The woman has no clue. - Michele Bachmann

[doggie]

She thinks she can control the media? and hide her wacked out husband and business? what a fool.

Bachmann says she, not husband, running for office

PHILIP ELLIOTT

Published: Jul 28, 2011 6:33 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) - Rep. Michele Bachmann steadfastly refused Thursday to answer questions about her family's business and finances, saying that she - not her husband - was the one seeking the White House.

The Minnesota Republican faced queries about Marcus Bachmann's Christian counseling clinic that attempts to convert gay patients as well as her own beliefs on sexuality during a luncheon at the National Press Club. With her husband sitting nearby, Bachmann said she expected scrutiny as a candidate but questions about her family were off-limits.

"I'm running for the presidency of the United States. My husband is not running for the presidency. Neither are my children. Neither is our business," she said.

"I am more than happy to stand for questions on running for the presidency of the United States," she continued. "I have no doubt that every jot and tittle of my life will be fully looked at and inspected prior to November of 2012."

Bachmann, who is campaigning hard ahead of next month's debate and straw poll in Iowa, has steadfastly refused to discuss the family's business that has faced criticism from gay rights groups. When asked to describe her beliefs on gay therapy, Michele Bachmann said she loved her husband of 32 years and then said her husband was not a campaign issue.

She also faced questions about her opposition to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Washington Post reported this week that its analysis of her loan documents suggests her family used those federally subsidized programs in 2008.

"Unlike all of you, who I'm sure paid cash for your homes, there are people out there like myself who actually have to go to a bank to get a mortgage. This is a problem: it's almost impossible to buy a home in this country today without the federal government being involved," she said.

"We need to get the federal government out of these programs."

Bachmann used her speech to discuss Congress' ongoing effort to increase the limit on the nation's credit card. She downplayed the catastrophic consequences predicted if lawmakers allow the United States to default on its debts.

Bachmann, a darling of the libertarian tea party, has vowed to vote against any increase in the debt ceiling and called the deal being negotiated on Capitol Hill as one based on "illusory" and "counterfeit" savings. She said President Barack Obama has misled the American people on when the government would run out of borrowing authority and has employed "scare tactics" that have needlessly spooked Wall Street.

"The current negotiations over the debt ceiling illustrate exactly what is wrong with Washington, D.C., today," said during her speech. "The lack of a clear plan from our president to substantially reduce our debt is what's scaring the markets. ... The markets know when politicians are serious about spending cuts and the markets know when politicians are not."

The nation faces a Tuesday deadline to increase Washington's borrowing power to pay its bills. Congressional leaders were working to find a compromise that cuts future spending as a trade-off to avoid a government default that could send world markets crashing and could downgrade the United States' credit rating.

Bachmann said that would not happen; she offered no specifics to back up that claim.

[urban explorer]

I can't believe this women is still falpping her gums and people listen to her.

[LynnKaboom]

Bachmann, a darling of the libertarian tea party,

This is one of my pet peeves. The tea party is not libertarian. The tea party is theocratic and intrusive into personal lives, which is exactly the opposite of what libertarians stand for.

[BlackHawk]

This is one of my pet peeves. The tea party is not libertarian. The tea party is theocratic and intrusive into personal lives, which is exactly the opposite of what libertarians stand for.

EXACTLY!! I wish more people took the time to realize this!

[Guest Anonymous]

EXACTLY!! I wish more people took the time to realize this!

In theory, you're both right. But if you look at the actual politicians that are running under the libertarian label, their platforms are far more in line with the tea party than libertarian ideals.

Ron Paul is supremely anti-choice. Bob Barr, who ran as a libertarian in 2008 is even worse. He's anti-choice and attempted to ban people in the U.S. military from practicing Wicca, for example.

[nutella addict]

They want the government out of their conservative Christian lives, but they want to use the government to make everyone follow the same beliefs. So, they think they're libertarian because they don't want the government involved in their lives, and don't realize that we mainstream Christians, Jews, Atheists, Agnostics, Muslims, etc, are people too.

[justakitten]

This woman is from my state (thankfully not the same district) and she scares the heck out of me. Luckily she has no chance *crosses fingers*

[LynnKaboom]

In theory, you're both right. But if you look at the actual politicians that are running under the libertarian label, their platforms are far more in line with the tea party than libertarian ideals.

Ron Paul is supremely anti-choice. Bob Barr, who ran as a libertarian in 2008 is even worse. He's anti-choice and attempted to ban people in the U.S. military from practicing Wicca, for example.

Yeah, I'm aware of that. But they suck at being libertarian, which is pretty apparent to anyone who actually knows what libertarianism is supposed to be.

We need more REAL libertarian politicians (and yes, I'm aware of how that sounds like the No True Scotsman fallacy, but it's true), ones who realize that "freedom" doesn't just limit to the economic aspect. You can't be a libertarian if you want the government up in everyone's personal business but not in the economic sphere. That makes you closer to a Republican. And it's unfortunate that our supposed libertarian politicians are really just Republicans in a half-assed disguise.

[Guest Anonymous]

Yeah, I'm aware of that. But they suck at being libertarian, which is pretty apparent to anyone who actually knows what libertarianism is supposed to be.

We need more REAL libertarian politicians (and yes, I'm aware of how that sounds like the No True Scotsman fallacy, but it's true), ones who realize that "freedom" doesn't just limit to the economic aspect. You can't be a libertarian if you want the government up in everyone's personal business but not in the economic sphere. That makes you closer to a Republican. And it's unfortunate that our supposed libertarian politicians are really just Republicans in a half-assed disguise.

All of that? Totally agree with you. I wish the pretend libertarians would just be republicans already and give the honest to goodness libertarians a shot at running a viable third party.

Even though I'm way more of a socialist economically, it still bugs me that the tea partiers ran away with the libertarian brand.

[LynnKaboom]

All of that? Totally agree with you. I wish the pretend libertarians would just be republicans already and give the honest to goodness libertarians a shot at running a viable third party.

Even though I'm way more of a socialist economically, it still bugs me that the tea partiers ran away with the libertarian brand.

Yeah, I'm not super thrilled that the tea party hijacked my political philosophy. They even infiltrated my old university's Young Libertarians society- it was more like the Glenn Beck Fan Club.