Clinton calls Bachmann ‘stupid,’ Bachmann calls Clinton ‘bizarre’
Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Rep. Michele Bachmann lashed out at Bill Clinton on conservative radio this weekend after the former president criticized Bachmann at a fundraiser for her DFL opponent Tarryl Clark last week. Both Clinton and Bachmann have been prolific with fundraising emails at the expense of each other over the last week as well. Clinton said it’s “stupid” for Bachmann to put ideology over evidence, while Bachmann called Clinton’s statements “bizarre.”
“That’s how I see Rep. Bachmann. She’s very attractive in saying all these things she says, but it’s pretty stupid,” Clinton said at a Clark fundraiser last week.
“Your opponent,” Clinton told Clark according to Salon, “is the ultimate example of putting ideology over evidence.”
“I respect people with a conservative philosophy,” he continued. “This country has been well-served by having two broad traditions within which people can operate. If you have a philosophy, it means you’re generally inclined one way or the other but you’re open to evidence. If you have an ideology, it means everything is determined by dogma and you’re impervious to evidence. Evidence is irrelevant.”
Bachmann didn’t appreciate the characterization — or Clinton’s visit to Minnesota. “Bill Clinton was in campaigning against me this week,” she told conservative radio host Mark Levin. “This is a major effort. I’ve always been about the number one target for Nancy Pelosi to defeat.”
“Emily’s List has made me their number one target, the League of Conservation Voters has made me their number one target,” she said. “But this is almost bizarre what the former President of the United States has said.”
“He is saying that I am the epitome of a trend that that is profoundly dangerous to the nation’s future and he said that my comments are pretty stupid.”
She then defended herself and the tea party movement. “He said our party has moved closer to Michele Bachmann. He’s calling us segregationists. He’s saying that the things that they tea party is saying, that I’m saying in particular, are stupid, that we don’t stand for evidence, we stand for ideology.”
Then she took him on directly.
“So, I would just ask the President of the United States, is it ideology or is it evidence that Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi have spent us 3.6 trillion of failed stimulus and bailouts that didn’t get us anywhere? Is it ideology or evidence that we have persistent unemployment at 9.6 percent? is it ideology or evidence that we have lost 3 million jobs?”
She added, “Who is he charging bases our assertion on ideology over evidence?”
In a fundraising pitch, Bachmann said, “This is yet another example of how the liberal Democrat [sic] establishment has put a target on my back for defeat. They’ll say and do anything. The comments from Bill Clinton have hit a new low and I must have the resources to defend myself and fight back.”
She continued, “I am proud of my record and I refuse to be bullied into silence by Bill Clinton. Liberals across the country believe if they defeat me in November, the Tea Party movement will be eliminated.”
In a followup, Bachmann wrote, “Bill Clinton is the latest liberal to get involved in this race and has attacked me and other Tea Party activists. In 24 hours, thanks to the generosity of activists Bill Clinton attacked, we’ve raised more than $42,000 to fight back against these attacks.”
And Clinton is still pulling for Clark. In an email pitch yesterday, the former president wrote, “The people of the 6th district deserve a leader who will deliver results instead of divisive partisan rhetoric; who will roll up her sleeves and get to work on the critical issues instead of just getting people wound up about them.”
Here are Bachmann’s remarks on the Mark Levin show:
21 Comments
Comment posted September 21, 2010 @ 1:55 pm
You wrote “Clinton said it’s “stupid” for Bachmann to put ideology over evidence,…” so your headline is misleading, incorrect, and not helpful.
Comment posted September 21, 2010 @ 3:15 pm
Is it ideology or is it evidence that a known sexual predator, accused rapist, and impeached and disbarred sexual harasser is considered a leader of the democrat party?
Comment posted September 21, 2010 @ 3:19 pm
“Is it ideology or is it evidence that Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi have spent us 3.6 trillion of failed stimulus and bailouts that didn’t get us anywhere? Is it ideology or evidence that we have persistent unemployment at 9.6 percent? is it ideology or evidence that we have lost 3 million jobs?”
