Jim Graves-- Conservative???

So... Jim Graves, the democrat running against Michele Bachmann in Minnesota's 6th Congressional district, is trying to convince voters that he's some sort of arch conservative. 

Jim Graves stood up in righteous indignation that Michele Bachmann would actually call him a "big spender." He's none of the sort-- so he says. 

So, to prove that fact, what does he do? 

Why, for a fundraiser he invites one of the biggest spenders in Congressional History, the architect of the Fannie-Freddie disaster, the guy who insisted that Fannie & Freddie were solvent before the housing market crashed--

BARNEY FRANK!!

You just keep those 'small government' bonafides front and center, Mr. Graves.  I'm sure that the voters of CD-6 will take notice!

Tarryl Clark's Cheap Opportunism, Part XXXLVVIII

To term Tarryl Clark as an opportunistic, lying (fill in your expletive here), would be, well, shall we say, generous.

Having absolutely nothing to contribute, being intellectually vapid in both substance and form, feckless, desperate Tarryl Clark instead stoops to cheap opportunism and taking quotes out of context. The latest is a prime example:

Tarryl Clark believes that BP should pay for the mess they made. Like all of us - with the apparent exception of a certain Congresswoman - she doesn't want to see a single dime of taxpayer money go to bail out BP.

And we're taking Michele Bachmann head-on over this issue. It's been called a defining moment of the midterm election, a clear example of whose side Michele Bachmann is really on.

Of course, Clark's stock in trade, like her hero, Barack Hussein Obama, is intellectual dishonesty.

Clark gets her ammunition for her latest intellectually vapid rant from Congresswoman Bachmann's quote:

"If I were the head of BP I would let the signal get out there -- we're not going to be chumps and we're not going to be fleeced."

Yes, a pretty damning quote, until you consider it in context, which was Obama's "Or else" meeting with BP officials in which he virtually seized $20 billion dollars without due process of law.

Of course, Bachmann was not saying that BP should not take financial and/or other responsibility-what Bachmann (and for that matter, Senator Joe Barton) decried was the flagrant Hugo-Chavez-styled seizure of property that took place void of any Constitutional due process of law.

The issue is not that BP should not bear responsibility for the situation in the Gulf; the issue here is that the Obama administration completely skirted due process and flagrantly overreached its authority in its not-so-veiled shakedown of BP.

President Obama may have been a community organizer in a previous lifetime, but a Jesse Jackson he is not. He is the highest Constitutional officer in the land--subject to the limits placed upon him and the Executive Branch by the Constitution. The Fourth Amendment of said Constitution does not allow for the seizure of property without due process of law. Obama completely usurped his Constitutional authority.

If Tarryl Clark was as smart as she claims to be, she should have known that.

But then again, when has the Constitution ever gotten in the way of a Statist democrat and her thirst for power?

So, to answer Tarryl's question, who's side is Michele Bachmann really on? The side of the rule of law.

By the way, which side are you on, Tarryl?

A guy's gottta ask: Why?

A new hat has been thrown into the ring to challenge Michele Bachmann for her 6th CD seat:

Sartell resident Troy Freihammer has filed his paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run for Congress. Freihammer, who works in the Stearns County environmental services department, is running as an independent. To qualify for the ballot, he must get 1,000 signatures from 6th District voters duriing the filing period between July 6 and 20. If he gets on the ballot, he would be joined by U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, a second term Republican from Stillwater, and either state Sen. Tarryl Clark of St. Cloud or Maureen Reed of Grant, who are battling for the DFL spot. Bob Anderson, who ran on the Independence Party ticket and got 10 percent in 2008, is considering a second run.

Freihammer includes the following on his platform:

Our nation is at a precipice, being led there by two political parties whose differences have become superficial. The outcome is larger federal government, financial crisis, war, and loss of our liberties. Their only considerations for the Constitution are the claims of how the other party is not adhering to it.

He calls for the end of the Federal Reserve, the end of the federal income tax, the end of foreign aid, free-trade agreements and for an elimination of many federal regulations.

I guess the next question one must ask Freihammer: Why?

Congresswoman Bachmann is quite possibly the most conservative member in the U.S. House of Representatives. She has often criticized her party for overspending and other issues. Ms. Bachmann is a staunch supporter of the Audit-the-Fed movement.

I could see if the MN 6th CD was inhabited by the likes of a big spending RINO, but Bachmann is anything but.

