Bachmann draws few at campaign events

By: Rodney Hawkins
Topics: Campaign 2012

Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn. campaigns at Sneakers Eatery and Pub in Fort Dodge, Iowa, Dec. 30, 2011.

(Credit: AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

EARLY, Iowa - After drawing relatively large crowds on her 99-county Iowa bus tour, Rep. Michele Bachmann on Friday had trouble attracting many voters to two campaign events.

The Minnesota congresswoman - who has seen her support plummet in recent polls -- started her day in Sioux City, where she intended to meet with voters over breakfast at the Black Bear Diner. Before the event began, however, the diner's general manager and employees told reporters that they were unaware she was campaigning in the restaurant. Bachmann's campaign blamed the lack of interest on last-minute scheduling problems with organizing the events for the day, and the congresswoman herself said she was aiming for spontaneity.

"This is completely different than the 99 county tour," Bachmann said. "We had unparalleled success and this was something that was spontaneous, where we just dropped in."

At her next meet-and-greet at Early's Crossroads Restaurant, only a handful of supporters showed up, drawing an explanation from Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. "When you drop into Early, Iowa, and it is essentially a surprise drop in into Early, Iowa there is not going to be a great crowd," he said.

King called Bachmann a "great friend," but stopped short of endorsing her. "There are so many components to this race, so many dynamics to this race. But it's far too complicated to explain it here today," he said.

Rodney Hawkins
Rodney Hawkins covers the 2012 presidential campaign for CBS News and National Journal.
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by mickeywhite1 December 31, 2011 5:03 PM EST

Bachmann record: Big Gov, Tax & Spend, anti-liberty, Constitution enemy!
by Lynette Largent on Friday, June 17, 2011 at 5:35pm
• Bachman voted for almost unlimited Presidential war powers:
http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/constitution/7648-houses-amash-seeks-limits-on-presidential-war-making Paul voted no!
• Bachmann votes against beleagured soldiers: H.R.3159 Ensuring Military Readiness Through Stability and Predictability Deployment Policy Act of 2007. Paul voted yes.
• Bachman votes for Internet Censorship: H.R.4279 - PRO-IP Act of 2007 and H.R.4061 Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2009, Sponsored by John Conyers, (D-MI) http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/258311 Ron Paul voted no!
• H.R.5486 Small Business Jobs Tax Relief Act of 2010: Backman voted no. Paul voted yes.
• Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act of 2008: Bachman voted for Bigger Government and new property seizing powers via S.3325 - The sponsored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) Learn more: http://www.defectivebydesign.org/stop-revised-riaa-ip-enforcement-bill-s3325 Ron Paul voted no!
• H.Con.Res.28 Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove the United States Armed Forces from Afghanistan (Accelerating Afghanistan withdrawal). Bachmann, no. Paul, yes.
• Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2007 - Expands the types of whistleblower disclosures protected from personnel reprisals to include disclosures without restriction as to time, place, form, motive, context, forum, or prior disclosures made to any person by an employee or applicant for employment, including a disclosure made in the ordinary course of an employee's duties, that the employee or applicant reasonably believes is a violation of any law. Backman voted no. Paul voted yes.
• H.R.4 Part D Medicare Drugs Price Negotiation: Bachman, no. Ron Paul, yes.
• H.R.1404 Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act. Bachmann votes yes. Paul votes no.
• Ten percent across-the-board cut to the Department of Homeland Security's budget: Rokita of IN Amendment 1 to H R 2017, requires a (except for Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement). The underlying bill reduces DHS spending only to FY 2009 levels. It failed 110-312. Bachmann voted NO. Ron Paul voted yes!
• Prohibit TSA from using full-body image scanners as "mandatory or primary" screening devices: Look what Bachmann and West just voted against: Amash/Chaffetz Amendment 2 to H R 207, which prohibits TSA from using full-body image scanners as "mandatory or primary" screening devices. In other words, they can be used only as an option during secondary screening. The amendment failed 123-300. No radiation liberty for Tea Partiers! Ron Paul voted yes! 135 Republicans and 165 Democrats voted against it. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll400.xml
• College Student Relief Act of 2007 - phases-in cuts in the interest rate charged undergraduate student borrowers under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and Direct Loan (DL) programs, thereby reducing such rate from 6.8% in July 2006 to 3.4% in July 2011. Limits FFEL lender insurance to 95% of the unpaid balance of such loans. Bachmann voted no. Paul voted yes.
• Bachmann votes for government interference and for increased spending. SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act - Title I: Modernizing the SBIR and STTR Programs -
Amends the Small Business Act to extend through FY2010 (currently scheduled to expire at the end of FY2008) the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs of the Small Business Administration (SBA).
Increases, for both the SBIR and STTR programs, the individual small business award levels from:
(1) $100,000 to $300,000, for participation at a Phase One level; and
(2) $750,000 to $2.2 million, for participation at a Phase Two level. Allows participating federal agencies (agencies) to exceed such award levels if such agencies notify, and provide annual reports concerning such increase to, the congressional small business committees.
• Bachman votes for college scholarship bills H.R.362 and H.R. 363: while America is broke borrowing from China. Paul voted no.
• H.R.1255 Government Shutdown Prevention Act of 2011: Bachmann, yes. Paul, no.

