Politics & Government

Obama Jokes about Burning Books with Michele Bachmann

Also last week, the congresswoman led the year's first Tea Party Caucus meeting.

U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) took the brunt of a one-liner by President Obama at the 2013 White House Correspondents Dinner Saturday:

"I'm taking my charm offensive on the road. A Texas barbeque with (U.S. Sen.) Ted Cruz (R-TX), a Kentucky bluegrass concert with (U.S. Sen.) Rand Paul (R-KY), and a book burning with Michele Bachmann."

See the president's joke in the video above or at YouTube.com.

Find out what's happening in St. Michaelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Tea Party Caucus
Bachmann reconvened the Tea Party Caucus and retained her leadership post, Politico reported:

Roughly 20 House Republicans attended a closed-door meeting Thursday evening in the Rayburn House Office Building, along with staffers from nearly 40 congressional offices ... 

Find out what's happening in St. Michaelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This was the first caucus meeting of the year, and the name at the top of the caucus will not change: Rep. Michele Bachmann. ... Lawmakers present said it was best turnout to date for the caucus and reminded them of the early tea party days of just a few years ago.

Read the full article at Politico.com.

Gosnell Speech
In an April 25, 2013 entry at her blog, Bachmann wrote:

Today I spoke on the House floor about the ongoing investigation and trial surrounding Kermit Gosnell's Pennsylvania abortion clinic. Gosnell has been charged with eight counts of murder related to the deaths of a patient and seven newborns. I am disappointed by the media's lack of coverage of this tragic case of violence against women and children.

See her speech by clicking on the second YouTube thumbmail or by visiting YouTube.com.

Taxpayers Freedom Rally
Bachmann was a featured speaker at the annual Taxpayers Freedom Rally at the Minnesota State Capitol grounds on Saturday, the Star Tribune reported:

Hundreds of people from across the region listened to state legislators, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, talk-show host Jason Lewis and national antitax activist Grover Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform. ... Although 2014 is still a ways off, the election was referenced by both Bachmann, who is headed for a rematch with St. Cloud businessman Jim Graves, and Lewis, who’s been mentioned as a potential challenger to U.S. Sen. Al Franken.

Read the full article at startribune.com.

Alzheimer's Meeting
In another blog post, on April 24, 2013, Bachmann wrote about a visit with a state Alzheimer's group:

Today I was honored to meet with Susan Spalding, CEO of the Minnesota Alzheimer’s Association, and members from the organization. ... In a recent Star Tribune op-ed, I detailed this nation's history of innovative medical developments and the steps we can take to promote medical research. With technological momentum on our side, there is no reason to believe that we can't power our way to a cure for diseases, including Alzheimer's.

Cormorant Problem
On April 26, 2013, Bachmann and U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson (DFL-MN) introduced the Cormorant Management and Natural Resources Protection Act. Bachmann said in a press release:

"Unfortunately, exploding populations of the federally-protected cormorants are destroying recreational areas and fisheries across the country during their migration. Yet when concerned citizens look to their state governments for help in protecting their private land or favorite vacation spots, the states’ hands are tied with one layer of bureaucratic red tape after another. I look forward to continuing Congressman (John) Kline’s work, in concert with Waconia Mayor Jim Nash, to remove the bureaucratic barriers that inhibit thoughtful action on behalf of local governments.”

Shakespeare Problem
News organizations took Bachmann to task for misquoting a line from Shakespeare. Here is CBS News:

Of Democrats' decrying the disastrous effects of the sequester spending cuts, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., said, "It reminds me of the Shakespeare line, 'Thou protesteth too much'," but the congresswoman may need to brush up on her literature: the line, from Hamlet, is "The lady doth protest too much."

See the third YouTube clip above or watch the speech at YouTube.com.

$500,000 Opposition
A bigger problem for Bachmann than literary nitpicking could be a new pot of money dedicated to unseating her. Huffington Post reported:

Credo Super PAC announced Thursday a campaign against its first target of the 2014 cycle, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.).

The San Francisco-based liberal group is not running television or radio ads. Instead, it is launching a field operation and opening an office in her district. The group said it hoped to spend at least $500,000 against Bachmann in its volunteer campaign.

Read the full article at huffingtonpost.com.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from St. Michael