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More Ridiculous Prejudice from Rep. Michele 'McCarthy' Bachmann

Posted by Staff, The Uptake at 10:43 AM on October 24, 2008.


Bachmann just won't give herself a break.

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Rep. Michele Bachmann caught the national spotlight recently when she told MSNBC's Chris Mathews that Barack Obama "may have anti-American views."

 

While Bachmann's statement may have come as a surprise to people outside of her home district in central Minnesota, she has a history of making statements that are inflammatory, controversial and requiring further explanation. Up until now, the most famous of those was her assertion that there was a plan already in place to partition Iraq and give half of it to Iran. She later said her comments had been "misconstrued", but did not elaborate.

 

One comment that she has never explained was made in a debate she had while running for Congress the first time in November of 2005. Prompted by the rioting that was going on in France at the time, Bachmann said "not all cultures are equal, not all values are equal." and implied heavily that people of the Muslim faith had an inferior culture to that of the United States.

 

Her statement has not been seen outside of that debate room until now. Here is the transcript of that exclusive video from The UpTake.

 

Minnesota Republican 6th Congressional District Debate sponsored by the Taxpayers League- November 2005.

 

Moderator: Given the recent rioting in France that is the result of a sub-culture that has not assimilated, what would you do to make sure that a similar situation does not take place in America?

(Edit)
Michele Bachmann: I just want to say only in France, only in France could you have suburban youth rioting because the welfare benefits aren’t generous enough. And that’s… That’s what they’re telling us now is happening there. And only in France could that happen.

 

And what we’re seeing is just the fruits of leftism. It’s suburbanites, the kids, that are watching cable TV, Did you know that? In a lot of these high rises where a lot of the suburban youth are doing writing or doing they have cable TV in their apartments. They’re listening to Al-jazirah, and they’re being encouraged and prompted to go ahead and start these riots all over France.

 

There is a movement afoot that’s occurring and part of that is whole philosophical idea of multi-cultural diversity, which on the face sounds wonderful. Let’s appreciate and value everyone’s cultures. But guess what? Not all cultures are equal. Not all values are equal.

 

And one thing that we’re seeing is that in the midst of this violence that’s being encouraged by Al-jazirah and by the jihadists that’s occurring., is that we are seeing that those who are coming into France –which had a beautiful culture – the French culture is actually diminished. It’s going away. And just with the population of France they are losing Western Europeans and it’s being taken over by muh…by a Muslim ethic . Not that Muslims are bad. But they are not assimilating.

 

And that’s what I had mentioned in my previous response is that America is a great nation, with great values. We are equal opportunity for all. And it’s because we all came here and we came together as one. Out of many one. Multi-cultural diversity says out of one many. And if we go with tribalism we will not long be one nation united under God.


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Yet another reason why this IDIOT
Posted by: Quannah on Oct 24, 2008 11:09 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
is finished in politics!

Watching Republics on the campaign trail has devolved to "Idiots on Parade." They simply can't help themselves!

They deserve to lose and lose BIG.

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Not All Cultures/Values Are Equal
Posted by: pdxjoe on Oct 24, 2008 12:01 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
On its face, this is an attack on equality. However, the Representative makes a valid point that she distorts for her own purpose. The distortion as well as the sense of this being an attack on equality are both on the level of appearances. There is a truth here, but we have to know how to read/hear it. If we take the Representative's remarks seriously, more seriously than she does even, then we are in a position to return them to her in an inverted form: of course not all cultures/values are equal, and your culture and values are some of the most unequal of all.

The Left shouldn't turn away the political debate teeming in these remarks, but engage it whole-heartedly. If not all values/cultures are equal, then clearly the Left is in a position to advocate its own culture and values over those cherished by the Representative and her likely supporters. That means striking down the phony multi-culturalism that dresses up racist anxieties with pretensions of tolerance AS WELL AS the overt racism that the Representative otherwise champions.

In other words, don't let the conservatives/Republicans/Fascists frame the debate to their advantage, but just the same don't pretend there isn't a real political struggle going on either. Imagine if the Allies responded to the Nazi's anti-semitism with a tolerant attitude, and even proposed holding of judgement until coming to fully understand the Nazi's position---"maybe we should see if what they say about the Jews are true?" Hell no! This is a culture and set of values that we resolutely rejected and fought a war (arguably still fighting it) to defeat. This demonstrates the Representative's point clearly. That's not to say that we should engage in a bloody war. I do not think we're there yet. What it means is taking the Representative more seriously than she takes her self---"we know that 'not all cultures/values are equal', but why are YOU of all people telling us; what extra bit of meaning are you trying to slip in when you tell us what we already know?" This is an instance of where appearances---rather than "substance"---matter deeply, because it is on the level of appearances that the the Representative manipulates what her common-knowledge remarks "really mean."

