Michele Bachmann Repeatedly Sought Stimulus, Gov't funds

Michele Bachmann Repeatedly Sought Stimulus, EPA, Other Government Funds

WASHINGTON -- Few candidates in the Republican presidential primary field have decried the federal government with as much gusto as Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.). The three-term congresswoman has belittled the stimulus package, deemed the Obama administration both corrupt and "gangster," and lamented the "orgy" of spending she sees happening in Washington.

The contempt has served her well, helping her craft the type of fiscally conservative, anti-government message that has catapulted her into frontrunner status for the Iowa Caucus and, more immediately, Saturday's crucial Ames Straw Poll.

But it's simply not supported by the Minnesota Republican's actual record.

A Freedom of Information Act request filed by The Huffington Post with three separate federal agencies reveals that on at least 16 separate occasions, Bachmann petitioned the federal government for direct financial help or aid. A large chunk of those requests were for funds set aside through President Obama's stimulus program, which Bachmann once labeled "fantasy economics." Bachmann made two more of those requests to the Environmental Protection Agency, an institution that she has suggested she would eliminate if she were in the White House.

Taken as a whole, the letters underscore what Bachmann's critics describe as a glaring distance between her campaign oratory and her actual conduct as a lawmaker. Combined with previous revelations that Bachmann personally relied on a federally subsidized home loan while her husband's business benefited from Medicaid payments, it appears that one of the Tea Party's most cherished members has demonstrated that the government does, in fact, play a constructive role -- at least in her life and district.

“During the last 100 days we have seen an orgy [of spending]," she said of the stimulus and auto industry bailout during a conference in Minnesota on May 4, 2009. "It would make any local smorgasbord embarrassed."

Less than three weeks later, she went looking for her piece of the pie.

...more....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/1 ... 22851.html


Do as I SAY!... NOT as I do... I guess it's an "orgy of spending" only if you don't have your own hand out...

So LJ....do you have anything positive to say about your side, or is your side so bad, you can only attack the other side?

Boy Renegade, you hit the nail on the head...liberal media outlets very quiet...

RenegadeCJ wrote: So LJ....do you have anything positive to say about your side, or is your side so bad, you can only attack the other side?

Seriously? Please go count the number of threads in this forum that are started to bash the liberals, then count the number started to bash the conservatives.

Well, LJ has 4453 posts...

See you can't even trust the TEA Party faithful to not spend! Like pigs at a slop trough, they just have to join in, no matter what party. But if we cut how much slop they get and destroy their credit cards, we could get less spending.

Kate wrote:

RenegadeCJ wrote: So LJ....do you have anything positive to say about your side, or is your side so bad, you can only attack the other side?

Seriously? Please go count the number of threads in this forum that are started to bash the liberals, then count the number started to bash the conservatives.

Not from me....therefore I can ask the question. I'm asking LJ (and any other liberals/dems here) to actually say something positive their side is doing/plans to do to improve our country. The conservatives have done some slamming here as well, but in addition, some of us have spoken of positive attributes, and positions some on our side are taking (Rubio, Ryan, Christie, etc). I just want to hear the left also sing some praises....if there are any. Go ahead and keep slamming your competition, but at least defend your own side, if you believe they are defensible.

RenegadeCJ wrote: So LJ....do you have anything positive to say about your side, or is your side so bad, you can only attack the other side?

Good point!

What have the Republicans done for me lately? Decreased spending by a little bit with the cap bill.

RenegadeCJ wrote: So LJ....do you have anything positive to say about your side, or is your side so bad, you can only attack the other side?

What else can they do, CJ? Boast of the accomplishments of the current administration?

Hmmm... A whole page of responses bashing the OP, and not one response about the fact that Bachmann is screaming about government handouts while slopping at the trough...

Deflectors on maximum!