Easy questions: Obviously, it’s right-wing ideology that ran up $3 trillion in debt starting a war while cutting taxes, especially on the wealthy, and bailing out Bear Srtearns and other big banks with a blank check on the Treasury (TARP was Bush Mrs. Bachmann). And the totally inadequate stimulus bills (inadequate because of you who opposed any stimulus that would accomplish anything) have done some good. Unemployment would be much, much worse without it. But who needs evidence when you’re a lying nut-job bigot?
Comment posted September 21, 2010 @ 4:25 pm
Dennis -
Aren’t you describing Newt Gingrich?
Comment posted September 21, 2010 @ 4:57 pm
Why would you think that, Tom? It wasn’t Gingrich who was sued by an Arkansas clerical worker for exposing himself to her and asking for oral sex. It wasn’t Gingrich who tampered with witnesses in his sexual harrassment trial, witnesses who would show the court a pattern of behavior and in the process introduced us all to one of those witnesses, Monica Lewinski. It wasn’t Gingrich who lied to a federal judge and was subsequently disbarred for five years. It wasn’t Gingrich who had to pay Ms. Jones $750,000 to settle the case. It wasn’t Gingrich who was impeached for perjury and witness tampering and sexual harrassment with a girl not much older than his daughter.
Gingrich had an affair with one of his staffers and resigned of his own accord.
Comment posted September 21, 2010 @ 4:59 pm
Betty McCollum had an affair with one of her staffers, also, but she didn’t resign.
Comment posted September 21, 2010 @ 6:39 pm
Gosh, Dennis what a good memory you have – you must also remember Newt being brought up on ethics charges and the fines he had to pay and resigning the speaker’s office in disgrace – he’s also a serial philanderer – and he was busy doing exactly what he was accusing Bill Clinton of doing (no hypocrisy there ) and he writes really bad novels.
I guess that’s why I thought of Newt.
Comment posted September 21, 2010 @ 7:33 pm
No Clinton committed perjury, a felony. Adultery isn’t a crime, lying to a grand jury is. His misuse of a good cigar should at least be a misdemeanor.
Comment posted September 21, 2010 @ 9:22 pm
Good greif Dennis give it a rest. We spent millions millions of dollars and years investigating Clinton. You wingnut brethren spent millions of thier own money trumping up charges, dragging Paula Jones out of the wood work and you alleged clerical worker. Clinton was impeached for lying about an affair, not witness tampering, not sexual harrasment. Simply for telling a lie about an affair, after all that money all the wasted time, his life was gone over with a fine toothed comb and that is all they could come up with.
I would love to have George Bush’s miserable life subjected to that kind of scrutiny, Dick Chenney as well. Wouldn’t it be nice to find out why we really went to war with Iraq? Why George Bush ignored the August 2001 memo stating that Osama bin Laden was determined to strike in the US. Why Chenney, who was named as head of the terrorism task force never met with anyone about terrorism until after the attacks.
If Obama were smart he would have stimulated the economy by hiring a raft of lawyers to investigate Bush/Chenney Inc.
For all Clinton’s faults no one died due to them. Bush/Chenney on the other hand have the blood of hundreds of thousands of people on their hands, they looted the treasury to fight their wars and hand huge tax cuts to their coronies and they sat by while the economy went into free fall and the retirement savings of millions of Americans were wiped out.
I’ll take a guy who lies about sex any day of the week.
Comment posted September 21, 2010 @ 9:44 pm
Until she comes up with some evidence instead of unsupported partisan accusations, it really is ideology.
It’s not like she ever says anything resembling the truth.
“He is saying that I am the epitome of a trend that that is profoundly dangerous to the nation’s future and he said that my comments are pretty stupid.”
And he got it exactly right.
Comment posted September 21, 2010 @ 10:14 pm
Henk, Bill Clinton was disbarred for lying in federal court where he was the defendant in a sexual harrassment lawsuit, a case that was settled when he wrote a check for $750,000. He was disbarred for that perjury.
Can you think of any other president in history who was sued while in office? How about disbarred while in office? Democrats can defend him if you like. I’m just saying it’s instructive that a slimeball like that is considered a leader of your party.
