WATERLOO, Iowa – Rep. Michele Bachmann, stressing her Iowa roots and appealing directly to Tea Party voters, came out swinging Monday as she formally launched her campaign for president.
Buoyed by a strong showing in several recent polls, the Minnesota congresswoman cast her campaign as the voice for "constitutional conservatives" looking for a government that lives within its means while giving the private sector the room to grow. She launched a broadside against President Obama for racking up too much debt while stimulating too little job growth and vowed to make him a "one-term president."
"We cannot afford four more years of Barack Obama," she declared, later adding: "We can win in 2012 and we will win."
In her announcement, Bachmann described a special bond with Iowa, the nation's leadoff caucus state. She held the kickoff in her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, and called herself a "descendent of generations of Iowans," saying the state is where she learned "everything I needed to know." She also appealed to another vital primary constituency, calling herself part of the Tea Party movement and defending it as a cross-section of Republicans, independents and disaffected Democrats.
Trying to show she has what it takes to not just win primaries but take on the president, Bachmann pulled no punches in attacking the Obama administration as she wove in details about her personal life and convictions. As she spoke about faith and family, she also accused the president of failing to revive the economy and putting far too much on the nation's credit card.
"We can't continue to rack up debt. ... We can't afford the unconstitutional health care law that will cost us too much and deliver too little. We can't afford four more years of failed leadership here at home and abroad," she said. "We can't afford four more years of millions of Americans who are out of work. ... And we can't afford four more years of a foreign policy with a president who leads from behind and who doesn't stand up for our friends like Israel."
Still, Bachmann said in an interview with The Associated Press that her bid to unseat Obama is not "personal."
The nothing-personal message was a departure from her 2008 comments questioning whether Obama had "anti-American" views. She has said she wishes she framed her criticism differently. In her announcement, Bachmann said the country's problems have been caused by the policies of both parties and made an appeal for unity.
Bachmann, who filed her papers to run for president two weeks ago, plans to head next to the early primary states of New Hampshire and South Carolina.
The Iowa Democratic Party quickly put out a statement Monday morning assailing Bachmann's presidential bid, chastising her for supporting Republicans' budget plan which would overhaul Medicare.
"With candidates like Michele Bachmann, the choice couldn't be clearer -- do Iowans want to double down on the flawed economic policies that cost us millions of jobs and almost sent us into a second Great Depression or do they want to continue down the path to recovery that has taken us from massive job losses to 15 straight months of private sector job growth and a focus on strengthening the middle class?" party Chairwoman Sue Dvorsky said.
But the congresswoman has been surging in recent polls. A key Iowa poll over the weekend showed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with 23 percent support and Bachmann with 22 percent among those who said they were likely to vote in the nation's first Republican nomination contest. The top five included Georgia businessman Herman Cain, at 10 percent, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, with 7 percent each.
Speaking Sunday to hundreds at a local ballroom, Bachmann effusively mentioned her Iowa roots.
"We need more Waterloo. We need more Iowa. We need more closeness, more families, more love for each other," she told her enthusiastic crowd.
The audience soaked it up.
"She's one of `us.' There are too many of `them' in Washington and not enough of `us,"' said insurance salesman David Alderman. "I think she's got star power. She's a frontrunner right now."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/06/27/bachmann-2012-bid-not-personal-against-obama/#ixzz1QUSpuKXt
FOXNEWS.com
AP
I would have loved to see a Gingrich/Buchmann ticket not too long ago, but seeing that Gingrich 's campaign is in such a mess, not sure how much longer he will be in the race. If he can prove to me that he can turn it around and get his act together, I will still consider voting for him. I think Bachmann make a much better fit for a vice presidential candidate running on the ticket with Gingrich, or maybe Santorum, or even Cain. 
Hell, anyone would be better than Obama! 
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| It's official! Michele Bachmann kicks off her campaign |
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Wordsofwit
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Jun 27 @ 11:57AM
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I wish to announce I am now a candidate for President of the United States. I will run as an independent. I pledge to not accept PAC money and will put a limit of $100.00 on campaign contributions. Please contact me for information on how you can donate to this ground breaking, monumental effort  
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LoveTester
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Jun 27 @ 12:58PM
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I have never seen a politician who wasn't a crook out to line his or her own pockets. So i will do as i do every year. Vote for myself and keep my money where it belongs.
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somnium
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Jun 27 @ 1:05PM
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I wish to announce I am now a candidate for President of the United States.
Ohhhh... GOD Nooo!!! You and your political rhetoric, along with the rest of them?? Stop the planet... I wanna get off! 
Listening to political campaign rhetoric, is like pouring battery acid in an open wound that never closes, from election season to election season! 
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Wordsofwit
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Jun 27 @ 4:17PM
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stressing her Iowa roots and appealing directly to Tea Party voters
That may be the dilemma for republicans. In order to navigate through the primaries a candidate has to appease the Tea Party. But a candidate embraced by the Tea Party is not going to be moderate enough to win in November 2012.
I am wondering if maybe the forthcoming election season will yield a candidate that will emerge from obscurity like Huckabee did in the last election. Perhaps Jon Huntsman or RIck Perry is that person.
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LilGriz
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Jun 27 @ 4:20PM
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Well, being from MN, a lot of us are getting tired of listening to her. Here she is a person supposedly representing MN, but now she is an Iowan. She always did the same thing here in MN. When confronted with questions she was not trained for, she freezes and sometimes stopped the interview. Yes, she won big up here, but nobody had the money to fight her...
Remember people, it's not the president who makes the decisions, but Congress. The House and Senate have the final say in all matters. The President can Veto, but can then be overridden by Congress.
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40DWM
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Jun 27 @ 4:49PM
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With a Pelosi Congress and the current 'clown in chief', we were pretty well, Fekked.
I'd dance, with a 'Bachmann/Cain 2012'
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casuallylooking
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Jun 27 @ 5:05PM
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At this rate, I'm voting for wow.......... or daffy duck.
I definitely don't want either of the candidates from Mn.
The rest of them, I don't know much about.....yet.
Straddle, we have always agreed to disagree when it comes to politics. This is just one of those times.
We'll cancel each others vote out.
it's not the president who makes the decisions, but Congress. The House and Senate have the final say in all matters. You mean it's not Obama's fault I had a migraine this morning? Then who shalll I blame it on?
Surely it was his fault, everything else is. 
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StraddleMyNose
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Jun 27 @ 5:20PM
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Remember people, it's not the president who makes the decisions, but Congress. The House and Senate have the final say in all matters. The President can Veto, but can then be overridden by Congress. Yes, true, too bad we couldn't get that liberal house out of control until the last election before they rammed Obamacare down peoples throats.
Surely it was his fault, everything else is. It's Obama's economy now, he owns it. His economic policies that's he's put into place over the past two years have made our economy even worse now.
Straddle, we have always agreed to disagree when it comes to politics. This is just one of those times.
You're absolutely right, we will agree to disagree on politics. 
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sugarnspice005
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Jun 27 @ 9:06PM
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I wish to announce I am now a candidate for President of the United States. I will run as an independent. I pledge to not accept PAC money and will put a limit of $100.00 on campaign contributions. Please contact me for information on how you can donate to this ground breaking, monumental effort
Ok, I'm voting for Bruce! 
But I still say Romney is going to get the nomination...press is "cuddling up" to him.
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StraddleMyNose
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Jun 27 @ 9:45PM
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But I still say Romney is going to get the nomination...press is "cuddling up" to him. He seems to be the frontrunner for now, but we shall see in another year if he pulls it off or fades away.
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picturepurfect
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Jun 27 @ 11:31PM
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