Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Praising Bachman Is The Last Throw of the Dice By The Stop Palin Media

The New York Times, no known as a bastion of all things Republican, did a major puff piece on Michele Bachman which included this piece of hagiography:  "Best known as a fiery presence on cable television and the founder of the House Tea Party caucus, she is now exploring whether to seek the Republican presidential nomination. And early reaction to her in Iowa, where she was born and raised, suggests not only that she might do it, but also that she could have a substantial impact on the race."


This was picked up and featured by the Huffington Post,which has made a massive effort to run anything anti-Palin as red meat for its juvenile readers, as "Michele Bachman: 'I'm getting a lot of encouragement to run in 2012'


This is only one in a series of such generally  positive articles about Bachman that have appeared in the liberal media recently. The Washington Post, another non-conservative journal ran a big close up photo article of Bachman which trumpeted her $2 million fund-raising quarter which it glowingly reported out raised Mitt Romney during the same period.


Where all this puffery is leading is summed up by this comment in a CBS piece ("Bachman inches toward 2012 run") on Bachman as a "Tea Party star" and which noted she had hired a former Huckabee staffer;


 "If Congresswoman Bachmann gets in, she has the potential to appeal to a lot of people who might have gone for Governor [Sarah] Palin," Gov. Terry E. Branstad of Iowa told the New York Times. "Imagine if they both got in. That could make it really interesting."


On the other hand a knowledgeable journalist in her home state of Minnesota, commenting on the New York Times and Time Magazine profile, (MinnPost) covered off the main features from the press which they called a Bachman "media blitz."


The left wing media has thrown everything  at Palin,whether true or untrue in an unceasing effort for over two years to try and destroy her. She is still standing tall and,should she choose to run presents a formidable challenge to the object of their affections, President Obama. Why else would they have undertaken such a massive 
effort if she was not a threat?


What would not have escaped the media's attention is that wherever there is an opinion poll which has both Palin and Bachman in it Bachman draws up to 7% of the vote. It would most certainly be a case that if Bachman's name was not on the list that the bulk of her support would have gone to Palin. With Bachman drawing off whatever amount she does the media can put out the story that Palin is "slipping in the polls" or 
that Romney or Pawlenty are drawing near or ahead of her .


The left also realizes that should Bachman actually start a quixotic campaign,she has of course absolutely no chance whatsoever to get the nomination, much less win a presidential election, if she ran in the Iowa primary she might draw enough from Palin  to possible have her come second,especially if Huckabee runs. Such a result for Palin would give her a much harder row to hoe especially with New Hampshire up next where Romney is expected to win easily


Therefore it is very much in the left's interest to run a stealth "stop Palin" campaign by making Bachman seem electorally viable to as many as possible. That, if by some miracle Bachman actually got traction from all this false puffery the media would tear her to shreds with such vehemence that i feel sorry for her even at just the thought of what they would dredge up from some of her more off the wall statements and gaffes. 


It is actually very much in the interest of the Republican party to disabuse Bachman of any thoughts of actually announcing a run,just as they stopped her from holding a senior congressional post after the November elections. The greatest service she could perform is to back off from the presidential campaign, support the nominee and consider her options in later years.  


As if to make the left's strategy utterly clear 'The Daily Caller'  today ran this headline:


"Bachmann begins to overshadow Palin as more-likely White House contender."
 With the comment  Bachmann, who is mulling a 2012 run, is the most obvious choice to supplant Palin in next year’s presidential contest.





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