Liberal in the Land of Conservative

I'm Sorry And I'm Out...

political_muse@hotmail.com — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:00:00 +0000

To whom it may concern,

I recently joined with five other bloggers who I count as friends in the hope that we could create a different kind of blog. A blog that was less about pandering to one side of the political spectrum and more about a discussion of issues and good campaign politics versus bad campaign politics. I was more excited about blogging than I had been in a long time.

Unfortunately, what began as a fun collaboration turned into an absolute nightmare with the introduction of one post. If you are unaware of the post to which I am referring, then count yourself lucky. If you are aware of the post to which I am referring, then I am sorry.

I did not write the post, I don't know who did, and frankly I don't really care to ever find out. All of that is beside the point of this post though because I bear an equal culpability. Rather than stay silent on the matter or do the right thing and express disappointment I jumped on the twitter account for Northstar Liberal and fanned the flames. I went after Robin Marty and Jeff Fecke for no other reason than they were coming after my blog. I have no other excuse than to say it was a momentary lapse in judgment and I regret it. To both those individuals, I am deeply sorry. I take full responsibility for that behavior and can only hope that those people involved accept my apologies.

To that end, I will no longer be blogging, tweeting, or participating in DFL politics. I have not been very enthusiastic about blogging and politics lately as it is and this event simply demonstrated to me that it is time to get out. To those of you who I have met in person along the way, I hope we can stay in touch. To those of you who I have not met in person, it was fun interacting with you and I wish you the best.

More On That Revealing Tweet...

political_muse@hotmail.com — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

On Sunday I posted an interesting tweet from Representative Tom Emmer indicating that he would have Minnesota not participate in a "federal health plan". From the statement, it was unclear as to which federal health plan he was referring and I patiently await an answer to clear things up.

There is another, slightly humorous, FAIL element to this story which I conveniently left out yesterday. Very quickly after this tweet and several others by Representative Emmer were sent out and I began questioning them, they disappeared. I was able to preserve them from my tweetdeck and they are featured on the left but why did they disappear? Was there something in them that Emmer thought twice about posting?

Aside from the idea of removing us from Medicare, Medicaid, and Vet federal health plans there wasn't anything I could see which was terribly offensive or inappropriate. What then could be the reason for removing all of these messages?

After some very serious searching and exhaustive investigative measures were taken (not really, but I like to sound like I was putting a lot of time into this) I discovered that it wasn't Emmer after all. Apparently, someone named Harry Niska had hijacked the Emmer account. OK, Maybe he hadn't hijacked it but I still am wondering why he has access to the twitter account of Tom Emmer. Are Emmer's tweets not his own?

Best Thing On #tcot

political_muse@hotmail.com — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:00:00 +0000

I am learning something about this world of #tcot. The vast majority of tweets are to simply express solidarity with some other person who has tweeted something outrageous. That being said, here we go again...

Wait, what? We have hijacked the term Christian? I've got nothing here...

Well of course, nothing says ACORN like Charles Manson. Because apparently the right didn't think they had demonized ACORN quite enough?

Nothing says slavery like trying to extend health care to everyone in the country!

Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?

More TEA Party FAIL...

political_muse@hotmail.com — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

You can read all about the details over at I Don't Hate America but you can view the video right here. While it's slightly difficult to hear at times, this super guy is about to tell you that the Violence Against Women Act is little more than a way for illegal immigrants to gain legal access to our country. And here I thought I had heard everything...

Best Thing On #tcot

political_muse@hotmail.com — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Bring on the crazy...

HA HA, that guy called President Obama a prostitute AND a drug addict. Wait, isn't the guy retweeting this the Secretary of the SD15 Republican Party here in Minnesota? Yep, that's him. You stay classy Leo!

I can completely understand disagreeing with the policy decisions made by this President. Are they really evil though? Sorry, I forgot about cash for clunkers. THAT EVIL BASTARD!

Oh, top conservative on twitter, you are totally policy based and about opposing the agenda of President Obama. You are totally NOT about spreading hate...

So, we learned some very valuable lessons today from the top conservatives on twitter. Barack is a prostitute, drug dealing, secret Muslim while Michelle is a whore and a secret Muslim.