Since Freihammer's candidacy can only draw votes (however few those may be) from Bachmann, one is then left with one of two possibilities:

1. Freihammer is an egomaniac

or

2. Freihammer is a plant.

Send A Message to the Left

Many, if not most of you may have heard about the woman of whom I am proud to have as my Minnesota 6th District Congresswoman, Michele Bachmann, who is continually under assault for doing what she does best, speaking the truth. As of now, there is a ton of money pouring into her opponent's coffers from big unions, Moveon.org, George Soros and others. As a result, Congresswoman Bachmann is asking for our help:

"Everyday, it must seem that Washington just isn’t listening to you. In fact, it must seem they’re doing their best to work against your interests. Those of us who call ourselves Republicans, or worse yet conservatives, are denigrated as crazy, nuts, wacko, extreme, racist, fill in your derogatory adjective. They say we’re more interesting in stopping progress than in making reforms. The White House refuses to work with Fox News, saying it is a “wing of the Republican party.” This isn’t conjecture; these are the words of the Communications Director of the White House.

You and I know the truth: We’re not being obstructionists. The problem is that the proposals coming out of Washington – from cap-and-trade to bailout mania to socialized medicine – are simply bad public policy. We don’t believe that government is inherently evil, set out to destroy the hopes and aspirations of its citizens, no matter how some media outlets portray us. We realize that an unchecked government can get too big for its own good. And,we know that right now in Washington, this Administration and this Congress have forgotten the tried and true principle of our founding – that the government works for the people, not the other way around.

They seem intent on plowing forward with their agenda no matter how many town halls you speak at or tea parties you attend.

Look around and you’ll see the warning signs about the plummeting value of our dollar. Overseas, the sharks are circling and calling for a reevaluation of the prominent spot the dollar has long enjoyed. Yet, Washington continues to spend and spend and borrow and spend with no regard to our skyrocketing debt and annual deficits. Something has got to give."

Republicans have put forth alternatives to every proposal — and our alternatives won’t break the bank. When we’re lucky, they get lip service from the Democrat majority. More often, they don’t even get a debate. And this from a majority that promised to end partisan bickering and bring true transparency to the legislative process!

They have an agenda of their own and they’re on a path to increase spending as well as the size and scope of government on every issue. They’re out to protect their friends — like ACORN — regardless of what it costs you and what it will cost our nation’s future.

Don’t give up! I hear you. And, there are others in Congress who hear you, too. Today, let’s send a message to Washington that they can’t ignore. I promise to keep speaking the truth for all of you, but I need your help to do it. Is it worth just a few minutes of your time and a few dollars to make sure Washington gets the message that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH?

Ms. Bachmann is one person in Washington who isn't afraid to loudly proclaim that our current socialist 'emperor' has no clothes. If you agree with this, please let Ms. Bachmann know by supporting her with a generous contribution.

A Couple of Housekeeping Mentions...

• I got my certification for Minnesota Personal Carry permit today. Thanks to Joel Rosenberg, as well as to Chief (for organizing the training) and his gracious better half, The Jonz Brothers, Lassie & her husband, Kevin Ecker, Andy Aplikowski, and others for making my first experience with handguns a memorable one.

• On things political, check out Andy's post regarding yet another ill-conceived, ill-thought out, sophomoric DFL-sponsored Michele Bachmann attack blog, eagerly lapped up by the useful idiots at the Pioneer Press. As they say, read the whole thing.
  

Andy ends with this balls-on zinger:

"Journalism is dead, long live activist reporting. Hook, line, and sinker!"

Along with the declaration of the death of journalism, let me add the death of any intellectual honesty at all on the DFL side of the aisle. Since she was first elected to the Minnesota House back in 2006, Michele Bachmann has elicited a pavlovian, nay reptilian-brained rabid, spittle-flecked response at the very mention of her name. Right now, Michele Bachmann could go so far as to develop a cure for AIDS, end world hunger, and receive the Nobel Prize and the fever-swamp would dismiss it out of hand for reasons of spite.

All goes to show, Ol' Michele must be doing something right.

Oh, and about the comment that Michele Bachmann made that Barack Obama holds anti-American views??

Let's just say that she ain't the only one in the world who thinks that way.

I am so happy we have Michele!

She seems to be one of the few who are really on top of things:

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has introduced legislation that would "bar the dollar from being replace by any foreign currency." A statement from Bachmann's website:

“Yesterday, during a Financial Services Committee hearing, I asked Secretary Geithner if he would denounce efforts to move towards a global currency and he answered unequivocally that he would," said Bachmann. "And President Obama gave the nation the same assurances. But just a day later, Secretary Geithner has left the option on the table. I want to know which it is. The American people deserve to know."

