Michele Bachmann to Speak About Something She Seems to Know Little About: The Constitution

Thumbnail image for bachmann_1.jpg
Michele Bachmann can't be bothered with mere facts
After Charlie Sheen injected tiger blood and seven-gram rocks into the national discourse this week, you may be numb to subtly absurd political gaffes. But let's take a few minutes to look at the congresswoman currently visiting Florida, who is known for purporting falsities and misinformation.
 
Later today, Rep. Michele Bachmann will speak to the Palm Beach County chapter of the South Florida Tea Party at Abacoa Golf Club in Jupiter. The invitation says that the Minnesota Republican will speak about spending and constitutional issues. But a quick scan of
Bachmann's file on Pulitzer Prize-winning website PolitiFact.com shows various statements that cast serious doubt on her judgment and knowledge of these subjects.  

Regarding spending, Bachmann once claimed, "The president of the United States will be taking a trip over to India that is expected to cost the taxpayers $200 million a day."

The figure had sparked outrage among many conservatives before Bachmann blasted it as an example of massive overspending. However much it outraged, the figure wasn't large enough to inspire any fact-checking efforts. It had originated from an anonymous source quoted in a report from an Indian news agency.  

Regarding the Constitution, Bachmann said that it requires her to tell the census only how many people live in her home. 

"And I know for my family, the only question we'll be answering is how many people are in our home. We won't be answering any information beyond that, because the Constitution doesn't require any information beyond that." 

The folks at PolitiFact found this to be not only inaccurate and misleading but that it encourages others to break the law. 

Bachmann, you may remember, jumped into the national spotlight in January, when she delivered the Tea Party response to President Obama's State of the Union address. That's when she claimed that government efficiency standards infringed upon our liberty to purchase certain light bulbs. The Sarah Palin comparisons soon followed. 

Considered a GOP hopeful in the 2012 presidential primary, some see her trip to Florida and other early-voting states as posturing for the nomination. But Bachmann hasn't decided whether she'll run. And she's also remained silent on the Florida Legislature's decision to bump the primary date up to January 29, in violation of rules set by both parties. Given her willingness to accept dubious assertions as facts and construct her own version of the truth, maybe we can learn more from her silence.

Follow The Juice on Twitter: @TheJuiceBPB.

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter: Our weekly feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more - minus the newsprint and sent directly to your inbox.

Privacy Policy
Sign up for free stuff, news info & more!

Tools

Services

Auto

Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places

    Voice Places

    Discover restaurants, nightlife, travel, shopping...

  • VOICE Daily Deals

    VOICE Daily Deals

    Get 50 to 90% off every day on restaurants, movies, massages...

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    More than 10,000 of the BEST things to eat, drink, and experience

  • My Voice Nation

    My Voice Nation

    Join the Village Voice community and get exclusive deals and info

  • Happy Hour

    Happy Hour

    Your local Happy Hour guide at your fingertips

or

Log in or Sign up

Social Connect:

Use your favorite account to access My Voice Nation.


Use your My Voice Nation account to log in:





Forgot password?
or

Sign Up or Log in

Social Connect:

Sign up for My Voice Nation with your preferred network.


Sign up for a My Voice Nation account:



Privacy policy