Obamacare

Why The 2012 Election May Be The GOP's Only Chance To Repeal Health Care Reform

Sahil Kapur | January 10, 2012, 5:23AM

President Barack Obama speaks on the economy in Shaker Heights, OH on January 4, 2012.

Before she dropped out of the GOP presidential race, Michele Bachmann waxed apocalyptic about how 2012 is the Republican Party's only chance to repeal the health reform law. "We cannot afford to have a candidate who fails to understand the complexity of Obamacare or the urgency of its repeal," the Minnesota congresswoman said in an often-repeated line. "Because, we have only have one chance for repeal, and that's 2012."

There's truth to this statement: if Republicans fail to capture the presidency this time around, repealing some or all of the law becomes far more difficult later, even if the GOP sweeps Congress in 2012 and wins the White House in 2016 with equal determination to squash it.

"The 2012 election will be the most important in the history of our health care system because it will determine whether the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is implemented or repealed," wrote Harvard health policy expert David Blumenthal in the New England Journal of Medicine. "The consequences for Americans and their health care will be huge."

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Michele Bachmann

Bachmann Introduces Bill To Require Ultrasounds For Women Seeking Abortions

Eric Kleefeld | October 7, 2011, 10:41AM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), whose presidential campaign has been beset by a collapse in the polls and possible staffing issues, is taking on a new political front; she's introducing a strongly anti-abortion bill in the House, which could potentially help her rev up pro-life voters.

Bachmann's proposed "Heartbeat Informed Consent Act," announced on Thursday, would require a woman seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound, in order to view and hear a fetal heartbeat.

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Michele Bachmann

Bachmann Dodges Question On Whether God Uses Weather To Send Messages (VIDEO)

David Taintor | September 5, 2011, 9:26AM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

In the hot seat on Sunday, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) was asked by Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer, "Do you believe that God does use the weather to send people messages here on Earth?"

Bachmann said late last month that the one-two punch of a rare east coast quake followed in short order by Hurricane Irene was a wake-up call from God to Washington. Here's her exact quote:

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2012

FOX Poll: Bachmann Getting Hammered By Perry's Surge In Polls

Kyle Leighton | September 1, 2011, 6:49PM

FOX News came out with a new poll Thursday evening that confirmed the numbers from other polls showing Texas Gov. Rick Perry shooting to the top of the GOP field in the race for the party's presidential nomination. Unfortunately for Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), it seems that much of Perry's success is coming at her loss.

Perry leads with 26 percent of GOP voters, followed by now chief rival Mitt Romney at 18 percent. Bachmann, who had been reaching second place in national polls before the entrance of Perry in the race, was relegated to being the first choice of only 4 percent of Republicans.

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2012

Perry Slams 'Blatantly False' Attack Ad From Pro-Bachmann PAC

Benjy Sarlin | September 1, 2011, 4:32PM

A Super PAC supporting Michele Bachmann's campaign, Keep Conservatives United, threw one of the first on-air punches of the 2012 GOP primary this week, lighting into Rick Perry as a big spending governor who is not a "Tea Party guy." Now the Perry camp is pushing back hard, condemning the South Carolina TV ad and releasing a detailed fact check disputing its claims.

"Gov. Perry is a proven fiscal conservative, having cut taxes, signed six balanced budgets, and led Texas to become America's top job-creating state," Perry spokesman Ray Sullivan told reporters. "Congresswoman Bachmann's front-group ad is patently and provably false. Unlike Washington, the Texas budget is balanced, does not run deficits and limits spending, even as Texas added jobs and population in big numbers."

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Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann: Obama's Trying To Keep America's Eyes Off Us With Jobs Speech

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 31, 2011, 5:03PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Michele Bachmann says President Obama scheduled his job speech on the same night as one of three nationally televised Republican presidential debates in the month of September because he wants to prevent Americans from seeing the group of Republicans who may face him next fall.

