At the back of the pack, Bachmann can still fire up conservatives
Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann walks on stage to speak at CPAC in Orlando, Florida.
/ Mark Wilson/Getty ImagesORLANDO, Fla. -- Michele Bachman may be stuck in the low single-digits in national polls, but the charismatic Minnesota Republican can generate electricity in a conservative crowd like no other candidate in the field. "We need a nominee who's not ashamed of the tea party, who's willing to stand up for the tea party and their values," Bachmann said Friday to a standing ovation at a meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference here.
Bachmann billed herself as the all-in-one conservative smorgasbord, and tailored the speech to her audience. "It's wonderful when you're a Minnesota girl to wake up in Florida!" she said, smiling as she took the podium and then proceeding to fire up the crowd of 500 at the Orange County Convention Center.
She offered up her favorite talking points from the campaign trail, such as repeal of "Obamacare" and a strict constructionist's view of the Constitution, but she also added a new feature from Thursday night's candidate debate: Her call for building a fence along the entire southern U.S. border.
Bachmann led the audience in chanting, "I know I can count on you, Florida, to make Barack Obama a one- term president!" Al Cardenas, president of the American Conservative Union, said after Bachmann's appearance, "That was better than coffee."
CBSNews.com special report: Election 2012
Watch highlights from CPAC in Orlando below:
Popular in Politics
- FBI director acknowledges domestic drone use 113 Comments
- Obama and Berlin: Faded echoes meet new realities
- Smooth, on-time Obamacare rollout no sure thing: GAO
- Obama on NSA programs: Americans "not getting the complete story" 261 Comments
- House Republicans pass 20-week limit on abortions 447 Comments
- Immigration reform would cut deficit, analysis shows
- Senators: U.S. must take "more decisive" military action in Syria
- Obama renews push for a nuclear disarmament legacy
Her extremism and lack of interest in working with anyone who isn't as extreme as she is prevents her from being Presidential material.
And isn't she in single digits in the polls, continuing to slump even lower?
She's a third level candidate (lower even than Ron Paul) and has ZERO chance of being the GOP nominee (which is too bad - Obama would slaughter her in a landslide - I'd love to see how totally he would utterly destroy her in the real presidential debates).