Nov 18, 2009 02:57 PM
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New York, 4:32 AM
Wed Feb 10
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Everyone is paying so much attention to one crazy liar lady that they have forgotten all about the other one, the one who still holds elected office! Thankfully, Michele Bachmann is stepping up the crazy.
World Net Daily—the completely insane right-wing "news site" that promotes and "researches" and obsesses over conspiracies like Obama's Kenyan birth and the NAFTA superhighway and FEMA concentration camps—held a press conference on Capitol Hill to celebrate their successful campaign to have their crazy (but spendy!) readers send "pink slips" to members of Congress. Lots of Republican congressmen went! Including Michele Bachmann, pictured with WND editor-in-chief Joseph Farah, one of the foremost birthers.
And remember earlier this month, when Bachmann helped organize and promote the anti-health care reform tea party protest at the Capitol? For the record, that was not a protest. That was a "press conference." It may have looked like a protest, as it was an explicitly partisan event at which the organizers encouraged the public attendees to tear up copies of a bill under consideration, and there was no point at which the press asked anyone questions about anything, but there was one important factor that made that a "press conference" and not a "demonstration": a "demonstration" would not have been allowed under House rules. Because they never sought a permit from the Capitol Police.
Furthermore, if that was a "rally" or a "protest" or a "demonstration" (which it wasn't! it was a simple "press conference"!) Bachmann would've violated House rules when she used her House website to organize and promote it.
That announcement described the event as a "Health Care ‘House Call' on Washington Press Conference" and urged citizens to "tell their Representatives to vote no to a government take-over of one-fifth of our economy."
According to the Member's Handbook - guidelines issued by the House Administration panel that govern the use of official office budgets - lawmakers "may not include grassroots lobbying or solicit support for a Member's position" on their Congressional Web sites.
Yes. Well. Seems pretty clear-cut! But the House Administration Committee decided Bachmann did not violate any rules, even though it basically looks like she completely did. The upshot is that we are granted one of those very small ironies that bitter coastal types cling to, like real Americans and religion: this means Bachmann's anti-government spending "tea party" protest was eligible to be paid for with funds from her official Members' Representational Allowance, making it a tax-funded tea party.
This, by the way, is the cover of this week's Minneapolis City Pages, which is running its millionth "history of Michele Bachmann" piece. This one actually kinda elides much of the crazy! Like the baby-farming and the hiding in bushes and stuff.
Send an email to Alex Pareene, the author of this post, at alexp@gawker.com.
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
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