Earlier Wednesday, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) called on Obama to move the speech, citing the time needed "for a security sweep of the House Chamber before receiving a President."

Bachmann supports Boehner's move, and said "clearly the administration has a great deal of insecurity about their job plan and the lack of it."

Speaking to Fox News on Wednesday, Bachmann argued, "Boehner is saying... rather than the president hiding his speech, and trying to divert the American people away from hearing from the presidential candidates on their assessment of his job that he failed to do for the economy."

She continued, "John Boehner is rightly saying, let's have the American people watch you."

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2012

Romney Re-Do: From Inevitable Candidate To Fighting For Iowa

Kyle Leighton | August 31, 2011, 6:10AM

GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney (MA)

Over the last week we've seen that the "inevitable candidate" strategy from former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney will surely need recalibration -- mainly due to Rick Perry's arrival in the race. Where Perry has succeded in crafting both hype around his candidacy and real support amongst a wide section of the GOP base, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has struggled to expand her appeal beyond the far right of the party, influential though it is.

But is Romney finished just because of a round of bad polls? Of course not. In fact, it's been reported that he'll now contest Iowa, something he had previously not committed to given his polling leads in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. That lead in South Carolina is now gone, according to two new polls, and it vanished within a few weeks of Perry entering the race. So now Romney may be in the fight for Iowa, and as such could make moves towards a new strategy. Sure, Romney was on soft ground as the frontrunner, but that ground doesn't immediately harden when Perry puts his feet down.

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Sarah Palin

Who Doomed Sarah Palin's Presidential Dream?

Benjy Sarlin | August 30, 2011, 6:15AM

Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin is expected to make up her mind about a presidential campaign by the end of September, but it's not clear it matters much either way. Polls show relatively few Republicans clamoring for a Palin run on a national level as the one-time supernova is eclipsed by a crowded presidential contest and an array of new rising stars. About two-thirds of Republicans say they're satisfied with the current primary field.

It feels as if Palin's fabled 2012 run, a source of fervent speculation since before the 2008 contest even ended, has already gone out with a whimper. Palin is polarizing even within her own party and has shown little indication she can reverse the nation's long-settled perception of her as a media phenomenon with little appeal outside her limited fan base.

But how did she end up this way? And who is to blame? Here's a look at five of the leading culprits.

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Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann Memoir To Be Published This November

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 29, 2011, 4:43PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) will parlay the national fame she's built on the presidential campaign trail into what might be the next political best-seller.

The AP reports Bachmann has signed a deal with Sentinel, the conservative subsidiary of Penguin Books, to publish a memoir this November.

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2012

Michele Bachmann's Very Own 'Whitey' Tape Turns Out To Be A Dud

Thomas Lane | August 29, 2011, 2:58PM

Remember the 'Whitey Tape" rumor from 2008? The gist was that a video was secretly in circulation featuring Michelle Obama badmouthing "whitey." The blogosphere was alight with fears (or on some ends, hopes) that it would be released at a critical moment and swing the election towards John McCain.

The tape never emerged.

However, Monday the internet was aflame yet again with an apparent "whitey" tape -- this time featuring not Michelle Obama, but Michele Bachmann.

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Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann's Hurricane Irene Joke (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 29, 2011, 11:28AM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

While much of the eastern seaboard dries out from Hurricane Irene, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has found herself in hot water over the claim she made in Florida over the weekend that the storm and last week's historic earthquake were sent by God to wake up politicians in Washington to the views of the tea party.

Bachmann's campaign says the whole thing was a joke, and that's certainly how CNN played it this morning.

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Michele Bachmann

Bachmann Campaign: Bachmann Spoke 'In Jest' When She Said God Was Communicating Via Earthquakes And Hurricanes

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 29, 2011, 9:44AM

Michele Bachmann

Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-MN) presidential campaign says critics are making much ado about nothing when it comes to her viral quote stating last week's East Coast earthquake and hurricane was a message from God to overspending DC politicians.

