So here is how it went: First Michele Bachmann screeched about how our dastardly Usurper got a total Death to Amerikkka Boner when he murdered our Libyan ambassador in BENGHAZIIIIIII, and then Michele Bachmann told some dumb lies about the five chefs who fly on Air Force One and the "presidential dogwalker" and $1.4 billion in derp. (It was CPAC. Dumb liesis how they do.) Then CNN was all, "Pardon us, Congresswoman, about your dumb lies that are dumb? There is no White House dogwalker and derp?" Then Michele Bachmann was all, "Pffft, nice reporting, slut! Why would you bring up something so insignificant as the White House dogwalker when the president is busy murdering the entire diplomatic corps?" And Dana Bash was like, "Wait a minute, I did not bring up the White House budget, YOU brought up the White House budget!" And Michele Bachmann was all, "I do not think so, I would never be so disingenuous, especially not now, while I am running away from you. Exit, stage left even!"
Since the stupid CNN video of Michele Bachmann sprinting off for her Olympic 100 meter trials is unembeddable, you can watch it over there we guess. Whatever CNN. Way to Internet!
So that is some morning fun for you. BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! Michele Bachmann also told some dumb lies about how 70 percent of food stamps go to bureaucrats -- we guess that's what we are calling "Walmart workers" today -- and the Washington Post was all, "Pardon us, Congresswoman Bachmann,could we have a word?"
Indeed, could they have many? Bachmann's bizarre assertion that 70 percent of poverty spending goes to bureaucrats was based on the work of this libertarian Cato Institute dude, Michael Tanner:
On page 96, Tanner noted:
In reality, however, the money is siphoned off by the bureaucrats, administrators, service providers, and others who make up the social welfare system. Robert Woodson, president of the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, reports that in 1965, 70 percent of every dollar went director to poor people. Today, 70 cents of every door goes, not to poor people but to government bureaucrats and others who serve the poor. Few private charities have the bureaucratic overhead and inefficiency of government programs.
In a footnote to the “70 cents” sentence, Tanner emphasized: “It is important to note that the 70 percent figure is not solely government administrative overhead.That figure also includes government payments to the nonpoor on behalf of the poor. For example, Medicaid payments go to doctors. Housing subsidies are frequently paid directly to landlords.”
Cool "footnote" bro. In the same way, almost 100 percent of food stamp muneez pad the pockets of the fatcats in Big Grocery.
But despite the fact that libertarian Cato Institute guy Tanner had that reasonably important information in a footnote, did he still have a problem with the way Ol' Crazy Eyes used his work? Sure, why not!
Asked about Bachmann’s claim, Tanner said: “That’s not what I said.”
Sure, he said some other shitty thing. KEEP YOUR SHITTY THINGS STRAIGHT, MICHELE.
The Washington Post gave Bachmann 157 burning Pinocchios, or, in metric, one-half an Ahmed Chalabi, two-thirds of a Dick Morris, or a MilliRush.
[ CNN / WaPo]
I like most of MN a lot and would be sorry to lose it, except the 6th District.* In a mid-size, heavily rural state, there's something to be said for herding all the dingbats into one district and letting them elect one goofball. Lots of states do that *coughJoeWalshcough*
What's more interesting is why Bachmann, instead of being a back-bench embarrassment to the party, has become its spokesclown. It's not as if every GOP member of the House were a raving TP lunatic. But as Rinse Pribbus's report made clear this week, the GOP is all about message, not substance. It has drunk the Koolaid of the Advertising Age, almost the way the old GOP drank the Wall Street Koolaid. It is drawn to high-profileability, stardom (of the quick-rise Reality TV sort), and making lots of headlines. Content is irrelevant--headlines that hold it up to ridicule are as welcome as any other kind. Hence the remarkable staying-power of empty, pretty dollies like Palin and (maybe) Ryan; and hence the overside (heh) rage at Christie for his Obama hugging moment in the press.
*Well, and I wouldn't miss Garrison Keillor either. Time for that fellow to STFU and do something constructive with his life.
Teh Media's decadent fascination w/ "Truth" and "Verifiable Facts" will destroy Merica as we know it!
We all fucking HOPE!