On Monday, Geithner and Bernanke both rejected the idea of a global currency in Congressional testimony. But in remarks to the Council on Foreign Relations yesterday, Geithner indicated he was open to the idea.

Bachmann is one of the few who will actually step up and ask Obama and Geithner, in effect, "What have you been smoking?!?"

One of the few voice of reason these days in the whole wilderness that is now Washington, D.C., and I'm proud to call her my congresswoman! (Youtube h/t LFR)

Michele Bachmann Energy Conference Call notes..

Rough and ready notes taken during energy policy conference call with Michele Bachmann, today from 12:00pm til 12:45pm... I'll be fixing the spelling errors/typos as I see them. I was typing as I went along, so there may be some errors in the transcription. The gist, however, I believe is accurate.

Viewed solar-power plant

Wants to extend credits for alternative energy.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Ethanol may very well be a transitional fuel; so are looking at switch grass as opposed to corn-based ethanol. Algae research is also being conducted. Algae contains oil, which could be a tremendous form of energy if we can make it commercially viable.

-Would like to conduct an energy tour of Minnesota, since nuclear energy wasn't discussed, and she's very proud of our Monticello nuclear power plant (incidentally, Steve Gottwalt, if re-elected, plans to introduce a bill that would lift Minnesota's moratorium on building any new nuclear power plants)*. There are also labs in the 6th district that are doing research on developing algae as power.

-Many advances in solar panel technology.

-Then took a tour to Alaska, and toured a "permafrost tunnel," the only one of its kind. This is important since there is much permafrost on the North Slope of Alaska.

-Toured Prudhoe Bay, where the oil production occurs. No permanent residents. Workers make on average 6 figure incomes. Very high paying jobs. Over 750,000 jobs could be created if we open up more exploration on the North slope, not to mention in Colorado.

-Area is under snow/ice for 9 mos, and is in complete darkness 3 mos. per year; perfect site for drilling.

-ANWR is over 19,000,000 acres; including the Brooks range; the area of interest of drilling is only 2000 acres; relative to the size of a postage stamp on a football field. Also located close to the Alaska pipeline. North Slope is still our largest oil producing field. But this is not good news. When it first opened, was over 2 million bbl of oil per day; now only 700,000 bbl per day.

In ANWR, oil is highly concentrated in small area.

ANWR would actually be the fastest, easiest, and least environmentally invasive area to drill.

***Q&A***

Larry Schumacher: $2 per gallon gas; how do you know?

A: We have the energy resources here in the U.S. to add to the supply. When she took office, gas was $2 and change. What has changed since is the message that America has absolutely had no intention of increasing its own supply of energy. India and China and developing countries are putting an increased strain. As of right now we are 70% import. We don't need to be there. We have in reserves over 2 TRILLION bbl of reserve; Saudi Arabia has only 1.3 trillion.

If we open up the oil shale fields, ANWR, Outer Contintental shelf, Atlantic & Pacific, et., al, plus Natural gas from the Gulf Coast, we have so much energy. We have 27 percent of all the coal in the world that could be used for coal to liquid production, plus nuclear power and tremendous advances in solar and wind. If all is opened up there is no question that we can get back to gasoline prices prevalent two years ago. But Congress has made it virtually impossible to access any energy available.

Like there are hungry children with a locked-up pantry of food.

In Stillwater, man pumped gas; truck is 20 years old, puts gas in the tank when it gets to the 3/4 mark cause he can't afford to fill the whole tank.

There is no reason to make the American people suffer. Congress must once again make it legal for Americans to access their own energy.

MPR. ANWR minimal environmental impact.. what is proof?

-People in Alaska, overwhelmingly want drilling, especially the native population that live in ANWR. They see how responsible drilling is in Prudhoe Bay and the National Petroleum reserve.

-We saw the most wildlife at mile marker 0 in Prudhoe bay; the most caribou were huddled around the pipeline. It is a tundra. The area of interest for drilling is also a tundra. There will be no additional roads. The drill site could be scaled down from what used to be 20 acres to 6 acres now.

-Truckers need to put "diapers" under their truck to keep oil from crankcases, etc., from making contact with the tundra. The level of regulations and responsibility is the highest in the world.

-KARE-11. We should drop the speed limit. What do you think?

A: Conservation is important and is one leg of the school. We need to conserve, AND we need to utilize the energy that is there.