"Obviously she was saying it in jest," campaign spokesperson Alice Stewart told TPM in a statement.

The quote, made by Bachmann at a Florida campaign rally over the weekend, is making headlines across the Internet and TV.

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Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann: Earthquake, Irene Were A Wake Up Call From God For Politicians

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 29, 2011, 8:26AM

Michele Bachmann

For someone who began her political career mixing fundamentalist religion and public policy, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has done a decent job keeping questions about her faith at bay during her presidential campaign.

Until now.

Speaking to a crowd in Florida over the weekend, Bachmann said the historic earthquake and massive hurricane that rocked the East Coast last week was a message that God is upset with the way politicians in Washington have been doing things. The interview with the St. Petersburg Times grabbed the quote:

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Rick Perry

Perry Vaults Into Lead For GOP Nomination In Two National Polls

Kyle Leighton | August 24, 2011, 2:40PM

Former Mass. Governor Mitt Romney has been the frontrunner in most national polls of the GOP primary over the last year, and the general punditry considered it his nomination to lose, at least at first. And while it's still early, new polling released on Wednesday shows his unchallenged time at the head of the pack may be over.

A new national Gallup poll of GOP and GOP-leaning voters shows Romney, who had more than a quarter of the total vote in Gallup's June numbers in the same poll, has fallen to 17 percent, while newly minted candidate Tex. Gov. Rick Perry surges to 29 percent and the lead. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), considered a top contender, falls to fourth with 10 percent, behind Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) at 13 percent. The rest of the field is in single digits.

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Polls

PPP: Iowa Becoming Perry Country As Bachmann Falls

Kyle Leighton | August 23, 2011, 12:23PM

As TPM reported Tuesday morning, Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-MN) time as a legitimate contender for the GOP presidential nomination could be up, as a new survey from Public Policy Polling (D) shows her the third choice of Republican voters in Iowa, a state essential to her campaign. The new horserace with the full announced GOP field shows Tex. Gov. Rick Perry at the top with 22 percent, former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney at 19 percent, Bachmann at 18, and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) at 16 percent.

There's no way around it -- Bachmann's popularity has taken a huge hit over the last two months, as shown by the PPP numbers. In June, Bachmann enjoyed a favorable/unfavorable rating of 53 - 16. That statistic is now 47 - 35, still positive, but not particularly high considering these are GOP voters. Perry, on the other hand, has gone from relatively unknown (a 21 - 16 favorability rating in June, majority undecided) to well liked, with a 56 - 24 rating. Paul has increased his favorability rating by 11 points over that time, and Romney has dropped slightly over the last two months.

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Michele Bachmann

Peaked? Polling Shows Bachmann Support Withering After Perry's Debut

Evan McMorris-Santoro & Kyle Leighton | August 23, 2011, 6:30AM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

There have been several chapters in the still-extremely-early 2012 presidential race. There was the time that Newt Gingrich's smarts and policy chops was going to shake up the contest. That ended. There was the time Herman Cain's business acumen and tea party ties were going to be a real factor in the race. That didn't work out. Then, of course, there was Donald Trump. Remember him?

Now, it appears, Michele Bachmann's moment has come and gone.

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2012 Presidential Primaries

The Gaffes Of August - Bachmann's Big Week On The Stump

Eric Kleefeld | August 19, 2011, 12:03PM

GOP Presidential Candidate Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

It's been a big week for Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and her insurgent presidential campaign. Her victory in the Iowa straw poll forced her fellow Minnesotan and once top-tier candidate, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, right out of the race. But along the way, as could be expected of Bachmann and her boisterous rhetoric, there have been some other memorable moments.

On Thursday, the Tea Party maven told an interesting tale to a South Carolina audience, explaining her former career as a tax litigation attorney working for the federal government. "How many of you love the IRS? No! It's time to change it," she told the crowd. "I went to work in that system because the first rule of war is 'know your enemy.' So I went to the inside to learn how they work because I wanted to beat them."

