I just did a blog on this myself here, and I’m glad you are highlighting this. We must help hold this reliable seat. Especially considering the election map we are facing currently.

Donate Now!

others of us didn’t contribute to the general Republican Party at all this year.

Targeting individual candidates just feels more right.

far enough in the description of Mr. Cole. This is just ridiculous. We all laugh and joke about the Obamabus and who he has run over, but it seems Tom Cole knows no better. Unbelievable.

I am glad you came right out and called a douchebag move, a douchebag move. Sometimes we need not be diplomatic to respond to timidity and idiocy.

and Cole received my ire.

The ironic part is the Bachmann said exactly what many of her constituents have been thinking. You are known by the company you keep and Obama’s “friends” clearly have anti American views.

As I suggested yesterday on a similar post, I think defending Bachmann is kind of a mistake. Of course, this close to the election, it probably makes sense to defend her as every seat counts. And it definitely wasn’t smart for Cole to publicly throw her under the bus like this, especially as it makes Bachmann look guilty and sends out a message that Republicans are in disarray. So while I agree that what Cole did was a douchey thing to do, Bachmann really didn’t do Republicans any favors by saying what she said.

Just see this from the other side: Wouldn’t you LOVE it if a Dem said something that inspired Republican donors to throw a million dollars at a no-name Republican challenger? Wouldn’t you LOVE it if the Dem had to keep trying to justify what they had said, keeping the heat on them? Even as it is, Bachmann insists that she didn’t say what she said, while basically repeating what she had said. And that’s what you want your opponent doing, while you stay on the offensive. She just walked right into this one, just a few weeks before the election. That’s not smart politics.

And the main thing is that it doesn’t matter if you agree with what she said. Because conclusion-based arguments don’t convince anyone. Bachmann talking about Obama’s connections to Ayers and Wright might convince someone, as it’s evidence. But going straight to the verdict by saying that his views are anti-American won’t convince anyone and sound offensive to people who don’t already agree with her. Voters want to hear arguments for why a candidate is good/bad; not labels like “anti-American”. And they want to make up their own minds based on the evidence; they don’t want to be told what to think.

So overall, I really think that Bachmann stepped into it and that it might not be wise to reward this sort of behavior. Like it or not, politics is strictly about appearances and Bachmann’s statement appears to have been a million dollar mistake. But again, every seat counts so this probably wasn’t the right time for Cole to pull the funds away, and he probably just made things worse.

NT

I started a thread last on asking everyone to donate to Bachmann (you can look it up under my profile)

I don’t think the NRCC should waste money on seats that it will retain. Sure she has done some damage to herself but I don’t see her losing

I think Young and Open Renzi seat are much more as risk

Lets take seat back

I challenge everyone to make a $25 donation to Bachmann. Maybe we should consider sending money to Cole’s opponent as well.

The much maligned “douchebag” actually serves a very noble purpose, which I will not get into here! I thought Cole was playing defense? Bachman’s seat seems like one very defendable, & removing funds from her sends a very negative message – show some guts & the party abandons you.

I truthfully have limited funds to give to races. I will send a few her way if I can carve it out of others.

I posted today, after seeing her back down, that she shouldn’t be so defensive:

She says she misspoke and regrets her comment. But why?

The views of the far Left, of which Obama is a card-carrying member, are internationalist, collectivist, redistributionist, anti-capitalist, anti-individual freedom, anti-private property, anti-business and anti-free speech, while America’s greatness is founded on capitalism, freedom, individualism and its belief in the sanctity of private property and individual liberty.

When you oppose all of our country’s founding values, you need to get used to being called anti-American.

She admitted to falling into one of Chris Matthew’s traps.

She did not back down that she thinks that Ayers and Rev. Wright should make us wonder how much Obama cares about America.

I donated to her the other day…$100.00, so it makes me even MORE furious that the GOP would pull all funding for her.

I guess Cole wants Pelosi to get unanimous votes on all of her pet liberal projects.

and I HATE contractions! There, I did it.

I have grown extraordinarily tired of Republican Party incompetence, to the point I am actually thinking that being independent would not be a bad idea.

We should ditch Cole, McConnell, Boehner et al and get some real leaders.

While some of Bachmann’s comments were over the top, I called Cole’s decision a bonehead move. With her opponent raising about $1 million over this, it’s unimaginable to me that the NRCC would help jeopardize this seat.

Bachmann was putty in Chris Matthews’ hands that night, she screwed up and has apologized for using the language that she used, but meanwhile the Minnesota press has given her opponent a complete free pass during the campaign, notably on this:

Residual Forces Blog: “What Did Tinklenberg Know, And When Did He Know It?”
by Andy Aplikowski, June 16th, 2008
http://www.residualforces.com/2008/06/16/what-did-tinklenberg-know-and-when-did-he-know-it/

“You still upset I called him a douchebag?”

Hi, Erick. I’m not offended. The word is certainly indelicate, but it’s not a profanity. It certainly gets across the depth of your negative feeling about this decision. Mr. Cole is not keeping the big picture in mind. Don Young has been indicted for a crime. He is defending that seat only because Democrats registered as Republicans so they could defeat Sean Parnell in the primary and keep a tainted, wounded Republican on the ballot against the Democratic nominee. Michelle Bachmann is a new foot-soldier on the GOP team. She screwed up. It happens. She’ll learn and get better. If we hope to hold enough seats to fend off the worst instincts of the Democratic majority we cannot throw her away.

