Just seven days separate us from the midterm elections, and at long last, we’ll get to watch Democratic-Farm-Labor (DFL) challenger Tarryl Clark (and Independence Party candidate Bob Anderson) take the fight to Tea Party-backed incumbent Michele Bachmann. The Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District hopefuls will debate today at 12:30 p.m. in St. Cloud.
It's really happening, everyone. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is going to debate her opponent Tarryl Clark. In public. Without Sean Hannity to lend a hand. It's a little out there, we know, but she's really going to give this a shot.
Keeping with her avoid and conquer campaign style, Bachmann has been especially squirrelly as of late about whether or not she would debate Clark before the November election.
Last week, Bachmann's spokesperson said she'd "confirmed with several venues affirmatively" but then refused to say there would be more than one debate. Can't comment on that. Wouldn't be prudent.
What?
Clark's people used the opportunity to announce that she'd agreed to five debates. "It's just one more example of where Bachmann's priorities are," her spokesperson wrote.
Well, this afternoon, Bachmann's people finally combed out their own jargon and confirmed that she will appear at three debates. They are at the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 26, on MPR's "Midday" on Oct. 28th and on KSTP on Halloween.
Which makes us wonder -- will the candidates pick scary costumes to psych each other out for that final debate? Perhaps Bachmann will skin a grizzly and wear its bloody hide? Maybe Clark will go as Bill "The Hitman" Clinton.
Clark also made the point that she would have agreed to a sixth appearance, but an October 7th date was already canceled because Bachmann did not respond.
That's because Bachmann has a scheduling conflict. She'll be "Reclaiming America" at the "Taking Back Congress Tour" at Orchestra Hall -- $12.80 for the riffraff, $225 to sit with conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt.
While the event promises an "honest, no holds barred conversation" the scheduling conflict will bar all holds between Clark and Bachmann.
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann may put on a brave face everyday, but underneath it all she is a delicate flower. So don't call her stupid. It hurts her feelings.
While former President Bill Clinton was in town stumping for Bachmann's Democratic opponent Tarryl Clark, he was quoted saying that Bachmann is the "ultimate example of putting ideology over evidence," and that "it's pretty stupid."
Bachmann pouted today in an e-mail to supporters, saying, "Bill Clinton took the opportunity to attack me personally by calling me and other Tea Party acitivists 'stupid.'"
Is there anything that can kiss that boo-boo better?
As a matter of fact there is.
Bachmann says she'd feel a whole lot better if her supporters will just "make an emergency contribution of $25 or more."
Apparently, being called stupid now rates as an emergency. "I must have the resources to defend myself," she writes.
And that wasn't enough. She had to plead for even more cash because the first $42,000 she raised in 24 hours wasn't nearly enough. Another $40,000 by midnight might be in order to really help her feel whole again.
Which makes us wonder, if $82,000 makes up for calling somebody "stupid," how much should Barack Obama have banked after Bachmann accused him of "infantilism"?
Campaigning is supposed to be a debating of ideas between two candidates. But in Minnesota, incumbent Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and her challenger, state Sen. Tarryl Clark, have other people debating for them.
And they're all named Jim.
The first volly started with "Jim the Election Guy," a Bachmann-created spokeman who introduced us to Bachmann's challenger, whom he dubbed "Taxin' Tarryl."
"I'm just getting started, but one thing's obvious. Tarryl Clark LOVES taxes!" Jim quips.
Clark responded with her own Jim. Actually, with three of them, all voters within the district.
"What would Michele Bachmann know about balancing budgets anyway?" asked one of the Jims. "She spends 100,000's of taxpayer dollars promoting herself and her agenda!" they all explain.
Bachmann's campaign then fired back with a new ad, this time using one of Minnesota's most beloved traditions -- the Minnesota State Fair:
"It's state fair time, and you don't want to hear about politics. But while you're at the fair you should know that Tarryl Clark voted to raise taxes on your corndog, and your deep fried bacon, and your beer," Jim claims.
Bachmann's second video not only got tongues wagging and the media reporting (although sadly they were reporting more about her misuse of the State Fair logo, a copyright infringement), it also provided an opening for the other Jims to return.
"While you are at the state fair, you should know that Michele Bachmann released another attack ad this week against Tarryl Clark," state the Jims. "I guess when you've got no record of accomplishment to run on, nothing, zip, nada, after being in congress for four years, the only thing you can do is go negative."
On the one hand, "Jims the Actual Voters" make a sort of fun counterpoint to "Jim the Election Guy," rebutting him at every turn. But on the other side is a larger problem for the Clark campaign -- Bachmann's Jim is on the airwaves, and Clark's Jims are simply talking on her website and youtube. It doesn't matter how clever her spokespeople are or what points they might make if, to the average 6th district voter, there isn't an actual debate, but just one side talking.
Should Clark manage to raise the money to buy the air time, it's unlike that the Jims would work anyway, due to the length of their video, which frankly, are only good at this point for a debate in social media land. But with Bachmann's missteps with her own Jim, from unauthorized logo use, to honestly, a man in a blazer who misidentifies a pronto pup as a corndog, two things which paint him as a total Minnesota outsider, her own Jim may not be doing her much good, either.
LAS VEGAS -- A Netroots Nation speaker introducing Rep. Michelle Bachman's Democratic opponent joked about making the Minnesota representative wear "fishnets" like a Vegas cocktail waitress.
Laura Fanders, the host of Grittv, was introducing Bachmann's challenger, Tarryl Clark, when she said: "Another little update from the Right Online folks. Michelle Bachmann was there last night. Sen. Franken is gonna wrestle with her."
She went on to say that, "We'll make her wear those fishnets that they're wearing serving cocktails outside. That's the kind of Netroots we like."
