To: simplicity who wrote (718298 ) 5/29/2013 11:16:23 AM From: tejek 1 Recommendation Read Replies (2) | Respond to Michele Bachmann to exit stage right Steve Benen she won't seek re-election .In a video posted on her website and on YouTube, the stressed that her decision to stand down from her Minnesota seat was not due to any concern she would be defeated at the next election in 2014 or the inquiries into activities of her former presidential campaign staff. Bachmann's YouTube video was posted to Maddow Blog earlier .While Bachmann may hope to convey a sense of confidence, the truth is her career was in serious jeopardy. In recent elections, the right-wing Minnesotan eked out narrow victories -- she very nearly lost last November -- and recent polling suggested Bachmann would struggle to keep her seat in 2014. Quitting will save her the trouble of losing. under investigation by the FBI, the Office of Congressional Ethics, the Federal Elections Commission, and an ethics panel in Iowa for a variety of alleged misdeeds. If the congresswoman's bizarre ideology and erratic behavior weren't enough to push voters away, her ongoing scandals made her career prospects that much worse.but I'd just note that Bachmann proudly embraces bizarre conspiracy theories ; she routinely says ridiculous things on national television; she pretends to grasp public policies she doesn't really understand; and her worldview is detached from reality to an unnerving degree. Even as the Republican Party leaps off a right-wing cliff, Bachmann stands out for her unique brand of madness . FDR passed "Hoot-Smalley" and caused the Depression? How about the time Bachmann argued a bipartisan national service bill would lead to " re-education camps "? Or maybe the time she suggested the U.S. Census might lead to " internment camps "? Or perhaps the time she urged her supporters to slit their wrists ?
