I am not a Bachmann fan, but those comments in THAT context do not strike me as egregious.
Here's the quote that's troubling:
"I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us, having a revolution every now and then is a good thing, and the people -- we the people -- are going to have to fight back hard if we're not going to lose our country. And I think this has the potential of changing the dynamic of freedom forever in the United States and that's why I want everyone to come out and hear. So go to bachmann.house.gov and you can get all the information." [pauses reflect pauses, not omitted text]
I take two things from this quote. First, that it's reasonable to find reasons for alarm here. After all, this is only a conversation about cap and trade but she is rolling out the heavy metal of "armed and dangerous", "having a revolution every now and then", and "changing the dynamic of freedom forever." So if Krugman or Benen or whomsoever find, with this context, that she is in troubled waters here, it's more than reasonable.
Second, let's go back to the issue, cap and trade. It's a classic wonkish policy issue with a solution proposed by Republicans now being picked up by a Dem President and a Dem Congress.
Strikes me that it takes heavy doses of paranoia and "government as tyranny" to get to the Bachmann's rhetoric. |