Another perfectly related example would be the meaning of credit-cards for the American worker whose wages have been stagnating since the 1970s. They were marketed to mean what a decent wage and retirement through Social Security or a pension used to mean, above all the "freedom" to continue conspicuous consumption. The unequal value of this "ownership society," and the position in which the Left are in to advocate something better, is the truth of the Representative's remarks.

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Support her opponent
Posted by: fanny666 on Oct 24, 2008 12:31 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
» RE: Support her opponent Posted by: catmandoo
» RE: Support her opponent Posted by: wolfgangmo75
"Some cultures are more equal."
Posted by: Plexius2 on Oct 24, 2008 4:54 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Forgive my paraphrasing of George Orwell's Animal Farm. And never trust the pigs who spin like Bachman.

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Never was
Posted by: marjani on Oct 24, 2008 7:19 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This nation was never one united nation under God. Where do these people get these idiots from?

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Field of Dreams
Posted by: LiveFree on Oct 25, 2008 4:15 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Watching this video reminded me of a scene in the movie Field of Dreams where Kevin Costner's wife verbally demolishes a woman wanting to ban books and calls her, "You Nazi Cow!"

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Ravings of a WingNut
Posted by: frank69 on Oct 25, 2008 5:14 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The raving of a crazy WingNut. I hope the good prople of her Minnesota district "do the right thing" and rid our country of this lunatic.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Amazing.
Posted by: PJAW on Oct 25, 2008 5:50 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Bachmann, and people like her, are truly sincere in their beliefs. And, of course, we all know that beliefs are not necessarily fact-based.

There is a constitutional prohibition against any kind of religious litmus test for serving in public office, which makes it possible for people like Bachmann to be candidates. Unfortunately, though there can be no official litmus test, many in the voting population do have one, and utilize it to determine their vote.

When the non-litmus test using public is closely divided in their preference of candidates for public office, and those using a litmus test vote pretty much as a block, we can end up with public officials like Bachmann.

Right-wing neo-cons (like the current cabal we have running the federal government) tuned into this reality and adopted language and policy positions that appealed to a significant block of voters, "fundamental Christians". Such language as "family values" and policies such as "defense of life" (though performance has often been opposite of declaration) galvanized this block into diehard supporters. Which still wasn't enough to get them over the electoral hurdle, but vote manipulation and a compliant Supreme Court was.

They've worked diligently to develop and emplace their election manipulation technologies and this election has come down to a contest between their power and the will of the people. Otherwise, there would be no contest. That's why this is such a historic election, not because Obama's skin is a little darker than previous candidates.

But back to Bachmann, I sure hope the people of Minnesota see her for the lunatic she is and send her back home.

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» RE: Amazing. Posted by: Bibsisis
» RE: Amazing. Posted by: Lauren
Bye, Bye Bachmann
Posted by: Carol Burns on Oct 25, 2008 6:03 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Maybe after the election you and Sarah can get together over coffee and decide what exactly you did wrong. On the other hand, it probably wouldn't occur to you that you did anything wrong. Oh, well.

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» RE: Bye, Bye Bachmann Posted by: wildbill
» RE: Bye, Bye Bachmann Posted by: Lauren
Republican fools
Posted by: mystere2 on Oct 25, 2008 6:35 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Local Republicans have always exposed their prejudices and ignorance proudly. With the internet the message reaches beyond the true believers and shocks the world at their small minded "just facts folks". This woman must be obscenely wealthy to be so isolated in her own anus.

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Tribalism?
Posted by: luzmejor on Oct 25, 2008 10:36 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Well, geez! What has the Republican Party become then, if not the most rapacious, cruel, jealous, wasteful tribe ever on earth?

I thought it was apparent they were actually trying to get back to "exclusive" tribe methodology.

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Raving DINGBAT!
Posted by: bettyn on Oct 25, 2008 2:23 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
How do I contribute to her opponent. Repugnants=Racists

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Did I miss something?
Posted by: amerijake on Oct 25, 2008 3:25 PM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
These are words of a raving lunatic? A racist xenophobe? Maybe. But what is said in this video doesn't suggest it. Making allegations of racism in this case is a bit like crying wolf. Soon, when everything a republican says is deemed "racist", the real racial problems that arise won't be realized.

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» RE: Did I miss something? Posted by: peacefullaim
She lives in my neighborhood
Posted by: marid on Oct 26, 2008 9:52 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
and don't think that this is an isolated incident. The majority of the time she sounds like somebody with toys in her attic and most of them are broken. Reality and facts are not her strong suite.

It may not be that this isolated statement seems so outrageous but taken in totality she is scary demented.

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This blog has been running for 2 years since this loony...
Posted by: wolfgangmo75 on Oct 26, 2008 7:15 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
...got elected through lie and deception.

Her crazy is bone deep.

http://dumpbachmann.blogspot.com/

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