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Michele Bachmann

Still Singing That Same Old Song: After Ames, Bachmann As Divisive As Ever

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 19, 2011, 6:05AM

Michele Bachmann

FLORENCE, SC -- Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is in a tough spot. On the one hand, polls are showing her unlikely presidential candidacy is catching on, at least in Iowa, and she needs to keep that momentum going by expanding her base of support among the various Republican groups here. On the other, Bachmann needs to keep stoking the tea party fire that's gotten her as far as it has.

Speaking to a small audience of true believers and curious visitors in the Palmetto State Thursday, Bachmann made it clear that she's putting her emphasis on the latter goal. In her stump speech, Bachmann offered up an unambiguous call for the dismantling of the federal Department of Education as well as the legislation that created it, which she called "unconstitutional." (She said she'd eliminate the EPA, too, a common refrain among Republicans these days.)

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2012

Michele Bachmann Gets Another Super PAC

Benjy Sarlin | August 17, 2011, 3:28PM

Michele Bachmann

It's getting hard to keep track of all the unlimited money groups forming to support various presidential candidates. Rick Perry already has multiple competing ones. Now Michele Bachmann is getting a second one.

The group, Citizens for a Working America, will be chaired by Ken Blackwell, who held office as Ohio's Secretary of State and ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor. Bachmann adviser Ed Brookover will also be on board, according to The Fix, who first broke the news.

CWA joins another recently formed pro-Bachmann group, Keep Conservatives United, that's already announced plans to take on Perry directly.

Bachmann is one of three candidates with Super PAC support. In addition to Perry's trio, Romney supporters have already raised over $12 million through Restore Our Future.

Polls

Poll: New Hampshire Still Romney's Turf In GOP Primary

Kyle Leighton | August 17, 2011, 3:15PM

GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA)

With another high profile candidate in the GOP presidential primary field and the Ames Straw Poll in the books, attention is turning back to the votes that will really matter: key among them, New Hampshire. A new poll out on Wednesday shows that despite the recent shakeup in the race with the addition of Tex. Gov. Rick Perry, Granite State GOP voters are still behind former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney at the moment.

Romney is the first choice of 36 percent of GOP voters in the new survey sponsored by the New Hampshire Journal. Romney's score is twice that of the next closest candidate, Perry, who polls at 18 percent. Following Romney and Perry is Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) with 14 percent, then Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) with 10. Businessman Herman Cain and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. both register 3 percent, with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 2 percent and former PA Senator Rick Santorum rounding out the field with 1.

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Default

Who's Really Responsible For U.S. Debt Downgrade

Brian Beutler | August 17, 2011, 10:00AM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

This article was updated at 10:00am Eastern on August 17, 2011 to include additional names pointed out by TPM readers.

Now that Standard & Poors has confirmed that the chorus of default doubters in the GOP was part of what spooked them into downgrading the U.S. credit rating, Republicans will do all they can to pretend that they never questioned the risk of missing payment obligations, or allowing borrowing authority to lapse. But they sure did! Here's a long, partial timeline of influential Republicans either vouchsafing default, or downplaying the consequences of passing the August 2 deadline without raising the debt limit.

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2012

Rick Perry Condemns Federal Farm Regulation -- That Doesn't Exist

Benjy Sarlin | August 16, 2011, 3:06PM

Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX)

Rick Perry pulled a Michele Bachmann on Tuesday, passionately condemning a policy that does not actually exist.

This time round it was over farming issues. "If you're a tractor driver, if you drive your tractor across a public road, you're gonna have to have a commercial driver's license. Now how idiotic is that?" perry told a Des Moines crowd. "What were they thinking?"

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Michele Bachmann

Ron Paul Ad: Romney May Talk Smoothly But Only I Can Bring Peace (Video)

Michael R. Corjulo | August 16, 2011, 3:00PM

New Ron Paul TV Ad, "The One"

A day after The Daily Show's Jon Stewart blasted the national media for ignoring Congressman Ron Paul's (R-TX) presidential campaign, the twelve term congressman and narrow runner up in the recent Ames Straw Poll released a dramatic new ad.

