A certain high-profile congresswoman certainly doesn’t mind the presidential speculation:
Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann says the reactions she received in her Friday meetings with Iowa Republican leaders and conservative activists in the leadoff presidential caucus state have encouraged her to explore running for president.
“I am very encouraged by what I heard and the level of support that I saw today,” Bachmann told The Des Moines Register after a gauntlet of meetings in Des Moines.
Will she run? Call me crazy, but presidential campaign buzz seems like a good way to build up a network of national donors for a Senate race.
"...presidential campaign buzz seems like a good way to build up a network of national donors for a Senate race."
Not at all crazy but probably rather foolish as Klobuchar looks safe and Minnesota remains, to a disturbing extent, Minnesota.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt is, but given that she is presenting an internet distributed "alternative" (Tea Party) response to the SOTU address I think she is considering a third party run under the Tea Party sobriquet.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhy would anyone want to run against Obama in 2012 when his approval rating is surging (even in Rasmussen) and the economy is only going to get better? It's basically a suicide mission for anyone now.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbusePalin / Bachmann 2012
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNow that would make so many heads explode, diving under the desk would be the only way to take cover.
Dimmer than dim. If this is the best we have to offer the movement is doomed.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abusemypalfish. Is that supposed to be sarcastic?
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abusemypalfish, pretty much the same thing could have been said of George H.W. Bush in January of 1991. It's easy for people to approve of Obama in the wake of a tragedy, when even people like me think he's done a good job. The election of 2012 will be about jobs and healthcare. He has to keep the lefty base happy while trying to maintain the independent support that got him into office. We shouldn't underestimate him, but he's hardly a shoe-in for reelection. He is much more popular as a person than for his stands on issues. People may like him, but that doesn't mean they won't vote for his opponent when they don't agree with his government-knows-best instincts.
I'm from the neighboring district of MB's, and I think she's great. HOWEVER, she could never get elected statewide in Minnesota or nationwide. She is, as someone else once wrote of her, all red meat all the time. It's great that she can keep getting reelected in her district, but her district is a pretty solidly Republican district. If she stays in the House for the indefinite future, great. But I don't think she can successfully run for higher office, be it senator, governor, or president. Winning in MN or nationwide requires a much greater willingness to appeal to people in the middle than MB has so far shown.
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Nonsense.
The higher polls do indicate the gullibility of a disturbingly large portion of the electorate who now see fail to see Obama a man of the left (much less correctly identify him as being of the very far left) in light of his almost exclusively superficial move to the middle. The economy has helped some but unemployment remains high.
Nonetheless, it is absurd to believe Obama cannot be beaten in 2012. The economic situation will be crucial and (the number are random but probably not far off) and unemployment rate of 8.5/fewer than 3 million jobs crated as of September 2012 report means Obama is likely to loose to any credible Republican and a 7.5/4.5 mil+ number would make him virtually unbeatable. Almost everything we've heard in the last week, including proceeding full speed ahead with Obamacare/Finreg, to the faux regulation review to the new "investments" for greater "competitiveness" to be proposed in the SOTU indicate that Obama, buyed no doubt by recent polls, will continue to seek to implement an aggressive far left agenda (limited some by the Republican House) which will, unfortunately insure that the number will be closer to the more pessimistic end of the spectrum and therefore leave him very vulnerable to defeat.
To be sure, the Republicans will have to feel an effective candidate who will present a coherent and compelling agenda and will run a well funded, well organized campaign. I would never assume they will do any such things. In the even they do, however, the Presidency will be very much there for the taking and the quest to for it hardly a suicide mission.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"Surging", mypalfish? Once the Tucson bump wears off, he's back in the low-mid 40s. The economy is still terrible and won't improve with The One's spending prescription.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseActually, running for Senate is very smart. There is a good chance the GOP can beat Obama in 2012. If Bachmann runs for Senate and wins, great. If she runs for Senate and loses, she may be out of Congress, but she could be a strong choice for an Executive Appointment... perhaps the next Director of the IRS? Yes, there is a gamble that she could lose her election AND the GOP loses the White House... but you don't get anywhere if you avoid all risks in life.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseObama got a bump in the "likable" category but no bump in the "doing a good job" category.
Sorry call me suspicious but when asked the question of "liking" many people are afraid to say no. I think the man's narcissistic personality makes him very unlikeable.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseObama's approval rating is in the mid 50's now. The stock market is back near 12,000. Stories about the improving economy is on all news broadcasts and in newspapers. If this was just a Tuscon bump, it would be dissipating by now. It's all about the improved (or perceived to be improved) economic situation.
And one very important thing to note is that even when the economy was at it's low point, Obama had a floor of around 44-45 percent approval. Compare that to President Bush mired in the 30's.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThere is constant wonder at Obama's high ratings (even at their nadir) and how they compare favorably to those of Reagan and Clinton and yet he managed to loose more congressional seats than both despite having long warning of the impending threat and with the Democrats running an exceptionally well funded and ultimately very effective campaign to limit the damage.
It is true that Obama, supported by relentless MSM propaganda, has received much entirely undeserved credit for the largely overhyped economic recovery in the same way that Bush was hurt by the counter propaganda decrying his, much more robust, economic recovery. Ultimately, however, substantive policy was decisive. The 2003 supply side cuts created the incontestable reality of an economy sufficiently robust to pave the way to Bush's reelection. Obama, by contrast, based on everything we hear about SOTU and his policy plans will, all some superficial signs notwithstanding pursue a very big government, crony capitalism, hard left agenda which is bound to meaningfully constrain the economic recovery and leave open a door to an effective challenger.
The challenger will have to be effective and it is hard to see Obama's chances of reelection as much less than 60% (with the Republicans in control of the House he won't be able to destroy the economy completely) but opposing him is by no stretch of the imagination a suicide mission.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abusethe market is up, but the average American is not enjoying the spoils of a better economy. unemployment is still around 10% and inflation is coming, big time. the market itself is probably bubbling from government bailouts and stimulus - which are not going to continue. expect the market to drop below 10,000 again before the election.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseObama also has a built-in floor of around 12% approval regardless of what he does. Personal scandal, nuclear holocaust...it won't matter what he does he'll always have 90+% of the AA vote. Tack on another X% of committed leftists with no moral code who would never defect from a pol the way many conservatives did with W and you have a guy who has many advantages a Republican could never enjoy.
I don't believe there is some great resurgence in his support but I also don't believe Americans are chomping at the bit to throw this guy out. For whatever reason - the same reasons they voted for him initially apparently - they are fooled by the guy and still like him personally despite it being clear that he's beyond arrogant. Cart well before the horse - if the waffling independent vote remains on our side the likelihood we can defeat him is pretty good. FL, Ohio, VA, IN, and hopefully NC (black vote makes me nervous here) and 1 of CO, NEV, NM can flip for a GOP win. Certainly other states not previously in play should be. (WI, PA etc) Mark me down as cautiously optimistic if the nominee is not Huck or Palin.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIf the average American didn't perceive that the economy was better, there would not be the big jump in approval rating.
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