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by cattiej January 2, 2012 12:14 AM EST: Thank you for the above comments..but we wouldn't vote for Bachmann if she was the only one running for either Republican, Democrat or Independent..She is getting more frantic as time goes by..notice how she speaks in the same sentences over and over..I think she is losing it...I won't vote for any of the people running at this time. Someone will be elected from the floor of the Republican convention and it won't be any of these people running in Iowa.

by kongjohn December 31, 2011 2:37 PM EST

You People are sick. Anything to turn Bachmann into non-factor. Nice for once if the truth in the headlines would be written. Nice to see CBS followers are the low-lifes that America is really about. Freedom will never prevail when the majority of Americans are users and low-lifes.

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by moretruthnow December 31, 2011 8:25 PM EST: Bachmann is going down down down in the polls. People are fickle in Iowa and now Bachmann will not be in the running as the republican nominee. That is wonderful for most of America.

by ruffiannd December 31, 2011 2:17 PM EST

And it's only a matter of time before one of her husband's gay lovers outs him.

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by cattiej January 2, 2012 12:15 AM EST: I believe that too.


by odinkitty December 31, 2011 12:33 PM EST: I read an article in the National Review this morning that said King says, is Ron Paul gets elected their will be "Iranian missiles in Cuba"!..LOL He is an evangelical nutjob just like Bachmann. He is just like Mike Huckabee. I saw an article about Huckabee a few weeks ago talking to some evangelicals in Iowa. One of the things he did was show movies of planes crashing into buildings. You see how it works? These guys preach to their brainwashed flock that war is good.

What does the draft dodging chickenhawk Steve King (R-Iowa) know about foreign policy? When he had his chance to serve his country he ran like a scared little puppy dog and avoided it like the plague and he is supposed to have integrity on the subject?
He can down Ron Paul all he wants but Our veterans and active military overwhelmingly support Ron Paul's foreign policy so I am inclined to believe he is right. I find it odd that the biggest warmongers are draft dodgers, never served in the military or are so called Christians. Our veterans and troops know a whole lot more about what is going on than they do.
If you want to read about Steve Kings draft dodging days read, "Bleeding Heartland-King and the Draft". http://www.bleedingheartland.com/diary/4303/king-and-the-draft

Here is a message from one of our proud marines. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTSU4hGDlgY&feature=related; Reply to this comment


by jcnbma December 31, 2011 8:58 AM EST: anyone who would vote for Michelle Bachman should be charged with treason because they would be voting to destroy this country. she belongs in a mental ward, not the White House.; Reply to this comment

by JRC_903 December 31, 2011 7:57 AM EST

If you are campaigning, why would you DROP into a town unannounced in the first place.

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by deoppressoliber1964 December 31, 2011 8:13 AM EST: Excellent point.


by prohb December 31, 2011 6:30 AM EST: The fact that this person, with her zany and far-right wacko politics was actually even considered a candidate and given a platform is a sad (and scary) reflection on some voters and the media in this country.; Reply to this comment


by Hutterite December 31, 2011 6:25 AM EST: I had such high hopes for her as this years' palin. It's too bad she fizzled so.; Reply to this comment

by classysinger December 31, 2011 3:16 AM EST

Don't believe it. The news media never gives us the whole story! "If it bleeds it leads" is the theme for all media networks. They don't care what it is that's bleeding as long as they get a good story out of it which means profit! So remember that before you believe everything you read and hear. In point of fact the few in number were at places where Bachmann made surprise impromptu visits AFTER her 99 county tour was over. She could have gone home like anyone else but she was willing to make herself available to anyone who wanted to talk with her. That's dedication in campaigning and the kind of dedication that she would use if she became President. Does she get praised for that? Of course not! It doesn't bleed! So if it doesn't bleed, the news media has to make it bleed a little by allowing us to think that the reason she had so few there was because she is losing support which reflects a lack of integrity in journalism on the part of CBS and other news agencies that run the same story.

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by JRC_903 December 31, 2011 8:26 AM EST: Yes.. she is attractive. and if not for the rest, she might have won. But so what?

Over the last few months she has managed to refine her presentations to the point where if someone did not know any better, they sound reasonable. In other words, no obvious gaffes. Contrast that with her early speeches in which everyone was able to do their own fact checking using elementary school knowledge of history and geography. To her credit, finding out she is a fraud requires real effort to ferret out the truth.


by windrider160 January 1, 2012 1:31 AM EST: 1. She *is* losing support; she's plunging on every poll now. 2. Her campaign plans and agenda aren't ready for prime time; in fact, her campaign ineptitude and carelessness are mind-boggling at times. 3. Her campaign manager quit to endorse Ron Paul; he's only the latest in a long list of defections from Bachmann's camp over the last few months. This is not the fault of the media. This is the fault of Bachmann and how she runs her campaign, which is most likely reflective of how chaotic the country would be if she were President and running it ad hoc like her campaign. 4. She *chose* to make those impromptu campaign stops, *knowing* not many people would have advance notice in time to plan to turn out. So the low turnout is a consequence of her decision-making.

by sharkboy234 December 31, 2011 3:12 AM EST

michelle bachmann is going to become a rising star boost more polls
michelle bachmann is in it to win it lead up now hurry up lead up take a big sweep!

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