No truth to statement of "leased land." Those lands are in stages of exploration and production. Lease only lasts 10 years. If a group files a lawsuit, that halts exploration by as long as two years. Michele introduced a bill that would expedite the permit process. Looking at creating a specialty court that deals with oil & gas in the arctic region, and expedite the timelines for decision-making. Not that it would eliminate lawsuits, but would expedite the timelines required for responses to lawsuits.

Q: Speedlimits are off the table then?

A; Not off the table. Conservation is just one part. It's not because Americans are driving too much. Congress is the problem. Congress controls the answer in its refusal to open up access to energy.

Q: Is there short term relief in sight?

A: Congress can do something. Any legislation that has to do with increasing supply has been shelved. One democrat says we should drive small cars and wait for wind.

We can get it done much more quickly than the timelines that you've heard. Congress has created artificial barriers and delays that are prolonging the time. Once we have proven to the world that we are serious about increasing supply, speculators will bring the price down. President Bush's announcement alone brought down the price of oil 10 dollars.

Q: Larry Schumacher cited EIA study that production would only allow for a 2% decrease in prices, which would be offset by an OPEC decrease in production.

A: EIA has been flawed... they estimated a number of years ago that gas would be $22 per barrel. EIA has a terrible track record in their predictions and estimations. I would take what they say with a grain of salt. Even by Pelosi's numbers we would be looking at a 70 cent decrease in cost. Also, wrt opening the strategic oil reserve, that would be an extremely temporary fix. 14X more oil in ANWR than in Strategic Oil Reserve.



Trans Alaskan pipeline is a great advantage. If we get down to the point of moving only 300 k of oil, it would cease to be functional, and would need to be rebuilt. If we don't increase production, in 10 years we would be to that point, and the pipeline would cease being functional. We are in a precarious window of time right now.

Q: Smarmy Pioneer Press frothing Idiot Jim Ragsdale: Congresswoman Bachmann-- interesting analogy about the hungry children and the locked pantry. What if the children are fat and lazy and still want more? Shouldn't we make them eat less, and then unlock the pantry? What are we doing to make Americans use less energy? Huh? (apparently this bozo pines for the return to the malaise of yesteryear that everyone so enjoyed during the Carter administration).

A: Again, conservation is part of the 3-legged stool. The three legs are conservation, renewable energy, and increasing domestic production of oil, nuclear, and natural gas. You are asking government to solve a problem that it created. If we open up access to our own resources, the free market will solve the problem. (SMACKDOWN).

This liveblog is over.

Gary Gross has more here.

Live blog of Conference call with Michele Bachmann

10:15am I'm currently on a call with one of our very few dependable conservative voices in our U.S. Congress, Michele Bachmann. She's hosting a question/answer session with constituents.

According to Bachmann, despite the fact that we didn't sign Kyoto, we are the only country in the world (including Kyoto signatories) who saw our emissions go down, even though we weren't a signatory in Kyoto.

Lakes & streams are cleaner now than they have been in the last 20 years.

253-5931 (St. Cloud office #).

Service to veterans highest priorities. Supported Wounded Warrior Assistance Act.

A caller got on and complained that Republicans, including Norm Coleman, need to get on board in pursuing our own energy resources. He argued rightly, that the solution to our energy problems consists of drilling and building refineries, and to build nuclear power plants.

According to Michele,

-If ANWR was a football field, the relative area needed for drilling would be the size of a postage stamp.

-ANWR would add more than 1 million barrels of oil per day, which would be a doubling of our national production.

-With the oil find in the Dakotas, Minnesota would do well to build refineries, which would create high paying jobs and would also lessen the cost of fuels.

-Congress has been the problem, and we need to get both Republicans & democrats aboard to make it legal to obtain our own energy sources.

-We are 7% more dependent on OPEC than we were just a year ago.

Caller: What are we going to do about the elderly? Mother and father died in a nursing home, both were victims of neglect; can't get government to respond. Japan honors their elderly; why can't we do the same?

Michele: Nursing home care is more a state issue vs. a federal issue; not all nursing homes are created equal; shouldn't matter whether a person is rich or poor, every0ne deserves respect and care, especially during the most vulnerable stages of life. If you see medicare fraud, 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477), also, her office staff in Waite Park are great case workers who will assist with individual cases.

10:45a

Unfortunately, I need to leave for an appointment, so this live blog is over.

Michele Bachmann kicks off 2008 Campaign in St. Cloud

And in grand style.

Fresh in from a Christmas trip to Iraq, and an earlier trip to Israel, MN 6th District U.S. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann kicked off her 2008 campaign today at a home in St. Cloud. Looking even better than she did a year ago, Bachmann was her usual firebrand self, yet even more confident in her convictions than she was a year ago.

