Photo collage by MnIndy

Photo collage: MnIndy

“Don’t let them Palinize me!’ cries the subject line of U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann’s email to supporters today. Laying claim to the Sean Hannity–bestowed title of “second most hated Republican woman,” Bachmann makes a pitch for cash: “With Governor Palin taking a well-deserved step out of the spotlight, it appears that I may be absorbing even more of the liberals’ scorn. And, I’d really appreciate your support so that I can defend myself against their attacks.”The Palin theme seems predicated not only on Hannity’s phrase but also on news yesterday that Bachmann’s son has joined Teach for America, part of the AmeriCorps program that she has publicly berated:

But just as they did with Sarah Palin, the more I talk about the issues, the more they attack with below-the-belt personal hits.  In fact, yesterday,  a Minnesota paper gave a full column to a hit piece on one of my kids!

Today’s “Bachmann Blast” (pdf) comes only a week after Palin gave Bachmann a shout-out on Facebook, seemingly signaling symbiosis between the two rightwing divas.

Making a verb with negative connotations out of Palin’s name is an unusual step for a fellow Republican.

It was no compliment, for example, when CNN’s Larry King blurted out former Sen. Norm Coleman’s name as a verb of derision during the heat of Coleman’s recount battle with Democrat Al Franken.

A negative definition of “Norm Coleman” even made the Urban Dictionary, a source Bachmann quotes directly at the end of her missive:

From the Urban Dictionary:

Palinize:

To smear or mock someone using falsehoods, baseless accusations or unsubstantiated character assassinations for the purpose of blocking them from achieving a goal.

To exaggerate the truth or lie by omission.

To attack a person for his or her conservative values by focusing an inordinate amount of attention on a single example of that person falling short (or being perceived as falling short) of the values they espouse.

 

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