Wake up….this is why we are losing! What she said on Hardball is reprehensible!! We can’t keep defending idiotic remarks like that. Lets cut her loose and wait the four years, get our act together and start again.
Times have changed…negative politics are a thing of the past.

listing Obama and the usual unsavory suspects.

It was when she called for an investigation by the media as to what politicians (congresspeople?) are American and which are Anti-American that she stepped into the muck IMO.

The lack of leadership in the Republican Party is right up there with its complete lack of principle, willingness to fight, and it’s complete lack of balls. And frankly, I’m equally disgusted at Michelle Bachmann. Calling a spade a spade is never cause for an apology. The correct answer is “hell yes he’s anti-american. So is the whole damn party.”

Thanks Erick for posting this. It is so easy these days for us (my wife and I) to donate money (that is the Lord’s, not ours) when my alma mater, Knox College, is on our sh* list after having the last four commencement speakers: Barack Obama, Stephen Colbert, William Jefferson Clinton, Madeleine Albright. Gotta send the money somewhere. When I was there, “liberal” arts college did not have political connotations. I hope Bachmann can hold, and that Russell can take Murtha. *Sauerberg overtaking Durbin: can that happen?
**

According to MB’s bio she beat her competitor in 2006 despite being outspent 2 to 1. Even with the Matthew’s interview and the influx of DNC cash she still has a good chance of winning. I sent her some money and I’m surely not alone in this so maybe the DNC is throwing good money after bad. Cole is still a douche though.

nt

And Matthews got her a little tongue tied.

I am going right now to give her money and they better d? well be sure she gets it.

I will lead with this at The US Report tomorrow.

I am sick of this crap. I am sick of this double standard.

He should be calling a press conference to back her up and de-fuse. Christ, where do they find the people who run these blasted campaigns? They all need a deal-with-media course!

And they need to learn how to fight.

I am so mad.

I have to think they have some internal polling that either shows Ms. Bachmanm with a large lead or large deficit. I can’t fathom they would pull out of a close race. Despite the attention her comments have brought on, she lives in a conservative district where it might resonate well. Maybe they are seeing it as giving her the boost that makes her race a safe bet.

While Cole is worthy of criticism, I’ll hold off on this one till after election day. Funds are limited and I can’t fathom he is pulling the money out of close races. If Ms. Bachmann loses by a couple points on election night, criticism is well deserved. But if she wins by 10, we may feel silly for questioning this move.

It keeps saying there’s an error. Have they shut down the page for donations to her?

Look she made a missstep. It happens. But the thing about the GOP is we turn tail and run.

You don’t ever turn tail and run, not if you care about what you’re doing and she does.

AAAAAACK.

The DCCC has so much more money to pour into races and it becomes a chess match

I do not think Bachmann will lose in a district Bush carried overwhelming and one that gave Pawlenty most in state. Its chest move by DCCC hoping we follow suit

We need to spend money for NRCC much more cautiously

Get rid of the RINO’s… Bachmann a breath of fresh air for the Republican’s..

Just to be accurate, though, Frau Bachmann’s quote was not that Obama “hangs around” or “pals around” with anti-American folk, she has said (twice) that he himself is “anti-American.” Whether people on this blog agree or not, it was a stupid, stupid, stupid thing to say. Reprehensible, really. If she’s not mentally nimble enough to escape the “trap” that evil Chris Matthews laid for her, then she’s probably not bright enough to be in the House of Representatives (and the bar for membership in that organization is strikingly low)

Douchebag and the NRCC $0

You know everything that Michelle has alleglledly said wrong. Lets talk about a fact that the press hasn’t mentioned about the opponent Tinkleberg.

He was Jesse Ventura’s choice to run the Minnesota Department of Tranporation. During his tenure a company at no cost did a study and suggested a repair job to a bridge in Minnesota. Tinkleberg didn’t act on their offer.

That bridge was the 35W Bridge! The one that fell down in 2007. The one that the Federal government paid $400 million to replace.

Wow Michelle gets attacked to death for saying Obama is unamerican, but Tinkleberg gets a pass for costing us $400 million.

Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN

You know this is a sign just how bad Cole has messed. This would’ve been a golden year to offer a contract with year. Over thirty freshman democrats needing to defend their seats and a platform for the Republicans who had to defend open seats.

No contract!

No wonder why we’re in trouble.

We’re in a position to have at least stayed close to zero. Instead we will lose seats and Nancy will have a comfortable majority so she won’t have to scramble to get 218 votes and can now offer to let Republicans put up amenmdents that can’t pass now.

Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN

we need to get rid of the RSC and NRCC and replace them with a RNLC out of the RNC. This office would run both the house and senate campaign committees and run by a real conservative with a backbone and who is competant. My nominee for the post would be Michael Steele, if he isnt running for GOV or SEN, since he has been doing this on a small scale with GOPAC. my alternate would be Romney since he can run a large organization quite well. Alot of the reason for losses in 06 and are likely ones this cycle is because of Cole, Dole, Ensign, Reynolds incomptence on candidate recruiting and cash distribution.

…and emailed Cole.

EVERYONE just skip the party apparatus and move right on around the country to those who fit your idea of a conservative….I will NEVER again donate to the party apparatus…..I said that after the amnesty crap BUT I got caught up in ensuring Obama did not get elected BUT I will never again.