Bachmann attacks Gingrich for working with Pelosi, taking money from Freddie Mac

White House hopeful and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann on Wednesday slammed rival Newt Gingrich for working with Rep. Nancy Pelosi when he was speaker of the House in the 1990s.

Bachmann launched a new website, nosurprises2012.com, which aims to highlight the differences between the conservative lawmaker and her seven rivals for the Republican nomination for president.

"This highlights just one of the many examples where former Speaker Newt Gingrich had positions that are really against what the people in the primary states are looking for," Bachmann said on CBS' "The Early Show." (watch above)

Republican primary voters tend to be more conservative than Republicans as a whole and are certainly more conservative than general election voters.

"He was standing with Nancy Pelosi to advocate for a national sales tax on energy. That's not what we need right now in our economy. He was also the chief author of the individual health care mandate and that is what is (now) known as Obamacare. No one wants to see that either," she said, referring to conservative primary voters who oppose the president's signature legislative achievement.

Bachmann is looking for a victory in the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3, when voters actually actually begin the process of picking a nominee for the party. Iowa is make-or-break for Bachmann, who won the straw poll there in August.

Iowa is more socially conservative than New Hampshire, which picks its candidate a week later. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is heavily favored to win New Hampshire.

It is an uphill battle for the founder of the Tea Party Caucus in the House of Representatives. A Bloomberg poll released Tuesday showed Bachmann with just 5 percent support in Iowa, behind businessman Herman Cain, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, Romney and Gingrich. The four candidates are in statistical dead heat, with Cain at 20 percent, Paul at 19 percent, Romney at 18 percent and Gingrich at 17 percent.

New poll shows 4-way tie in Iowa as Ron Paul moves to top tier

Bachmann said it is too early to draw conclusions from those numbers.

"This is an extremely fluid race. Quite a few of the polls show that 70 percent of the people are undecided," she said.

"People see me as a straight-shooter. I say what I mean, I mean what I say, and I don't dance around. I'm not a politician. I'm a real person. That's what people are looking for," she added.

Bachmann also took aim at Gingrich for taking money from Freddie Mac, the government-controlled firm that guarantees millions of American mortgages and has lost billions of taxpayer dollars since the financial crisis of 2008.

It has been reported that Gingrich took $300,000 from Freddie Mac, but Bloomberg reported Wednesday that the former speaker took "at least $1.6 million" from the McLean, Virginia based firm.

CBSNews.com special report: Election 2012

21 Photos

Michele Bachmann on the campaign trail

[oldman67]

Michelle Bachmanns said Iraq should pay the US back. Feb. 1.2003 The CIA and the FBI denied any terrorist link to Iraq, in contradiction to White House claims. Still 70% of American backed the illegal war on Iraq which resulting in the death of two million civilians and millions more becoming refuges.500,000 children dying by starvation and diseases due to US sanctions. Another 500,000 Iraqi babies born deformed due to the use of depleted uranium by the US. Their country is covered with depleted uranium dust. Museums destroyed. Schools destroyed. Libraries destroyed. Water and food supplies destroyed. Art and artifacts lost because the US government allowed art and artifacts dealers around the world to come in and bid on these items. Many dating back over two thousand years. Baghad bombed back into the stone age. They owe the US?

[thomasmc1957]

Gingrich is clearly part of the problem, NOT the solution!

[tallanh]

"I say what I mean, I mean what I say"... Of course, if you have a chronic disconnect from reality, such as this Bachmann twit, that's not necessarily a good thing...

[Andreajoy99]

Clean the House, they've all been there too long. Limit terms, and Politician's in office are not able to do inside trading or they lose their job. Bring back the HR 1148 BILL put an end to this nonsense. Grow some backbone and make Fannie , Freddie & PHH Mortgage rebate back to the tax paying citizen the down-payments on the homes they robo-signed on. Fannie and Freddie $900,000 yr salaries are ******** what did they do but put more stress on consumers & killed consumerism.

[sandy 1027]

I am not a fan of Newt Gingrich, and I find myself in the odd position of taking his side on this one; but for all of his flaws, problems,and controversies ; he does give thought to issues, and has shown the ability, at times, to work with people that he doesn't agree with philosophically to get things done.I don't know that Michele Bachmann has ever done that a day of her life.To see that as a vice is very narrow-minded.

[stupa5]

Bachmann your time has come &&&&& gone!

[MTATL67]

Rep. Bachmann's attitude and other with that same attitude is the reason things do not get done in Congress. What does she think that only she has the right to pass legislation and the other 433 members of the House have to vote yes because her way is the only way. The folks of Minnesota need to get rid of this narcissist. I would not want her representing me.

[doctor_know]

I could not disagree more with everything that woman says. She exemplifies the wrong direction for America in my mind.

[samXXkiley]

coucou,
****"People see me as a straight-shooter. I say what I mean, I mean what I say, and I don't dance around...****
============
sure, that evidence that you use any means order to disparage your rivals,
"au revoir"

[starving1968-3]

by Dan1603 November 16, 2011 11:26 AM EST
Never work with the DEMS!! NEVER. All they want to do is spend, and spend more and tax more.







The republicans created more recurring spending in Bush's 8 years, than ALL democratic administrations COMBINED.

And when I say "recurring", I mean that we are paying for those policies EVERY SINGLE YEAR going forward, from the time they were created, INDEFINITELY.

If you hate "spending", then you need to oppose the republicans!