Michele Bachmann: Spiritual Hurricane!

Dear Commons Community,

CNN and other media outlets are reporting on Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and her invocation of natural  calamities as signs from God of changes afoot in our country.  Specifically at a conservative rally in Florida on Sunday, she said “We are looking at a spiritual hurricane in our land.”  The comments came as the Gulf Coast braces for Tropical Storm Isaac, which is expected to make landfall this week.

“At this moment in time we’re quite literally looking at a hurricane here in Florida,” Bachmann said ahead of the start of the Republican convention, which was delayed because of Isaac. “We’re looking at a political hurricane in this country. We are looking at a spiritual hurricane in our land. And it is time for each one of us to show up and suit up and stand up and realize that in this time and in this day we pour it out for Him.”

The Huffington Post reported that last year Bachmann raised eyebrows when she suggested Hurricane Irene and an earthquake felt along the East Coast came as warnings to politicians from God.

“I don’t know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians,” she said. “We’ve had an earthquake; we’ve had a hurricane. He said, ‘Are you going to start listening to me here?'”

A Bachmann spokeswoman sought to do damage control on the remarks at the time, saying they were made in “jest.”

To think that Bachmann is an elected political figure in our national government who could have been the Republican nominee for president.

Tony

 

Republican National Convention: Developing the “Right” Party Platform!

Dear Commons Community,

As the Republicans prepare for the opening of their national convention in Tampa, Hurricane Isaac notwithstanding, it will be interesting to see how far to the right will be the party’s platform.   The nominations are locked up with Mitt Romney, a moderate (most of the time), and Paul Ryan, an extreme conservative.  However, how moderate or extreme the platform will be on economic and social issues remains to be seen.  A number of old guard Republicans (i.e. George Pataki, Dan Quayle, Jeb Bush) are sounding alarms that the platform should not be catering to Tea Party views and therein lies the issue.   A New York Times piece comments:

“In interviews, Republican leaders said they were united and energized by the prospect of defeating President Obama and enacting bedrock Republican principles: shrinking the government and reducing spending and taxes.

At the same time, many said they were concerned about the crosscurrents that have churned the party, particularly since the emergence of the Tea Party movement three years ago. And on Sunday, thousands who supported the presidential campaign of Representative Ron Paul of Texas rallied here to challenge what they view as business as usual among Republicans.

Some leaders expressed worry that the turn to contentious social issues in the days leading up to the Republican National Convention, where the party platform is likely to embrace a tough anti-abortion stance and strict curbs on immigration, could undercut the party’s need to broaden its appeal. Many of them said they feared it was hastening a march to becoming a smaller, older, whiter and more male party.

“The Republican Party needs to re-establish its philosophy of the big tent with principles,” said Dan Quayle, the Republican former vice president. “The philosophy you hear from time to time, which is unfortunate, is one of exclusion rather than inclusion. You have to be expanding the base, expanding the party, because compared to the Democratic Party, the Republican Party is a minority party.”

George E. Pataki, the Republican former governor of New York, said he agreed with the Tea Party’s principle of reducing taxes and the size of the government. But he said he was concerned that antigovernment sentiments advocated by some Tea Party activists could push the it out of the political mainstream.

“What I fear is that that very positive desire to limit the power and the role of the federal government could turn into a philosophy that is antigovernment,” Mr. Pataki said. “Sometimes, those who I fear have that antigovernment view, as opposed to the limited-government view, rise to the center of the nominating process. I think that is not a good thing for the Republican Party.”

While there will be lots of bluster and Obama-bashing during the speeches, it will be interesting to see how far to the right the platform evolves.

Tony