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Name: Aubrey Immelman
Location: Sartell, MN
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God Bless Bob Dole

Posted by Aubrey Immelman on Thursday, October 22, 2009 10:04:26 AM
Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, eager for a few minutes in the media limelight but evincing little appreciation of Sacrifice in Service to Country, participated in a drive-by dissing of decorated war hero Bob Dole, essentially characterizing him as a loser.


Sen. Robert Joseph (Bob) Dole

Appearing as a guest on Laura Ingraham's radio program to discuss the ideological direction of the Republican Party and recent statements by retired GOP Senate Majority Leaders Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Bob Dole (R-Kan.) in support of health care reform, Bachmann mocked Dole -- who has said "we've got to do something" to reform health care -- as being complicit in a "non-pro-freedom agenda."

 
In my book, Bob Dole is a genuine American hero. Gravely wounded on the battlefield in World War II while attempting to drag a comrade to safety under heavy enemy fire, 2 Lt. Dole was decorated for valor, earning the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster and two Purple Hearts.
 

Bob Dole, off to war in 1945.
(The Russell Daily News)
 
My suggestion to Bachmann: Read Dole's autobiography, One Soldier's Story: A Memoir (HarperCollins, 2005), in which he recounts his service as a 21-year-old second lieutenant and platoon leader in the Army's 10th Mountain Division.
 
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Damaging the Reputation of the GOP?

Posted by Aubrey Immelman on Saturday, September 19, 2009 2:02:11 PM

The 'Bomb-Throwing' Michele Bachmann

Politico reports that elements within the GOP are concerned that the "bomb-throwing" Rep. Michele Bachmann, Republican of Minnesota, may be inflicting damage on the party’s reputation with her incessant incendiary rhetoric.

The report is buried in an article by Glenn Thrush on House Minority Leader John Boehner's unsuccessful attempts last week to cajole South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson to apologize for heckling President Barack Obama at the Sept. 9 Joint Session of Congress with the retort "You lie!"

John Boehner Struggles to Keep Up With Base

By Glenn Thrush
POLITICO.com Logo - Click to return to home page
Sept. 17, 2009

Excerpts

House Minority Leader John Boehner spent much of last week trying to persuade a stubborn Rep. Joe Wilson to apologize to the House — telling associates he needed to “get to” Wilson before the weekend to elicit an apology.

But as the days dragged on, Boehner had to back off: Wilson’s spine was stiffened by $1.5 million in campaign contributions, the Democrats’ anti-Wilson rhetoric had become increasingly extreme, and the South Carolina Republican was rapidly accumulating support from the conference’s dominant right wing. ...

Like a surfer riding the heavy waves before a hurricane, Boehner, a conservative with a penchant for compromise, has spent the past few months trying to harness the anger of the GOP base without allowing his conference to veer too far to the right. ...

Long before the tea parties or Wilson’s outburst, Boehner and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) had struggled to moderate the rhetorical excesses of House conservatives hammering away on Obama’s birth certificate, decrying the creation of “death panels” and ferreting out signs of creeping socialism.

Sources say they have been especially wary of the possible damage inflicted on the party’s reputation by bomb-throwing Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), who last fall called for an investigation into whether members of Congress are “pro-America or anti-America.” [link and emphasis added] ...

-----------------------------

Related reports

Eric Kleefeld notes on Talking Points Memo:

[Republicans] certainly are in a bind when it comes to Bachmann. On the one hand, the base loves her and she's frequently invited on television. On the other hand, she calls for revolution and warns against the government using Census data to round people up into internment camps. [links added] ...

Dump Bachmann gets straight to the point:

Until the GOP refutes or otherwise officially distances themselves from Rep. Bachmann, she will remain the face and shrill voice of the party. [link added] 

MicheleBachman2.jpg
U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann: New "face and shrill voice" of the GOP?
 
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How Bad Will 2010 Be for Congressional Democrats?

Posted by Aubrey Immelman on Saturday, August 22, 2009 2:01:34 PM
It's common for the party that controls the White House to lose seats in Congress in the first off-year election after winning the presidency.
 
How bad will 2010 be for Democrats? Current projections range from cautious estimates of just a handful (not much more than 5), to credible estimates of around 20, to doomsday scenarios for Democrats of double that (and loss of Democratic control of the House of Representatives).
 
Charles Mahtesian reports as follows on "The Scorecard" (Aug. 20, 2009) at Politico.com:

Charlie Cook: Dem situation has 'slipped completely out of control'

Charlie Cook, one of the best political handicappers in the business, sent out a special update to Cook Political Report subscribers Thursday that should send shivers down Democratic spines.

Reviewing recent polling and the 2010 election landscape, Cook can envision a scenario in which Democratic House losses could exceed 20 seats.

"These data confirm anecdotal evidence, and our own view, that the situation this summer has slipped completely out of control for President Obama and Congressional Democrats. Today, The Cook Political Report’s Congressional election model, based on individual races, is pointing toward a net Democratic loss of between six and 12 seats, but our sense, factoring in macro-political dynamics is that this is far too low," he wrote.

"Many veteran Congressional election watchers, including Democratic ones, report an eerie sense of déjà vu, with a consensus forming that the chances of Democratic losses going higher than 20 seats is just as good as the chances of Democratic losses going lower than 20 seats."

Cook scrupulously avoided any mention that Democratic control of the House is in jeopardy but, noting a new Gallup poll showing Congress’ job disapproval at 70 percent among independents, concluded that the post-recess environment could feel considerably different than when Congress left in August. ...

Full report and comments

Related report
 
Faith in Obama drops as reform fears rise (Washington Post, Aug. 21, 2009) -- Public confidence in President Obama's leadership has declined sharply over the summer, amid intensifying opposition to health-care reform that threatens to undercut his attempt to enact major changes to the system, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. ...
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