Filmed as a Michael Bay-esque movie trailer, the ad even opens with a disclaimer that "the following preview has been approved for all audiences" and concludes that Ron Paul is "the one who will stop the spending, save the dollar, create jobs, bring peace, the one who will restore liberty."

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Michele Bachmann

Don't Be Cruel: Bachmann Wishes 'Happy Birthday' To Elvis -- On Anniversary Of His Death

Eric Kleefeld | August 16, 2011, 2:19PM

Michele Bachmann is continuing her campaign theme of celebrating Americana -- even if the details are a bit more macabre than she intended.

"Before we get started, let's all say 'Happy Birthday' to Elvis Presley today," Bachmann said, kicking off a rally in Spartanburg, South Carolina, CNN reports.

"We played you a little bit of 'Promised Land' when we pulled up. You can't do better than Elvis Presley, and we thought we would celebrate his birthday as we get started celebrating taking our country back to work."

In fact, Elvis Presley was born on January 8, 1935. Today's date, August 16, is the anniversary of his death in 1977 at age 42, likely caused by heart disease that was seriously exacerbated from prescription drug abuse.

The video is below the jump, courtesy of Politico:

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Rick Perry

Five Ways Rick Perry Changes The Primaries

Benjy Sarlin | August 16, 2011, 9:15AM

Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX)

As we've seen from the brouhaha over Rick Perry's Bernanke-bashing, the Texas Governor has the potential to shake up the GOP primaries. Merely by stepping into the ring the "good looking rascal," as Bill Clinton called him, has changed the dynamic on a number of levels. Here are the top five.

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Michele Bachmann

Bachmann: I Don't 'Judge' Gays, Everyone Has 'Dignity' And 'Honor'

David Taintor | August 14, 2011, 2:35PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Fresh off her win at the Iowa straw poll, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) on Sunday launched a media blitz on the morning talk shows.

For the most part, Bachmann stayed on message, calling for the repeal of "Obamacare" and reigning in government spending. But an interesting moment came when Meet The Press host David Gregory challenged Bachmann's position on homosexuality.

It's no secret Bachmann isn't the biggest fan of gays. But when Gregory played a clip of Bachmann saying homosexuality leads to "personal enslavement" and "bondage," she responded simply by saying "I am running for the presidency of the United States."

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Tim Pawlenty

Michele Bachmann Wins Ames Straw Poll

Benjy Sarlin | August 13, 2011, 5:36PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Michele Bachmann has won the Ames Straw Poll, state GOP chair Matt Strawn announced on Saturday.

Bachmann secured 4823 votes, edging out Ron Paul, who had 4671 votes. Tim Pawlenty finished a distant third with 2293 votes - a disappointing result for the Minnesota governor after investing heavy resources as part of his broader Iowa-focused strategy. He suggested recently that he may have to a "reassess" his campaign if he fails to make an impact in the straw poll.

"We made progress in moving from the back of the pack into a competitive position for the caucuses, but we have a lot more work to do," Pawlenty said in a statement congratulating Bachmann.

Rounding out the rest of the field were Rick Santorum with 1657 votes, Herman Cain with 1456, Mitt Romney with 567, Newt Gingrich with 385, Jon Huntsman with 69, and Thad McCotter with 35. The bottom four, except for McCotter, did not participate in the day's events.

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Ames Straw Poll

Perry, Palin, and Polls: The GOP Primary's Wild Weekend

Benjy Sarlin | August 12, 2011, 5:16PM

Ames, Iowa. 2011. Ron Paul Supporters

Saturday is easily the most important day of the Republican primaries so far as the candidates face a major test in Iowa -- and a new challenger enters the arena.