Now keep in mind that these are tweets I have found by simply giving #tcot a passing glance now and then. Otherwise, they are tweets which have been sent to me. What we are learning is that there is very little substance on #tcot and a whole lot of vitriolic uselessness. So, keep them coming...

A Revealing Tweet...

political_muse@hotmail.com — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:13:00 +0000

An interesting tweet scrolled across my screen yesterday from potential Republican Gubernatorial nominee, Tom Emmer, in regards to "federal health care plans":

What is not clear from this particular tweet is to WHICH federal health care plan Mr. Emmer is referring. Is Emmer referring to Medicare which is a federal health care plan? Is Emmer referring to Medicaid which is at least partially federal? Or, is Emmer referring to the federal health care plan for veterans?

One wonders how seniors, the poor, and veterans will react to the potential of having their federal health care plans pulled out from under them by a Governor Emmer in the name of states rights.

TEA Party FAIL...

political_muse@hotmail.com — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:05:00 +0000

A huge thanks to DJ from I Don't Hate America and Sally Jo from Bluestem Prairie for documenting this event at the Capitol:

Watch the slack jawed look on the faces of protesters by the end of the speech. PRICELESS...

What's Missing From Gary's Head?

political_muse@hotmail.com — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:00:00 +0000

I just visited Gary Gross's website just to "check it out" and not at all to see if there was something, ANYTHING that I could piss and moan about in regards to Gross. While I couldn't put my finger on it right away, I just KNEW there was something missing that I could in turn make political hay about.

Yes, it has the obligatory Tarryl Clark was mean to me once so I am going to whine about it even nearly two years after the fact post. There are 175 other truly hard hitting substantive articles accusing Tarryl of every "liberal" sin in the conservative handbook. There's a "Donate" button too.

Then it dawned on me. Gary doesn't have anything to whine about today so he decided to go to the old standby of obsessing about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING his arch nemesis Tarryl Clark does, says, or sometimes doesn't say.

Why won't Gary just tell us with the authority that only HE has what Tarryl believes on the not at all loaded terms "Cap & Tax" and "Pelosicare"? I would stipulate that Gary has already gone through the trouble of assuming to know what Tarryl will do when it comes to taxes so why put us through this waste of time storyline about how he just wants to see where Tarryl stands on these other issues.

Still, it is entirely possible for Gary to manufacture a list of beliefs for Tarryl because only GARY GROSS knows what Tarryl Clark REALLY believes. And that is not because he spends every waking moment obsessing about more ways to bash Tarryl. He really was just going over to peak at her website and browse around.

Gary Gross knows FOR A FACT that Tarryl Clark wants to institute that communist single payer health care stuff and he knows FOR A FACT that Tarryl Clark would have maybe voted for the Stupak Amendment but she wouldn't have liked it. He knows all this because one time Tarryl attended a forum where the words single payer were spoken! Nevermind the fact that Gary's buddy Steve Gottwalt attended the same forum. TOTALLY DIFFERENT!

Gary Gross knows FOR A FACT that Tarryl Clark would vote to destroy America because she has a 100% rating from some group.

Gary Gross knows FOR A FACT that Tarryl Clark would vote to spend every dime IN THE WORLD because she didn't have the foresight in 2007 to know that Republicans had so screwed up the financial sector that an impending financial crisis would occur in 2008.

Gary Gross knows FOR A FACT that Tarryl Clark will do whatever her union overlords tell her to do because he has been there for every conversation that Clark has ever had with a union member and all she does is say "Yes, master" to them. Nevermind the fact that she was prepared to, as a leader in the State Senate, to cut the education budget far more than even the Republicans. Also nevermind the conversation I had with her at lobby day for Education Minnesota where she told me straight out to prepare for cuts.

There are a lot of blanks that voters need to be lied to about with regards to Tarryl Clark and Gary is more than willing to help. (It's obvious that Tarryl is hiding something by not putting up an issues page).

Gary's assumptions about Tarryl's actions & priorities are way different than they are about Michele Bachmann. For Tarryl, talking to some news outlet (which is obviously a communist rag) means that she already doesn't have time for her constituents. For Michele though, having more press people than policy people and going on every conservative news outlet she can on a daily basis totally means she has time for her constituents.

