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Photos: C-SPAN, Lauren Victoria Burke, CBS
U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann may have started it last fall with loopy comments on national TV about her congressional colleagues’ “anti-American” views. Last week, she again tried to “out” fellow lawmakers, this time for supporting AIG’s bonuses, while a widely quoted (but anonymous) banker termed the U.S. House of Representatives’ bonus tax “anti-American” — helping Bachmann (who likewise opposed the tax) close the rhetorical noose around her targets’ necks. Until, that is, Sunday’s “60 Minutes” show on CBS, when President Barack Obama repatriated the term while chiding former Vice President Dick Cheney for fomenting actual anti-Americanism abroad. Quotes and video after the jump.
Bachmann’s original remark on MSNBC’s “Hardball” last October:
What I would say is that the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look. I wish they would. I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America? I think the American people would love to see an expose like that. … Absolutely, I’m very concerned that [Obama] may have anti-American views.
An American investment banker , as quoted in a Financial Times article on Saturday entitled “Banker fury over tax ‘witch hunt’” – a single, conspicuously unnamed source whose views are now circulating widely on the ‘net:
“Finance is one of America’s great industries, and they’re destroying it,” said one banker at a firm that has accepted public money. “This happened out of haste and anger over AIG, but we’re not like AIG.” The banker added: ”It’s like a McCarthy witch-hunt. … This is the most profoundly anti-American thing I’ve ever seen.”
Obama on Cheney on CBS’ “60 Minutes”:
How many terrorists have actually been brought to justice under the philosophy that is being promoted by Vice President Cheney? It hasn’t made us safer. What it has been is a great advertisement for anti-American sentiment.
Here is the “60 Minutes” clip:
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5 Comments »
Comment posted March 22, 2009 @ 10:44 pm
The anonymous banker is wrong. It isn’t a witchhunt, it isn’t McCarthyism. McCarthyism would entail going after anyone who knew a banker. Going after bankers is going after the people who broke the law and bought the law and, this is the key point, the people who caused the problem are STILL IN CHARGE.
Forgive me directing readers to another site, but I suggest everyone take a look at Matt Taibbi’s article in Rolling Stone where he explains this quite clearly. Finance was made complicated for a reason, to essentially keep us illiterate. The people who caused the problem are growing stronger as a result. Forget “socialism”: this is crony-capitalism. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/26793903/the_big_takeover/print
It’s not actually that hard to understand, but it’s not intuitive either. It’s up to all of us to understand it if we don’t want to continue to be patsies.
Comment posted March 22, 2009 @ 11:07 pm
Thanks Eric, I’ll check that out. No problem linking to other sites, by the way. Please do, in fact. Stirs the pot.
Comment posted March 23, 2009 @ 6:57 pm
Michelle Bachmann is down right scary, this woman need help, latest of her statements ————————-
Bachmann told WWTC 1280 AM, “I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us ‘having a revolution every now and then is a good thing,’ and the people — we the people — are going to have to fight back hard if we’re not going to lose our country. And I think this has the potential of changing the dynamic of freedom forever in the United States.”
Watch the video http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/23/michele-bachmann-i-want-p_n_178156.html
Comment posted March 24, 2009 @ 12:36 pm
At least with Obama we have some hope of a better life. Under Bush and Cheney we had none. Once the neocons get back in power we will be screwed for all time. They will be back in power Unless some go to jail. The only thing they fear is prosecution.
We must prosecute Cheney, Bush & their lawbreaking Lawyers
if we want our officials to consistently obey our Laws & Constitution.
Sign The Petition To Indict Them
and push Obama to have AG Holder appoint a Special Prosecutor @ ANGRYVoters DOT Org
http://ANGRYVoters.org
Over 63,000 have signed
Join Them!
PLEASE Forward to everyone you know
.
Comment posted March 29, 2009 @ 8:30 pm
Hey Chris: I disagree with your connection of the “Anti-American” comments made by the 3 people. Bachmann is a republican, and a whacked out person, who sees anything outside of her republican playbook–imaginary or not, as anti-American. The un-named banker…well, he is un-named and his opinion is too.
President Obama is speaking to anti-American sentiment generated by the bush gang, and he is is refering to real events [imprisoning suspects for years, without charging them], which really have occured at Gitmo, and have caused anger in the world towards America.
VEry different than a nutcase spewing fear-mongering cr*p, or a “unnamed banker who’s opinion is worthless.
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