The bulk of the field has been gathered in Iowa all week mingling with locals and noshing on corn dogs as crowds of national reporters follow their every move. The big show is Saturday afternoon as candidates make their final appeal for votes in the Ames Straw Poll, with the ballots closing at 4 PM.

Candidates are already planning all sorts of stunts to attract supporters. Rick Santorum is handing out free jelly. Tim Pawlenty invited Christian rockers Sonicflood. Herman Cain will sing gospel. All three will receive a visit from 2008 Iowa caucus winner Mike Huckabee, who will play bass at their booths.

The poll is totally unscientific, but a strong showing can give candidates a nice shot of positive press. And every candidate besides the state-leading Michele Bachmann is in desperate need of some help in that category. The only other heavyweight in the national polls, Mitt Romney, is not participating (although he's spent the last few days in Iowa). Tim Pawlenty is staking big money on Ames to jolt his lackluster campaign back to life and said on Friday that a flop would require him to "reassess" his approach. For some of the less establishment candidates, like Ron Paul and Herman Cain, a straw poll win could vault them back into the national conversation, much like Huckabee's second place finish helped draw new attention to his campaign and built momentum for his eventual upset victory in the state.

For the middle of the pack candidates, that boost is especially important given who isn't at Ames. That would be Texas Governor Rick Perry, who is expected to announce his presidential campaign in Charleston, South Carolina at a convention organized by right-wing site RedState.com. Perry's perfectly timed entrance threatens to squash contenders' straw poll gains by dominating the news cycle. If they don't break out soon, they could become buried as the race turns into a top-heavy war between frontrunners Bachmann, Romney, and Perry.

As if Perry's announcement isn't enough of a news suck, candidates in Iowa will also have to share headlines with Sarah Palin, who's in Ames. Although there's little evidence Palin is still seriously preparing for a presidential bid at this late stage in the game, she's still doing her best to convince her supporters not to rule her out. "There is still plenty of room in that field for a common-sense conservative," Palin told state fair-goers on Friday. "Watching the debate, not just last night, but watching this whole process over the past year, it has certainly shown me there's plenty of room for more people."

Debt Ceiling

After Triggering Downgrade, Debt Default Skeptics Try To Run From Their Records -- But They Can't

Brian Beutler | August 12, 2011, 10:16AM

Standard & Poors has a specific justification for downgrading the U.S. bond rating, and it's deadly for Republicans. It wasn't just that Congress showed itself to be reckless and dysfunctional, or that the GOP shows no sign of ever ending their anti-tax jihad. It's that for a period of weeks, some lawmakers (read: Republicans) were quite literally shrugging off the risks of blowing past the August 2 deadline, running out of borrowing authority, and missing payment obligations.

"[P]eople in the political arena were even talking about a potential default," said Joydeep Mukherji, senior directior at S&P. "That a country even has such voices, albeit a minority, is something notable," he added. "This kind of rhetoric is not common amongst AAA sovereigns."

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Mitt Romney

Did Mitt Romney Raise Taxes Or 'Close Loopholes'?

Benjy Sarlin | August 12, 2011, 9:40AM

News that then-Governor Mitt Romney's office played up his predecessor's tax hikes to secure a better rating from Standard & Poor's may undercut his hardline anti-tax image. But the S&P story also revives a longstanding debate over Romney's own revenue raisers as governor, an issue that takes on greater significance than it did in 2008 thanks to the recent debt ceiling talks.

On Wednesday, Politico reported on a presentation Romney's office gave to S&P in 2004 touting the strength of the state's budget thanks in part to a 2002 tax increase that he opposed. The presentation also highlighted higher fees and newly closed loopholes that Romney championed himself. While Romney supporters have long argued these policies should not count as tax increases, critics have long insisted otherwise and the S&P story pushes the debate into the headlines once again.

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Michele Bachmann

Bachmann Gets Asked: 'As President, Would You Be Submissive To Your Husband?'