Hopefully, Gary will find out soon what Tarryl puts on her issues page. That way he can stop pretending to know what Tarryl believes and then lie about it and just simply lie about it.

Stop by this blog frequently to stay updated on the next Gary Gross manufactured Tarryl Clark hit piece. I'm doing the job that Gary Gross will not tell you he is actually doing.

Best Thing On #tcot...

political_muse@hotmail.com — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Yesterday I rolled out a brand new feature here on Liberal in the Land of Conservative seeking out the stupidest, funniest, or down right craziest comments to be found on the #tcot (top conservative on twitter) stream. Remember, if you run across one of these, then simply send me a link or screen shot by email (political.muse.litloc (at) gmail.com)

Without further ado...

Well, I guess he's not QUITE AS BAD as 9/11 so there's that...

Now, lest you think that these are just silly wackos who do not represent parties as a whole I would like to point out that this fine fellow is apparently the Chairman of the American Reform Party.

Now I am not entirely clear how someone can be faithless (perfidious) AND Muslim AND a Godking but somehow that damned GodKing does it!

I love it when conservatives say, "SEE I HAVE A BLACK FRIEND". So there are black conservatives. I would be MORE concerned if there weren't ANY black conservatives.

On Those Broadview Commercials...

political_muse@hotmail.com — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:46:00 +0000

Have you seen them? The ones that show upper middle class homes being terrorized by intruders. The ones that are supposed to make you so scared that you will invest in one of their security systems. Every time I see one of these I have to roll my eyes and wonder just how many people out there watch and become so paranoid of the criminals running rampant through their suburban neighborhoods that they buy one.

Well, if you are one of those people, then this video is for YOU:

BE AFRAID! BE VERY AFRAID!

Best Thing On #tcot...

political_muse@hotmail.com — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:11:00 +0000

Don't know what #tcot is, you say?

It is a hashtag used by those people on twitter who want their tweets added to a specific stream of tweets thus making them easier to find. There are humorous hashtags, event specific hashtags, and what I would call long term hashtags. Specifically, #tcot stands for "Top Conservative On Twitter" and would fall into the latter category of long term hashtags although a serious argument could be made that it also falls under the humorous category.

Inspired by twitter user @schmiss who began sharing some of the hilarity that can be found on #tcot, I decided to turn this into a regular blog feature.

How will it work? Well, starting today I will post screenshots of some of the more crazy and incoherent claims made by conservatives on twitter through the #tcot hashtag. Your job will be to vote on your favorite in the comments. If you are on twitter, take a glance at #tcot every now and then and send the links to any particularly humorous #tcot tweets to political.muse.litloc (at) gmail.com and perhaps they will make it onto the next edition of Best Thing On #tcot.

So here we go...

I am not sure if Dear Citizen realizes but we re-vote every four years...

I haven't got any idea what sheeple are or how you "suscribe" to sheepledom but Sue damn well ain't gonna do it!

Oh birthers, you provide me with so much enjoyment. NEVER. EVER. CHANGE.

Libertarian Paradise!

political_muse@hotmail.com — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:01:00 +0000

h/t to twitter user, @schmiss for this video...

Seriously, I wonder all the time why, if a libertarian economic system is the best according to Republicans and conservatives, I cannot find a single country in the world actually using such a system. Come on conservatives, help me out here...

That's My Representative...

political_muse@hotmail.com — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:53:00 +0000

Aren't we proud here in the 6th District of Minnesota? While Democrats came to the floor yesterday prior to the debate on Health Care legislation for simple procedural statements, our very own Michele Bachmann tripped over herself to object to each and every one. In some cases objecting before the speaker had even opened their mouth. Ah, the pride we feel about our freedom loving representative:

Interrupting the legislative process is not something new for Bachmann. Let us hearken back to when she was in the Minnesota State Senate:

You gotta love her definition of freedom...

Mob Rule

political_muse@hotmail.com — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:12:00 +0000

By Taxpayingliberal

Michelle Bachmann held a press conference on the steps of the Capital last Thursday. It was called a press conference because she failed to get a permit for a rally. Freedom loving Americans won’t allow legal technicalities to get in the way of their right to threaten anybody they see as un-American. This press conference was made to show the power of the mob.

