bachmannWith Rep. Michele Bachmann’s false assertion that a Democrats held the White House when the last “swine flu” scare fresh in mind, the editorial board of the West Central Tribune conjures another agricultural affliction when discussing the 6th District Republican: “foot-in-mouth disease.” Citing her recent gaffes — many of which we’ve chronicled here — the editorial concludes: “Bachmann has become the poster child for bizarre politicians. She also is an embarrassment to both the 6th District and Minnesota.”

The paper’s Wilmar offices aren’t in Bachmann’s district, but the reach of its parent company, Forum Communications, means the sentiment will get a wider hearing. Its Worthington paper re-ran the editorial. Update: On May 4, Forum’s Albert Lea Tribune also published the editorial.

One Sixth District paper, that of St. Cloud State University, runs a bylined op-ed by Paul Crawford. He writes that Bachmann “is about as representative of our district as a thorn is of a rose,” adding that Bachmann’s actions would be “less disheartening if she silently supported these reactionary causes, which some politicians do. Instead, she actively pursues and promotes them though legislation, and what has become her weekly, nationally televised freakshow.”

The twin sentiments — the abundance of media appearances and the legislative issues she advocates — also appear in a blistering Apr. 19 editorial by the nearby St. Cloud Times. It decried Bachmann for evoking “extremism, typically by flitting around today’s 24/7 media culture ad nauseam.” It cites Bachmann’s “two straight years of her consistently spewing misleading snippets about important issues yet never stepping beyond those statements to find realistic solutions make it clear she is all about extremism and cares nothing about crafting viable public policy.”