Eric Kleefeld | August 11, 2011, 11:09PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Debate host Byron York asked Michele Bachmann about her past quotes that she became a tax lawyer at her husband's insistence, citing Biblical passages that a wife should be "submissive" to her husband.

"As president, would you be submissive to your husband?" York asked -- prompting vociferous booing from the audience.

"Thank you for that question, Byron," Bachmann responded, to applause. "Marcus and I will be married for 33 years this September 10th. I'm in love with him, I'm so proud of him. And what submission means to us -- if that's what your question is -- is respect. I respect my husband...and he respects me as his wife. that's how operate our marriage. We respect each other, we love each other."

Bachmann then added that together, she and her husband had built a business, raised their children, and raised 23 foster children. "I'm very proud of him."

2012

GOP Fight Night: The Top Five Moments

Benjy Sarlin | August 11, 2011, 11:06PM

Remember that nice friendly New Hampshire debate from June when the GOP's fresh-faced field candidates, still basking in fluffy magazine profiles, joined hands to sing songs of President Obama's failed stimulus? That wasn't this debate.

Instead the candidates mixed it up early and often, even lashing out at the moderators. We compiled the pugilistic highlights, from Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann's snowball fight to Newt Gingrich's war on FOX News, into a video. Read on for the nitty gritty details after that.

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Minnesota

Pawlenty vs. Bachmann On Abortion, Taxes: Who Was Right?

Benjy Sarlin | August 11, 2011, 10:44PM

In a very fiery exchange, Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann dueled over the ins and outs of Minnesota's 2005 budget standoff, wading into abortion politics along the way.

For non-Minnesotan observers, however, the debate was likely a blur. So here's a quick and dirty explainer. The big -- and most currently relevant -- compromise on Pawlenty's behalf was a 75-cent fee on cigarette packs, dubbed a tax by critics, in order to free up cash for K-12 education.

"I did agree to the cigarette fee," Pawlenty said in the debate. "I regretted that. The courts held it to be a fee. But nevertheless it was an increase in revenue."

But Bachmann charged, noting that she had been "very vocal against that tax, and I fought against that tax." However, she did in the end vote for the bill that contained it. So what happened?

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2012

Michele Bachmann Gets A Super PAC

Benjy Sarlin | August 11, 2011, 1:30PM

Michele Bachmann

Supporters of Michele Bachmann are launching an independent Super PAC to help elect her president, making her the third Republican candidate with the backing of an organization that can accept unlimited donations.

Founder Bob Harris told CNN on Thursday that the new organization Keep Conservatives United will run ads in Iowa playing up Bachmann's record in Congress while also lobbing attacks at Rick Perry, who is expected to enter the race soon.

"Bachmann has the guts to fight the Washington establishment and Rick Perry is just a spoiler," Harris told CNN. "I think his record is not what people think it is."

Super PACs are not allowed to coordinate with the candidates, but can accept unlimited donations, including from corporations. Mitt Romney supporters have raised over $12 million so far for the Super PAC Restore Our Future, which made headlines this month after one donor, former Bain Capital executive Ed Conard, contributed $1 million indirectly through a mysterious corporation that closed within months. Perry backers have already launched multiple competing Super PACs that are currently battling for his supporters' favor.

Debates

Iowa Showdown: Five Stories To Watch In Tonight's GOP Debate

Benjy Sarlin | August 11, 2011, 6:00AM

Jon Huntsman, Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

You might say that 2012 really starts tonight. At 9pm Eastern time, the declared Republican presidential candidates take the stage at Iowa -- barely two days ahead of the Ames Straw Poll, which many consider the unofficial first round of the primary season.

Of course, this debate will also be interesting for who it doesn't have: Texas Governor Rick Perry. Today he made it official that he'll be declaring his candidacy on Saturday. His shadow is sure to loom large over tonight's proceedings.

TPM's livewire will keep you updated of the night's events as they happen. We'll also be posting blog posts, fuller articles, and video throughout the evening.