Bachmann loves the mob. It’s this mob that gives her power and she feeds it and it feeds her. The mob is mindless, angry, and confused and in it Bachmann feels that the mob can give her the power that the democratic system has denied her. The mob sends her money and brings her fame. The mob is followed by TV cameras and Bachmann was made for TV. In Congress her vote is meaningless. She has yet to author, co-sponsor, or sign onto a single meaningful bill, a failure by any definition of the word.

But on the street she has power. The mob shouts that the President is both a Marxist and National Socialist and Bachmann smiles and tells them they are “beautiful” and they love her for it. The mob says the President is not an American and Bachmann tells them that they need to be armed and dangerous and they have been waiting years to hear that. The mob says the President is both a Muslim and part of the Jewish conspiracy and Bachmann tells them to go forth and spread the word.

Bachmann didn’t create the mob, that job was done by others most notably Fox News. But Bachmann saw that the mob had no leader and that opportunity was hers for the taking. History is filled with examples where the mob elevated the leader to power. The signs that the mob is carrying show two examples of the mob giving power, Hitler and Mao. The fact that they are using the same technique that elevated these tyrants is lost on them but not on her.

A mob feeds on hate and Bachmann is a master at channeling their fears. Turning the mobs anger towards minorities is her stock and trade and she wouldn’t be standing here today if she hadn’t mastered it. The teabaggers are the mother lode of modern mobs. It’s the first corporate sponsored mob in history since the 3rd Crusade. She’s brought them here under the pretext of opposing a bill. But she knows that they are here for a very different reason. They are here because they fear the future. They say they are here because the future will be controlled by a god hating Muslim, Jewish, Rev. Wright Christian, Maoist, Nazi, new world order liberal. They are really here because of racism. And in Bachmann's home district there is no problem with that.

Bachmann and her mob have no equal. There is no effective response to the mob because the opponents dismiss the mob. They continue to cling to the hope that sanity and reason will prevail and it’s that hope that allows the mob to grow unchecked. “Bachmann is crazy” they say, yet she has not lost an election since her first for school board many years ago. Bachmann knows that she will find plenty of demons for the mob to hate and feed on while her opponents will bank on moderation to inspire their campaigns. In the end as Bachmann knows, hate is her best bet to win.

Demanding Apology From Bachmann...

political_muse@hotmail.com — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:12:00 +0000

Representative Steve Israel is calling on Representative Bachmann to apologize for the use of Holocaust imagery during the rally she organized against health care reform on Thursday, November 5th.

Walz Talks Afghanistan On Hardball

political_muse@hotmail.com — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:47:00 +0000

Rep. Tim Walz was on Hardball w/Chris Matthews tonight discussing Afghanistan:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Soda Tax!? Oh the injustice!!

political_muse@hotmail.com — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:59:00 +0000

By Jeremiah Liend

So I’m watching CNN, because I like pain, and this commercial comes on. This lady is shopping and her son comes up and asks to get a book, and she says, I’m afraid not, it’s not in budget, and the child is sad, but he knows that they cannot afford this book. Then the lady looks at the camera and says that there is legislation on the floor to put taxes on juice drinks and soda, and that working class families can’t afford anymore taxes.

My response; Don’t feed your kid soda. I sent a letter to the editor of our local paper months ago suggesting that if we are going to instate taxes on smokers we should tax the hell out of soda, and for once the system appears to be listening to me. Real juice will not be taxed, just the ones that have 1% fruit juice with the rest being high fructose corn syrup. Delicious corn syrup. Years from now my tax dollars are going to be paying for your kids diabetes because you are apparently unaware that Coke is not good for you.

Where is this coming from? Republicans? Soda advocates? Do the Pepsi people have lobbyists? Soda is a multi-million dollar industry, and if we can pay for children with spina bifida to get surgery because your son or daughter just HAS to get some Mountain Dew, then good. Great. The system works.

I Brought You Into This World...

political_muse@hotmail.com — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:17:00 +0000

I can take you out!

I assume that most of us at one point or another growing up heard this phrase from our parents. It was that warning to you that you had better behave yourself and do what you are told or else you might be punished by those who created you. Unfortunately, some of us have not learned that lesson well.