And what would you have George Bush do regarding that memo? Ground all air traffic indefinitely based on a vague and nebulous threat?
And if you really want to know why we went to war with Iraq, don’t take George Bush’s word for it. Take four minutes and watch this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5p-qIq32m8
You people defend Saddam more vigorously than his attorneys ever did.
Comment posted September 21, 2010 @ 10:25 pm
Michelle Bachmann makes things up. That’s stupid, and of no help to the people of the 6th district. Obama, Pelosi, 3.6 Trillion? Please…
Comment posted September 22, 2010 @ 8:36 am
really Dennis – that’s what you got?
Who was the first speaker ever brought up on ethics charges? It was Newt.
And if you want to look at something – here you go
http://www.tvnewslies.org/html/iraq_lies.html
http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/03/07/22_lies.html
There is a saying in the IT world – GIGO – Garbage in/Garbage out.
The House and Senate was fed garbage by the Bushies and that stupid, senseless and expensive war is the result.
It has nothing to do with defending Saddam – it has to do with responsibility and culpability – George Bush and Dick Cheney are criminals.
Comment posted September 22, 2010 @ 10:17 am
Denise,Do you recall the incident when the Newtster waltzed into his wifes hospital room when she was battling CANCER and requested a divorce?What a stellar human being he is!!I wouldn’t piss down his throat if his guts were on fire.
Comment posted September 22, 2010 @ 5:06 pm
Dennis, do you think before you speak? I agree with Bud and all of the others that know Newt is a bag of crap and so is Bachmann.
Comment posted September 22, 2010 @ 10:06 pm
“Bill Clinton was disbarred for lying in federal court where he was the defendant in a sexual harassment lawsuit, a case that was settled when he wrote a check for $750,000″
Paula Jones’s lawsuit was thrown out of court. Jones could not show, and never offered evidence of, that she had suffered any damages. No damages, no harassment. She got her money while trying to appeal, Clinton cried “Uncle” to her little extortion, and the Whitewater special prosecutor found something to f*ck him with – lying about sex in a deposition in a civil lawsuit, not a grand jury.
“He is saying that I am the epitome of a trend that that is profoundly dangerous to the nation’s future and he said that my comments are pretty stupid.”
At least Bachmann appears to understand Clinton’s remarks. Note that she didn’t try very hard to refute a pretty accurate observation.
Comment posted September 22, 2010 @ 10:38 pm
>>>> about sex in a deposition in a civil lawsuit, not a grand jury
Wrong.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/explainone122098.htm
Comment posted September 22, 2010 @ 10:54 pm
Ooops – Dennis is right, I’m wrong.
See? I wouldn’t make a good teabagger. I admitted I was mistaken aboot something!
It’s still lying about sex, not corruption, not lying for a cause that got him campaign contributions, not war on false pretenses. So. Freaking. What.
On the other hand, I can’t believe I’m defending the one responsible for the gift of Free-to-any-other-country-but-us Trade.
Comment posted October 7, 2010 @ 8:32 am
Does it say something that unless pressed Bill Clinton accepts no wrong doing for his actions and his administration but he calls others stupid? I didn’t study at cambridge or spend thousands of dollars of other peoples money .If Bill thinks the people will support “his canidate ” in minnesota because he can “dumb his words down to our level” hes got us at the wrong level . We may like huntin and fishing , but we like reading caring for others and learning how to treat others with respect without disrespecting anyone else . I can say that I have listened to Michelle Bachmann and she does make sense .
Go back to New York Bill!
Comment posted October 7, 2010 @ 2:43 pm
Joe you must be smokin some good stuff because nothing Bachmann says ever make any logical sense. She is a complete idiot it is a shame people like her actually become elected officials in this country because people that don’t know any better or do any thinking for themselves voted for her. No sane rational person could listen to this woman and go hey I think I should vote for her.
Comment posted October 19, 2010 @ 12:35 am
hey dennis? why slam Clinton when you have Gingrich on your side?
he’s a practicing adulterer and a hypocrite and you think Clinton is bad?
what’s that say about your character and the tea party, I’ll tell you, it saus your all hypocrites racists and bigots.
so your no better than the dems clown./
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