the need for more spending restraint, however, your own party can't trust you with even a simple chairmanship, because you are a crazy woman.

[san850]

She is just another flamethrower ...exactly like Palin. She will be her own worst enemy and eventually will make her way to the top of the "irrelevancy" list to join Palin.

[san850]

Bachmann is such a media hound...just like Palin, she's "hinting" that she will seek a 2012 presidental run, "only if God was calling her to do it"!

Michele...I just spoke to God and he says "do everyone a favor and forget about it!"

(P.S. He also wants to know when you will be returning that Farm Subsidy check to the government you hate so much.)

[WeHappyFew]

The Tea Party movement was created as an grassroots movement protesting the stimulus package and unchecked power of special interests and corporations. It was quickly hijacked by the Conservative Right.
It now fulfils several roles
a) The ability to jettison responsibility for Republican failures
b) The ability to criticize the current administration without having to suggest workable alternatives or answer for the mistakes of the Bush administration.
c) 'Astroturfing'
d) keeping the GOP toeing the line on conservative policy.

For these reasons it can no longer be considered a force for good.