It was nearly six months ago that this blog brought Maureen Reed into this world by announcing her candidacy publicly and creating buzz throughout the blogosphere. Without that announcement, her roll out might well have been quieter and thus less effective. At the outset, I was excited about this candidate whom I helped into this world and have held back in going full force in for Tarryl Clark who came later to challenge her for the DFL nomination. That is to say, until now...

It is time to take Dr. Reed out of this race. As of yet, she has added little or nothing of substance to the conversation of issues. A young man I spoke with on the phone the other night touted her lack of a voting record as the reason we should be supporting her over State Senator Tarryl Clark. That's right, support me because I stand for nothing thus cannot be attacked for anything. Reed has been so vague, in fact, that Eric Black made it the focus of his interview write up:

Dr. Maureen Reed, candidate for both the DFL and Independence Party endorsements for Congress in the 6th District, will not say whether she will abide by the endorsement process, says that on abortion it would be inaccurate to characterize her as either pro-life or pro-choice, and is unwilling to express a preference among the various ways to get to universal health care.

Being vague is perhaps something we could understand at this point in the game and claiming that a lack of voting record might make for a decent reason to claim you can avoid certain attacks (although I can guarantee that will not stop Bachmann). However, using the same playbook that one would find in the conservative blogosphere is entirely unacceptable:

Reed says Clark's electoral success is limited to one of the most liberal pockets of the district. Clark won her St. Cloud Senate seat in a 2005 special election. She won re-election in 2006, and is currently the assistant Senate majority leader.

So, if Dr. Reed has decided to go all in and use the classic conservative playbook which Bachmann would use against HER regardless of whether she is a conservative, moderate, or liberal Democrat then this blog and this Democrat are officially going to go all in for Senator Tarryl Clark.

So, I say to my friends who have been sitting on the fence with me patiently awaiting for this race to begin, it has begun and the opening attack was thrown by the candidate who has NEVER won an election and whose mere existence on the ballot in 2006 helped to re-elect Governor Tim Pawlenty. It's time to take her out and you can begin by clicking on the banner above to donate to Senator Tarryl Clark...

The Bachmann Top Ten...

political_muse@hotmail.com — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:34:00 +0000

The Week Magazine, which if you have never heard of it is worth a look, has compiled a Top Ten List of Michele Bachmann moments in response to the recent glowing review by George Will:

1. On ethnic riots in Paris (November 2005): On the face of it, Bachmann observed, “multicultural diversity … sounds wonderful. But guess what? Not all cultures are equal. Not all values are equal. And ... those who are coming into France, which had a beautiful culture, the French culture is actually diminished, it’s going away.” Watch

2. On evolution (October 2006): Bachmann provoked viewers by claiming that a significant portion of the scientific community rejects the theory of evolution: “There are hundreds and hundreds of scientists, many of them holding Nobel Prizes, who believe in intelligent design.” Watch

3. On Terry Schiavo (October 2006): Bachmann provoked ridicule by describing Terry Shiavo, who lived in a permanent vegetative state, as “a woman who was healthy. There was brain damage, there was no question. But from a health point of view, she was not terminally ill.” Watch

4. On anti-Americans in Congress (October 2008): “I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out: Are they pro-America or anti-America?” Watch

5. On the threat of a ‘global currency’ (March 2009): “I’m very concerned about the international moves they’re making, particularly … moving the United States off the dollar and onto a global currency, like Russia and China are calling for.” Watch

6. On the effects of greenhouse gases (April 2009): “Carbon dioxide is portrayed as harmful. But there isn’t even one study that can be produced that shows that carbon dioxide is a harmful gas.” Watch

7. On Democratic presidents and swine flu crises (April 2009): “I find it interesting that it was back in the 1970s that the swine flu broke out under another, then under another Democrat president, Jimmy Carter. I’m not blaming this on President Obama, I just think it’s an interesting coincidence.” Watch

8. On the threat posed by the U.S. census (June 2009): “I think there is a point where you say enough is enough to government intrusion.… Does the federal government really need to know our phone numbers?” Watch

9. On the government bailout of GM (June 2009): The congresswoman famously called the Obama administration a “gangster government.” Watch

10. On health-care reform’s potential to dupe parents (October 2009): “Does that mean that someone’s 13-year-old daughter could walk into a sex clinic, have a pregnancy test done, be taken away to the local Planned Parenthood abortion clinic, have [her] abortion, be back and go home on the school bus? That night, mom and dad are never the wiser.” Watch

Well readers, is it accurate? What would you include in a Top Ten List of Bachmann Moments?