Meanwhile, in preparation for the debate itelf, here's TPM's advice on what to look for:

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2012

Despite Rhetoric, Bachmann Requested Stimulus, EPA Cash For District

Benjy Sarlin | August 10, 2011, 11:16AM

Michele Bachmann

For Michele Bachmann federal cash is absolutely disgusting -- and the portions are so small!

Despite repeatedly decrying the evils of federal spending, records obtained by the Huffington Post show Bachmann repeatedly requested money for her district even from agencies and programs she has vilified in her speeches. They include the stimulus program that she branded "fantasy economics" as well as the Environmental Protection Agency she's said should be renamed the "Job Killing Agency."

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Gary Johnson

GOP Presidential Hopefuls Go To Ames, Gary Johnson Rides a Bike

Michael R. Corjulo | August 9, 2011, 1:47PM

GOP Presidential Candidate Governor Gary Johnson (R-NM)

While seven Republican presidential hopefuls will be competing in the Iowa Straw Poll this Saturday in Ames, candidate Gary Johnson will be in a slightly different kind of race. The former Governor of New Mexico announced Tuesday that he would be spending Saturday competing in a 100 mile-long mountain bike race in Leadville, Colorado.

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Michele Bachmann

Bachmann: Obama Should Heed/Ignore S&P

Benjy Sarlin | August 8, 2011, 4:00PM

Michele Bachmann simultaneously chided the White House for paying too little and too much attention to Standard and Poor's downgrade of US debt on Monday.

"After a weekend of hiding out at Camp David, pretending that the Standard and Poor's ratings do not matter and hoping the markets wouldn't notice, the President discovered he was wrong on both counts," Bachmann said in a statement. "He came out just long enough today to again declare that raising taxes and cutting Medicare are his only solutions to our nation's economic crisis. He dismissed the downgrade of our country's credit rating, and argued that there's no more room for spending cuts in Washington."

Bachmann's criticisms are contradictory. While she clearly believes Obama is "wrong" to dismiss the downgrade, the ratings agency made it abundantly clear that the president's proposals to fix the problem -- entitlement reform and tax increases -- are exactly what is needed to strengthen America's credit rating.

According to S&P's own downgrade announcement,"We lowered our long-term rating on the U.S. because we believe that the prolonged controversy over raising the statutory debt ceiling and the related fiscal policy debate indicate that further near-term progress containing the growth in public spending, especially on entitlements, or on reaching an agreement on raising revenues is less likely than we previously assumed and will remain a contentious and fitful process."

Perhaps more than any other presidential candidate, Bachmann is on shaky ground tying herself to the S&P, since the agency also cited Republicans' threats not to raise the debt ceiling as a major cause for the downgrade. Bachmann took the position early in the debate that the debt ceiling should never be raised under any circumstances, meaning by S&P's account she contributed to the problem as much as any lawmaker in the country.

Gay Marriage

Michele Bachmann Attends Anti-Gay Sermon in Iowa

August 8, 2011, 11:49AM

Michele Bachmann spoke at a church service in Iowa on Sunday that featured a separate sermon about "immoral" gays as well as a video presentation promoting gay conversion therapy.

"We inherently know that homosexual behavior is immoral and unnatural," Pastor Jeff Mullen told churchgoers during a half-hour presentation, according to NBC. Afterward he played a recorded testimonial from a man who claimed to have been cured of his homosexual urges through the power of prayer and is now married with an expecting wife "I am so happy God has given me natural affection for a woman," he says in the video.

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Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann's Radical Reading List

Benjy Sarlin | August 8, 2011, 11:14AM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Ryan Lizza's New Yorker piece on Michele Bachmann, which focuses on the Tea Party candidate's influences, is the current talk of the political world. The article delves deep into Bachmann's ideological roots, showcasing a number of books and films by her favorite far-right Christian thinkers. Here are a few of the highlights from Bachmann's reading list.

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