Bachmann related that after the 2006 elections, the House Republicans had a "Come to Jesus" moment and realized that their poor showing in the 2006 elections were directly related to the fact that many in the Republican Party had forgotten how to be Republican, and that House Republicans stood firm in the face of a democrat majority that voted 40 times to declare defeat in Iraq, and who tried to put forth the largest tax increase in the history of the United States.

Bachmann related how when Republicans were in the majority, an average of 600 votes were cast during a normal legislative year. Last year, according to Bachmann, somewhere in the neighborhood of 1200 bills were put up for a vote in the House. Of those 1200, only around 140 passed; and of those 140 bills, nearly half of those were for re-naming post offices.

In other words, the U.S. House Democrat leadership got nothing done of substance. Bachmann described most of the 1200 bills brought to the floor as "vanity bills," bills designed to look good to constituents, but were short on substance and weren't even meant to pass.

This despite an inordinate amount of time spent in Washington at the behest of the House democrat leadership. In her talk, Bachmann lamented the fact that she was required to spend so much time in Washington, as she didn't get nearly as much of a chance to visit with her constituents as her predecessor, Mark Kennedy, who was in office during a Republican majority.

In her speech, Bachmann described herself as having an iron spine, and that she has not and would not bend from her principles of small government, sanctity of life, strong national defense, and low taxes.

Bachmann also related how she is one of 16 legislators in the U.S. House and Senate (Senator Norm Coleman being the other Minnesota legislator on the list) being targeted for extinction by George Soros and Moveon.org. She related how the democrats had outspent her campaign by $3,000,000 in 2006, yet she emerged victorious because she stayed true to the conservative message.

Bachmann closed her talk as she related her experiences in Israel and Iraq, having spent Christmas with our troops in Baghdad. She related how humbled she felt at their sacrifices, and the pride that she felt with regard to all that they accomplished since the surge began.

Also present at the gala were Minnesota Representatives Steve Gottwalt and Dan Severson, as well as bloggers extraordinaire King Banaian (and his lovely wife) and Gary Gross; along with St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis, and soon-to-be returning KNSI talk show host Dan "The Ox" Ochsner.

Everyone there was fired up and ready to run through walls to ensure a successful 2008 election.

Folks, there is no greater conservative voice in the United States House of Representatives than Michele Bachmann. Although I was a bit skiddish in the beginning, since I have come to know her I have every confidence in her conservative, principled leadership, and the residents of Minnesota 6th are more than fortunate to benefit from her unwavering dedication to conservative ideals.

Bachmann responding to non-issue issue...

Michele Bachmann was on Hot Talk with the Ox just a few minutes ago, discussing the non-issue story (see a good wrap-up here) that the agenda-media attack machine put together in the tradition of Dr. Frankenstein's monster (heck--the Strib won't even print Bachmann's response to the situation--could they be taking marching orders from Eva?).

Dan Ochsner led off the interview by relating that a month ago, guest-host Col. Joe Repya stated, nearly word for word, what Bachmann stated in her interview with Larry Schumacher. Bachmann stated that this information of Iran's intentions has been widely known since at least 2003. Bachmann also noted the 2005 "World Without Zionism" conference, in which Ahmadinejad called for the destruction of the United States and Israel; and in which Iranian Ayatollah Jenati called for an Islamic state in Iraq.

She also related that just recently, Al Qaeda announced the Islamic State in Iraq as a means of providing safe quarter for terrorists. She further reiterated that Iran is not only supporting the Mahdi army, but is also providing safe quarter for Muqtada Al Sadr.

Bachmann emphasized that a unilateral pullout of U.S. troops from Iraq would result in an even more violent situation that we would ultimately have to be called back to quell.

Bachmann reiterated that the information she provided in the Schumacher interview was not classified. She stated that "I'm learning my lesson that I need to be careful and more precise." in what she says.

Bachmann did note (rightfully) the media's hypocrisy with regard to leaking classified information, citing, for one, the New York Times, which leaked classified information that had the net effect of helping terrorists.

Bachmann stated that her intention was to protect American interests by reporting widely disseminated information that will help Americans by giving them the perspective of what is going on.

Bachmann called on the press to focus on the issue: That it is in the best interests of both Iran and Al Qaeda to have a unilateral U.S. withdrawal in Iraq, and that both entities seek an installation of a totalitarian, Iranian-style Islamic state (there's your reality, liberals).

Bachmann encouraged anyone with any questions to call her office.

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