Michele Bachmann finds plenty of friends back home

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www.politico.com/news/stories/0712/78830.html


By: Jake Sherman
July 23, 2012 04:39 AM EDT

ELK RIVER, Minn. — The verdict from Washington last week was swift and bipartisan: Michele Bachmann was out of line.

Accusing two prominent Muslims — State Department aide Huma Abedin and Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota — of being tied to the Muslim Brotherhood was a step too far, even for the conservative firebrand.

But the Northeast corridor’s stunned disbelief at what it saw as a loony conspiracy theory is replaced with hollers of support among Bachmann’s many devoted fans here in the exurbs north of the Twin Cities that she represents.

(Also on POLITICO: Republicans line up to rip Michele Bachmann)

If anything, the uproar seems to have galvanized her base. And the contrasting reaction demonstrates why Democrats will have a hard time in their latest effort to unseat the GOP lightning rod.

Supporters like Duane Halstad, a 69-year-old who was sitting on a porch watching a parade here, said Bachmann is the “only one telling the truth about this thing.” He also said he believes President Barack Obama vacations on Martha’s Vineyard to observe the Islamic holiday of Ramadan. Obama is a Christian.

Rachel Olson, a 41-year-old from Isanti said flatly that she doesn’t “think [Bachmann] would make something up.”

The theme that emerged in roughly two dozen interviews over the weekend — at parades and a county fair — is echoed within Bachmann’s inner circle.

Bachmann has long been drawn to the idea that Muslim Brotherhood agents are infiltrating the government — even before she landed a seat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Ron Carey, former chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party and Bachmann’s chief of staff in 2010, said he was present during a private briefing in her office about the group. Bachmann is simply “privy to information that you and I don’t have.”

“It was very sobering, some of the information this individual was sharing in this private meeting about the Muslim Brotherhood,” Carey said. “I think she’s been exposed to a lot of discussion on the Hill, and it’s been an area of tremendous interest with her.”

And just like that, the outlines of the post-presidential profile of Bachmann became abundantly clear. A year ago, the 56-year-old tea party favorite was flying high. Campaigning last year in Iowa, she was, for a time, the front-runner for the presidential nomination.

Her campaign came apart at the seams, and she faded into the background of Republican politics. Many wondered if she’d run for office again.

But now, her political star has risen once again on the far right. She’s become an annoyance for House Republican leaders, who say her conspiracy theories tarnish the party’s brand and run afoul of their economy-focused message.

Meanwhile, the left is again targeting her for defeat.

Democrats spent millions in an unsuccessful bid to beat Bachmann in 2010. They had largely written her off this cycle, thinking a stronger Republican district would make her invincible. But the party seems to be focusing on Democrat Jim Graves, a wealthy Minneapolis businessman who is looking to cast himself as the moderate alternative to the unpredictable Bachmann. The slogan of his campaign is “Getting back to business.”


Democratic polling earlier this summer had him neck and neck with Bachmann. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee seems to be taking the race seriously. The organization’s top midwestern political hand is headed here in the next few weeks. The National Republican Congressional Committee is split: Some senior officials say they’re watching the race; others say they’re not concerned.

“It exemplifies all the things that Michele Bachmann epitomizes in Washington that’s not working,” Graves said before a parade here, speaking of the Muslim Brotherhood incident. “Politics of division, fear-mongering, divisiveness, lack of civility, lack of facts and what have you. It’s not a question of if she’s going to do these things; it’s when.”

The Muslim Brotherhood allegations appeared to become more serious Sunday, when the New York Post reported Abedin that is under police protection after receiving a threat.

Whether Bachmann can actually be knocked off is another matter.

She’s been elected three times, though not by resounding margins. Plus, her district has gotten even more conservative through the decennial redistricting process. She has $1.7 million on hand — and with her national following, potentially millions more in store — compared with Graves’s $400,000.

Still, even some Republicans here seem to be wondering when Bachmann’s sometimes outlandish comments will wear on voters.

“She’s not going to lose because of how she votes; she’s not going to lose because of a personal political philosophy — they’re both fine,” said Scott Cottington, a longtime Minnesota GOP political hand. “She’ll lose if enough people draw the conclusion that enough is enough.”

Graves is betting this is the year. Later this summer, he plans to announce he has the backing of the Minnesota Independence Party, which analysts think could begin to offset Bachmann’s staunch support of the party’s faithful. He’s not afraid to illustrate differences with President Barack Obama’s policies and plans to barnstorm New York and Chicago later this summer for cash from friends and business partners.

“My history is — I don’t mean to be arrogant — I don’t lose too often,” Graves said.

State Republican party officials are hardly rushing to Bachmann’s defense. State party Chairman Pat Shortridge was “not available” to talk about Bachmann, according to his spokeswoman. The GOP congressional district chairwoman declined to talk on the record.

Bachmann’s campaign did not respond to an email seeking comment about her public schedule over the weekend. She was not at the Elk River parade despite mentioning the event on her campaign website. Instead, she was raising money in Rochester, hours away, with Allen Quist, the Republican challenging Democratic Rep. Tim Walz. The fundraiser was held at the home of Dr. Scott Wright — a Republican whom, coincidentally, Graves has been consulting on health care policy.


Graves plans to brand himself as a small-business job creator. His Graves 601 Hotel is among the most posh in Minneapolis — in fact, it’s where Obama and Vice President Joe Biden first huddled in 2008 to discuss their presidential ticket.

Graves is trying to co-opt some of the libertarian support of Texas Rep. Ron Paul, a popular figure here. The Democrat says government doesn’t have the right to dictate who marries whom or whether a woman can have an abortion — both risky positions in a district rife with evangelicals.

Ask him about Obama, and he dashes away. He doesn’t like how Obama “framed” the tax issue as “class separation” or “fairness” — a familiar refrain from Washington Republicans. Graves would’ve gotten out of Afghanistan quicker, he says, and prefers the deficit-reduction plan authored by Erskine Bowles and former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.), which Obama rejected.

“We clearly don’t run side by side with the president on all issues,” Graves said. “We think he’s done some good things, and there are things we would do differently.”

Then there’s his steep money disadvantage. Graves is worth as much as $100 million but is plainly not interested in funding his race. He’s put in $250,000 of his own money so far.

“We’re looking for skin in the game in support from the community,” he said.

He’s also had trouble with convincing the left that he can beat Bachmann. In 2010, liberal Democrat Tarryl Clark fell short of topping the incumbent despite piles of cash from progressives. That has given the left pause this year.

Still, Graves thinks new areas of the district — such as the western suburbs of the Twin Cities — can break his way. Furthermore, he says he finds that more voters abhor Bachmann’s outbursts rather than cheer them.

There are certainly many here who are tired of Bachmann. Daniel Troy, a political independent from Ramsey, said, “She’s the worst person in Washington.”

“She has a lot of claims that she doesn’t back up,” Troy, 35, said, sitting at a table selling toys at the East Bethel parade. “That’s what she’s done her entire career, so it’s nothing new to me; it wasn’t surprising. I don’t know if her claims are factual or if they’re made up out of nowhere.”

Sixty-four-year old Steve Brosko is also an independent seeking change.

“She seems to go off on flipping things, like now with Al Qaeda,” he said, mixing up his Muslim groups. “With our local media, she hasn’t done any interviews, but nationally, I think she has. I think she should be able to speak to her constituents about that, too, at the local level. Not everybody has access to the cable networks.”

“She’s more of a character,” Brosko added.

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