Lionization FAIL

political_muse@hotmail.com — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:01:00 +0000

Don't you think if you love Ronald Reagan that much and would like to create a new political party using his name that you should SPELL HIS NAME CORRECTLY:

Care For The Poor, A Liberal Principle?

political_muse@hotmail.com — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:59:00 +0000

I caught this tweet from a local conservative:

Now perhaps I am reading this wrong but it looks like this particular conservative is telling us that providing care to people who don't have the ability to pay for that care is a "liberal principle". Really? Doesn't this seem like something we should have ALL agreed upon, that we don't let people die just because they cannot pay for the procedure? You heard it here first, caring for the poor is one of them there liberal principles! The new Republican Party, if you can't pay, then take your health condition somewhere else!

Seriously, am I reading this wrong because I am at a loss for words...

Rise Of The Conservative Media OR Hyperbole?

political_muse@hotmail.com — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:17:00 +0000

I like Media Matters but I wonder if this is just a little but too hyperbolic...

What do you think?

Wherefore Art Thou, St. Cloud Times?

political_muse@hotmail.com — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:05:00 +0000

In the Sunday issue of the St. Cloud Times there appeared an article about an Otsego man who took the government for $53,000 by filing fraudulent tax returns.

Roland Chapaye Pour, 35, plead guilty Oct. 19. Pour, a tax preparer, filed 13 false U.S. Individual Income Tax returns between Jan. 24 and March 9, 2005, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

What you didn't find in the St. Cloud Times either that day or since that day was the story of a local legislator who owns a bank, sits on the board of directors for said bank, and who took the government for $28 million by running that bank into the ground and forcing the federal government to bail it out. So, while some insist on slamming the Star Tribune for running the story but then subtracting mention of Kiffmeyer (apparently because there isn't enough space on the internet for the word Kiffmeyer), just realize that the regional newspaper near her district chose not to publish anything at all.

Living Room Candidate

political_muse@hotmail.com — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:54:00 +0000

My first year teaching Civics, I was searching for a resource on the internet that had a variety of examples of propaganda using campaign commercials. What I stumbled across was from the Museum of the Moving Image and its 'The Living Room Candidate' collection of what I assume is almost every Presidential campaign commercial dating back to the 1952 campaign.

The site has become more functional since I last visited way back then but it is still a really cool look at the history of our elections through campaign commercials...

My favorite? Check this out from 1952:

I would totally vote for Ike!

The Photo Op Representative

political_muse@hotmail.com — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:00:00 +0000

This coming Monday in St. Cloud we will see the re-opening of the De-Soto Bridge and as such there will be elected officials on site to get their photo taken and take some level of credit for its creation:

The event starts at 8 a.m. Attendees are encouraged to gather at the Kelly Inn parking lot.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, DFL-Minn., and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., will attend with other local officials.

The DeSoto Bridge closed March 20, 2008, after the discovery of bends in the gusset plates. Construction of the Granite City Crossing bridge that replaces it is near completion.

While I don't begrudge most politicians their photo op, there is a certain level of outrageous hypocrisy for Michele Bachmann to be anywhere near this bridge or ANY transportation project for that matter.

Way back in 2007, I detailed a case in which Bachmann appeared to give the Clear Lake Fire Department a check after having voted against the bill in which the funds were authorized. Prior to that, there was the incident in which she voted to adjourn just before the House of Representatives was to take up the emergency funding measure for the I35W Bridge. Add in the fact that Bachmann voted against the transportation bill from last year and you begin to see how showing up to take a photo next to a bridge you had no role in funding or building is the essence of hypocrisy.

Yet, it doesn't end there because we also have to remember that when the City of St. Cloud and the Chamber of Commerce came calling for help in building a new bridge, Bachmann told them she would not help to obtain the necessary funds. So, with all of her other media appearances we really must come to the conclusion that the 6th District has nothing more than photo op representation.